Turkish 1588

A beautiful handwoven Anatolian village rug in the traditional prayer design format, woven with natural vegetable dyes in the fourth quarter of the 19th century. This Turkish rug reveals the remarkable cross-cultural influences that shaped Eastern Anatolian village weaving — the two central medallions set against a deep purple field with abrash blue center clearly showing the influence of Caucasian tribal weaving traditions that filtered across the mountains into the villages of eastern Turkey.

The brick-red geometric border frames the composition with balance and visual authority. Adding to its provenance and desirability, this Anatolian village rug comes from the private collection of a renowned San Francisco vintage rug connoisseur — a pedigree that speaks to its quality, authenticity, and collecting significance. The Anatolian prayer rug tradition is one of the most ancient and spiritually resonant in the entire textile world. The mihrab — the arched niche that orients the rug toward Mecca — gives these rugs their distinctive directional quality and their connection to the devotional life of Islam. Village prayer rugs of the 19th and early 20th century are among the most personal and expressive textiles ever made, each a unique expression of the individual weaver's artistic sensibility within a form of deep religious significance.

Dimensions: 3' 10" x 5' 7"

Date of Manufacture: 4th Quarter of the 19th Century

Place of Origin: Anatolia (Turkey)

Material: Wool pile on a wool foundation with vegetable dyes

Condition: Wear consistent with age and use

SKU: 1588