Prayer Rug

The rugs' different design types are generally named for the region or tribe from which they originated. In the nineteenth century the nomadic Ersari, a Turkoman tribe, occupied land on both sides of the Oxus River, which forms part of the boundary between Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmeninstan. They were skilled rug weavers, and the example illustrated here is a rare and beautiful Ersari prayer rug. As in most Turkoman rugs, the color scheme is dominated by a deep red, but the palette is more brilliant than other Turkoman rugs, making extensive use of ivory, blue, and yellow. Characteristic of Ersari prayer rugs are one mihrab represented within another, as seen here, creating the large ivory field filled with a pomegranate design. The shape of the mihrab itself, with a pronounced knob at the top, is also a typical Ersari feature, as well as the stylized plants on the red ground of the spandrels and on the areas enclosed by the mirhabs.