MONASTIR OTTOMAN PRAYER RUG

178 x 124

Monastir prayer rugs are few and far between. They were woven by Turkish clans who lived in the valleys between the mountaintop Greek Orthodox monasteries in the Balkans (hence the name). They were exiled back to Anatolia, in waves, after the Balkan Wars of 1878, 1912, 1913 and 1920-23. They wove kilims more than pile rugs, making such examples very appealing to collectors.

The archaic nature of the present piece is complemented by the bold color sense. The wispy mehrab prayer arch floats like a halo over the mosque or shrine, that is in turn protected by symbolic ram's horns to ward off evil.

Note how the end and side borders have different designs, both of which are very eye catching.

Circa 1880