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42-486: Soumak is a type of flat weave, somewhat resembling kilim , but with a stronger and thicker weave, a smooth front face and a ragged back, where kilim is smooth on both sides. Soumak lacks the slits characteristic of kilim, as it is usually woven with supplementary weft threads as continuous supports. The technique involves wrapping coloured weft threads over and under the warp threads, adding strength and embroidery -like pattern. The name 'soumak' may plausibly derive from

84-654: A fetter motif (Turkish: Bukaǧı ). Several other motifs represent the desire for good luck and happiness, as for instance the bird (Turkish: Kuş ) and the star or Solomon's seal (Turkish: Yıldız ). The oriental symbol of yin and yang is used for love and unison (Turkish: Aşk ve Birleşim ). Because kilims are often cheaper than pile rugs, beginning carpet collectors often start with them. Despite what many perceive as their secondary (or inferior) status to pile carpets, kilims have become increasingly collectible in themselves in recent years, with quality pieces now commanding high prices. What some sensed as inferiority

126-465: A clean space for believers to offer Christian prayers to God. During the seven fixed prayer times of Oriental Orthodox Christians, believers incorporate prostrations in the praying of the canonical hours that are performed facing east , with Copts "prostrating three times in the name of the Trinity ; at the end of each Psalm   [...] while saying the 'Alleluia'; and multiple times during

168-660: A directional point to direct the worshipper towards Mecca . Many rugs also show one or more mosque lamps , a reference to the Verse of Light in the Qur'an . Specific mosques are sometimes shown; some of the most popular examples include the mosques in Mecca, Medina , and especially Jerusalem . After the advent of Islam , Muslims often depicted the Kaaba in order to distinguish themselves from Christian carpets. Decorations not only play

210-468: A face of soumak, with a tapestry -woven kilim-like top creating slits between blocks of colour: a rope was threaded in and out of the series of slits to fasten and close the bag. Sizes vary, from carpet format through bags for bedding or for use on pack animals , to tiny tribal domestic bags. The following images show the appearance and construction of just such a soumak saddle bag , woven in Luristan at

252-644: A more blurred design image. The weft strands, which carry the visible design and color, are almost always wool, whereas the hidden warp strands can be either wool or cotton. The warp strands are only visible at the ends, where they emerge as the fringe. This fringe is usually tied in bunches, to ensure against loosening or unraveling of the weave. Many motifs are used in Turkish kilims, each with many variations. A few examples are illustrated here, with meanings as described by Güran Erbek in Kilim . A widely used motif

294-405: A prayer mat is placed between the ground and the worshipper for cleanliness during the various positions of Islamic prayer . These involve prostration and sitting on the ground . A Muslim must perform wudu (ablution) before prayer, and must pray in a clean place. Prayer rugs are also used by some Oriental Orthodox Christians for Christian prayer involving prostrations in the name of

336-431: A role in imagery but serve the worshipper as aids to memory. Some of the examples include a comb and pitcher, which is a reminder for Muslims to wash their hands and for men to comb their hair before performing prayer. Another important use for decorations is to aid newly converted Muslims by stitching decorative hands on the prayer mat where the hands should be placed when performing prayer. Prayer rugs are usually made in

378-769: A special prayer rug known as the Podruchnik is used to keep one's face and hands clean during prostrations, as these parts of the body are used to make the sign of the cross . In the Middle East and South Asia, where Christian missionaries are engaged in evangelism , some converts to Christianity use prayer rugs for prayer and worship in order to preserve their Eastern cultural context . In modern times, among most adherents of Western Christianity , kneelers placed in pews (for corporate worship) or in prie-dieus (for private worship) are customary; historically however, prayer rugs were used by some Christian monks to pray

420-399: Is an amulet, believed to confer protection by its presence. Other motifs symbolise fertility, as with the trousseau chest motif (Turkish: Sandıklı ), or the explicit fertility (Turkish: Bereket , [beɾeket] ) motif. The motif for running water (Turkish: Su Yolu ) similarly depicts the resource literally. The desire to tie a family or lovers together may be depicted with

462-495: Is because the drawing of animate objects on Islamic prayer mats is forbidden. For Muslims, when praying, a niche, representing the mihrab of a mosque, at the top of the mat must be pointed to the Islamic center for prayer, Mecca . All Muslims are required to know the qibla or direction towards Mecca from their home or where they are while traveling. Oriental Orthodox Christians position their prayer rugs so that they face east,

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504-413: Is the elibelinde , a stylized female figure representing motherhood and fertility . Other motifs express the tribal weavers' desires for protection of their families' flocks from wolves with the wolf's mouth or the wolf's foot motif (Turkish: Kurt Aǧzi , Kurt İzi ), or for safety from the sting of the scorpion (Turkish: Akrep ). Several motifs hope for the safety of the weaver's family from

