The Ghiordes Prayer Rug

The non prayer rugs were and still are popular as decorator pieces similar.

The ghiordes prayer rug.

The niche confirms that this is a prayer rug used to provide a ritually clean place for the five daily prayers. Beautiful antique ghiordes rugs from turkey. This ghiordes prayer rug dates back to the second half of the eighteenth century. Classic prayer rugs with wide borders and soft often off white color they sparked the imaginations of europe and the us as people began to become familiar with oriental rugs.

Ghiordes rugs also spelled giordes the famous rugs of ghiordes captured the hearts of european collectors in the 1700 s early ghiordes prayer rugs are among the most iconic of their type in anatolia and the surrounding area they traditionally feature angular prayer niches highly decorative spandrels architectural pillars and gorgeous. Battilossi tappeti d antiquariato 11 february 1998 lot 72. The prayer rugs of ghiordes together with those of kula and ladik have long been especially prized in the middle east as well as in europe and the united states some of them date from the last decades of the 18th century borrowing elements from much earlier. For sale on 1stdibs antique ghiordes prayer rug.

Ghiordes prayer rug features posted on may 25 2014 by admin ghiordes as we pointed out in an earlier post is the area in northeastern turkey near the ancient city of gordium where alexander the great split the legendary gordian knot in 333 and fulfilled the prophecy that the man that unraveled the knot would become king of europe and asia. The prayer rugs of ghiordes together with those of kula and ladik have long been especially prized in the middle east as well as in europe and the united states. A beautiful antique prayer rug in the classical turkish tradition. X 3ft 9in wool on wool lazy lines light wear a few scattered areas of old repiling.

The frame of the mat consists of seven yellow and black vertical lines probably intended to symbolise the seven heavens. For its design colours and proportions this is a great example of that particular type of west anatolian prayer rugs dating from the beginning of the 18th century highly sought after by collectors. Best known are the ghiordes prayer rug which circa 1900 was the most popular collector s rug. Its main feature is the mehrab or prayer niche in the centre of the mat which infers stability.

Ghiordes prayer rug west anatolia about 1700 5ft 1in. Ghiordes carpet floor covering handwoven in the town of ghiordes gördes northeast of izmir in western anatolia now in turkey.