Caucasus
dated 1332 AH (1913–14 AD)
woollen warp and cotton weft; woollen pile in symmetrical Turkish knots
143 x 100cm
Prayer carpets with depictions of the Prophet’s mosque at Medina are rare. The idea of incorporating this view on a prayer carpet may be seen as an extension of the Anatolian tradition, dating back to the late 17th or 18th century, in which prayer carpets were decorated with images of the Ka‘bah.
S. Vernoit, Occidentalism. Islamic Art in the 19th Century, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, volume XXIII, London 1997, cat.17, p.39.