546-483: Is to have that particular colour. Unlike kilim, the back is left ragged, with all the loose ends of the differently-coloured weft threads visible, sometimes several inches long, providing extra thickness and warmth. Also unlike kilim, there are no slits where colours meet, as there is a supplementary or structural weft which supports the coloured pattern weft. Some late Soumaks made by the Kurds are however "weftless", lacking

588-611: The Kurds in north-western Persia, and by the Baloch people on the Persia – Afghanistan border. Kilim A kilim ( Persian : گلیم gilīm Azerbaijani : kilim کیلیم ; Turkish : kilim ; Turkmen : kilim ) is a flat tapestry - woven carpet or rug traditionally produced in countries of the former Persian Empire , including Iran , but also in the Balkans and

630-477: The Trinity , as well as during the recitation of the Alleluia and Kyrie eleison . Its purpose is to maintain a cleanly space to pray to God and shoes must be removed when using the prayer rug. Among Russian Orthodox Christians , particularly Old Ritualists , a special prayer rug known as the Podruchnik is used to keep one's face and hands clean during prostrations, as these parts of the body are used to make

672-471: The canonical hours in places such as Syria, Northumbria, and Ireland well before the arrival of Islam. The Armenian Apostolic Church , an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, has a long tradition of prayer rugs with Christian symbols woven in them; these have been found in places as far as Shirvan . One of the oldest is the Saint Hrip'sime Rug, which was woven in 1202 A.D. and originates in

714-544: The direction of prayer towards which they offer prayer. In the Baháʼí Faith , prayer rugs or prayer mats are not required, though may sometimes be used as a way to fulfill the instruction written in the Baháʼí mother-book The Most Holy Book mentioning to "prostrate yourselves on any surface that is clean". Prayer rugs are used in some traditions of Oriental Orthodox Christianity and Western Orthodox Christianity , to provide

756-406: The evil eye (Turkish: Nazarlık , also used as a motif), which could be divided into four with a cross symbol (Turkish: Haç ), or averted with the symbol of a hook (Turkish: Çengel ), a human eye (Turkish: Göz ), or an amulet (Turkish: Muska ; often, a triangular package containing a sacred verse). Such an amulet woven into a rug is not a picture of the thing itself: it actually

798-470: The sign of the cross . Many new prayer mats are manufactured by weavers in a factory. The design of a prayer mat is based on the village it came from and its weaver. These rugs are usually decorated with many beautiful geometric patterns and shapes. They are sometimes even decorated with images. These images are usually important Islamic landmarks, such as the Kaaba, but they are never animate objects. This

840-482: The 16th century, with the coming of the Reformation, the number of figurative images inside the churches was drastically reduced . Frescoes were white-washed or destroyed, and the many sumptuous winged altar-pieces were removed maintaining exclusively the main altar piece. The recently converted parishioners thus perceived the church as a large, cold and empty space, which required at least some decoration. Traces of

882-598: The Turkic countries. Kilims can be purely decorative or can function as prayer rugs . Modern kilims are popular floor coverings in Western households. The word 'kilim' originates from the Persian galīm ( گلیم ) where it means 'to spread roughly', perhaps of Akkadian or Aramean origin. Like pile carpets, kilim have been produced since ancient times. The explorer Mark Aurel Stein found kilims dating to at least

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924-577: The end of the 20th century. The Lurs sometimes, as here, combine soumak and knotted carpet piling to adorn a single piece. To form the motifs, the weaver may push the weft threads about to form curves or slanting shapes as desired. Soumak products are made in the Caucasus (especially the Shirvan region), Southern and Western Persia including Luristan , Turkish Anatolia , by the Shahsavan tribe and

966-458: The fourth or fifth century CE in Hotan , China: Kilims are produced by tightly interweaving the warp and weft strands of the weave to produce a flat surface with no pile. Kilim weaves are tapestry weaves, technically weft-faced plain weaves, that is, the horizontal weft strands are pulled tightly downward so that they hide the vertical warp strands. When the end of a color boundary is reached,

1008-565: The market, rather than woven according to tradition and to suit the needs of the weaver's family and the weaver's own hopes and fears. Perhaps the best known and most highly regarded, these kilims are traditionally distinguished by the areas, villages or cities in which they are produced, such as Konya , Malatya , Karapınar and Hotamis. Most Anatolian kilims are slit woven. Larger antique kilims were woven in two to three separate sections on small nomadic horizontal floor looms in three feet wide long strips, then carefully sewn together matching

1050-706: The more than forty Kyrie eleisons " (cf. Agpeya ). Indian Orthodox Christians prostrate thrice during the Qauma prayer, at the words "Crucified for us, Have mercy on us!", thrice during the recitation of the Nicene Creed at the words "And was incarnate of the Holy Spirit...", "And was crucified for us...", and "And on the third day rose again...", as well as thrice during the Prayer of the Cherubim while praying

1092-520: The mural decoration were found during modern restorations in some Protestant Churches as for instance at Malâncrav. In this situation the Oriental rugs, created in a world that was spiritually different from Christianity, found their place in the Reformed churches which were to become their main custodians. The removal from the commercial circuit and the fact that they were used to decorate the walls,

