Muslims have been using the prayer rugs since hundred of years. Its origin is obscure even though it is certain that it has originated from carpet weaving Oriental countries. Muslims are ordained to pray five times a day on a clean spot; the prayer rugs are used for this purpose in mosques, homes and outdoors.
There is no distinction in Islam between the spiritual and the secular thus there is no division of art into sacred and profane – so for that matter any rug can serve as prayer rug.
“Prayer rugs are commonly available in three sizes.” said Alex Imbimbo, a British national working as Avionics Engineer in British Aerospace, Riyadh. As a hobby he has been collecting carpets of different types. At present he has more than 120 oriental carpets of various types, sizes and design in his private collection. Probably the highest number owned by an individual in the entire gulf.
“I have been collecting carpets since I came to the Kingdom 16 years before.” said Alex. Every second and last Thursday of the month, he conducts classes about the awareness of the carpet in his residence.
The most common size is 120 x 80 cm; it is small and easy to carry. The next size is 150 x 90 cm, the Persian zaronim size, which in Turkish is called namazlik – literally means “prayer rug”. The next larger size is 180 x 120 cm commonly known as Turkish sedjadeh. 'Sedjadeh' is derived from the Arabic word, prostration; originally it also meant prayer-rug. At present the word 'sedjadeh' is purely used as an indication of size in Turkey and the equivalent or slightly bigger size in Persia is called 'dozar'. The Persians also use the word 'sedjadeh' in areas like Hamadan and Tabriz.
In earlier mosques usually there was a stone set in the wall pointing towards the direction of qibla (Kaaba). Later over a period of time this spot was decorated by the representation of arch-shaped niche known as 'mihrab' and this shape is universally adapted in prayer-rugs designs.
Handmade and tribal prayer-rugs are still made and used in many parts of the Orient, but they are rarely found in the carpet trade. “The use of mihrab as a decorative rather than as a symbolic element is not new nor is restricted to the carpet trade,” said Haroon Rasheed, a carpet salesman.
“It is not clear that the prayer-rug layout was originally devised for a religious purpose, or it existed as an 'archway' design before the advent of Islam.” said Alex.
Carpets used in mosques for men to pray in a row behind the Imam is known as 'saph'. Several saphs are deployed in the mosques as it is a practical way of achieving order among worshippers. Some of the designs used in the modern saphs are 600 years old.
The Kayesri saph design are found in Central Turkey and in Western China (leaving aside modern copies from Pakistan) and very rarely found elsewhere.” said Rahimullah, owner of an antique carpet shop in Riyadh. Similar type of saphs are still made in Tarim Basin area and sold by the Chinese under the name Sinkiang.
Alex said, “the largest range of rugs for religious use are woven in Turkey region. The antique Turkish rug is being copied in Kashmir since many decades, but certain features enable it to distinguish from a modern Turkish piece, even though both are copies of an original antique. The Turkish village rug is recognisable by its woolen wraps and Kashmir by cotton, but this is not universal guide as even Turkish goods also use cotton.”
Old Turkish designs are copied in modern Turkey and many other areas including Rumania. The Rumanian copy is painstaking imitations of ancient pieces. The designs and colours of museum pieces are copied accurately and the rugs are then washed time after time. They are burnt and sand-papered until they become threadbare and tatty and the fringes began to fall to pieces, just as if they had been in use for hundred of years. “It is easy to distinguish the new 'antique' from the originals, for all Rumanian carpets have a strange and unmistakable oily smell.” said Alex.
Hereke makes the best prayer rugs in the Orient. The carpet production began here in 1890 by Sultan Abdul Hamid. The biggest Persian center for silk rugs is Qum, but people often prefer to hang silk rugs on the wall rather than lay those on the floors, and for this purpose one-way design of the prayer arch type are very suitable.
(The writer can be reached at rafiqpasha@hotmail.com)
