Prayer rug

Artist Ersari-Beshir (Turkmenistan)

Artist Unidentified artist

Dateearly 19th Century

MediumWool

Dimensions61 x 31 7/8 inches (155 x 81 cm)

ClassificationsTextiles

Credit LineGift of Banoo and Jeevak Parpia

Terms

Textiles
Wool
Turkmenistan

Object number2008.019

Label CopyPrayer is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with alms-giving, fasting, pilgrimage, and the remembrance of God. Devout Muslims pray five times a day and may do so communally in a mosque or privately just about anywhere. Prayer rugs facilitate the practice, which involves prostration, and typically feature an architec-tonic motif that represents the mihrab, the niche in a mosque located at the center of the wall that faces toward Mecca. Beshir rugs were made in towns for use by settled communities, and thus are outside the tribal Turkmen tradition. This is a classic example of a Beshir prayer rug, featuring pomegranates within the arch-like design.

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