1134-466: The name, then it is derived from the Arabic and Syriac word 'summāq' , meaning 'red'. The technique of making a soumak involves wrapping wefts over a certain number of warps (usually 4) before drawing them back under the last two warps. The process is repeated from selvedge to selvedge. The wefts are discontinuous; the weaver selects coloured threads in turn, and wraps each within the area which

1176-599: The old town of Shemakja in Azerbaijan , once a major trading centre in the Eastern Caucasus. Other theories include an etymology from Turkish 'sekmek' , 'to skip up and down', meaning the process of weaving; or from any of about 35 species of flowering plant in the Anacardiaceae or sumac family, such as dyer's sumach ( Cotinus coggygria ), used to make dyestuffs. If this last is the source of

1218-468: The other. Some countries produce textiles with prayer rug patterns for export. Many modern prayer rugs are strictly commercial pieces made in large numbers to sell on an international market or tourist trade. Interactive prayer mats, also known as smart prayer mats or digital prayer rugs, are a recent development in the field of prayer rugs. These mats are designed to enhance the spiritual experience of Muslims during prayer by incorporating technology into

1260-508: The patterns edges to create an ultimately wider rug. These pieces are still produced in very limited quantities by nomadic tribes for their personal use and are commonly known as cicims . Prayer rug A prayer rug or prayer mat is a piece of fabric, sometimes a pile carpet , used by Muslims , some Christians , especially in Orthodox Christianity and some followers of the Baháʼí Faith during prayer. In Islam,

1302-719: The pews and the balconies but not on the floor was crucial for their conservation over the years. After the Siege of Vienna of 1682 the Ottomans suffered several defeats by hand of the Habsburg army. In 1687 the rulers of Transylvania recognized the suzerainty of the Habsburg emperor Leopold I. Generally the end of the Turkish rule in Transylvania is associated with the Peace Treaty of 1699, but in fact this happened more than

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1344-669: The status of an autonomous Principality, maintaining the Christian religion and own administration but paying tribute to the Ottoman Porte. By contrast, following the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, part of Hungary was designated a Pashalik and was under Turkish occupation for over a century and a half. Rugs came into the ownership of the Reformed Churches, mainly as pious donations from parishioners, benefactors or guilds. In

1386-659: The structural weft support, and the stitches naturally overlap. Soumaks tend to be finely woven, and although not as durable as piled carpets , they are stronger than kilims . The soumak wrapping often covers the whole surface of a bag or rug, but it can equally be applied in decorative strips, contrasting with the plainer and thinner flatweave areas. For example, camel bags from Malatya in Eastern Turkey could be woven in simple flatweave stripes of red and blue, with broad strips of soumak weft-wrapping with motifs for fertility and protection . Bags were sometimes woven with

1428-400: The supplicant kneels at the base of the rug and places their hands at either side of the niche at the top of the rug, their forehead touching the niche. Typical prayer rug sizes are approximately 2.5 ft × 4 ft (0.76 m × 1.22 m) to 4 ft × 6 ft (1.2 m × 1.8 m), enough to kneel above the fringe on one end and bend down and place the head on

1470-429: The towns or villages of the communities who use them and are often named after the origins of those who deal and collect them. The exact pattern will vary greatly by original weavers and the different materials used. Some may have patterns, dyes and materials that are traditional/native to the region in which they were made. Prayer rugs' patterns generally have a niche at the top, which is turned to face Mecca. During prayer

1512-489: The traditional practice of prayer, and for educational purposes. The Saxon Lutheran Churches, parish storerooms and museums of Transylvania safeguard about four hundred Anatolian rugs, dating from the late-15th to early 18th century. They form the richest and best-preserved corpus of prayer-format rugs of Ottoman period outside Turkey. Transylvania, like the other Romanian principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, never came under direct Turkish occupation. Until 1699 it had

1554-424: The village of Banants, located in what is now Gandja . In Islamic world there are two basic types of prayer rug, one designed with a single mihrab and meant for individual worship, the other with multiple niches and intended for a place of public prayer such as a mosque. This second type is known as saf . A prayer rug is characterized by a niche at one end, representing the mihrab in every mosque,

1596-460: The weft yarn is wound back from the boundary point. Thus, if the boundary of a field is a straight vertical line, a vertical slit forms between the two different color areas where they meet. For this reason, most kilims can be classed as "slit woven" textiles. The slits are beloved by collectors, as they produce very sharp-etched designs, emphasizing the geometry of the weave . Weaving strategies for avoiding slit formation, such as interlocking, produce

1638-626: The words "Blessed is the glory of the Lord, from His place forever!" (cf. Shehimo ). These prayer rugs are often blessed by Christian clergy in the church before ever being used; in this way, when a Christian prays at home, it is as if they are praying in their local church. Additionally, carpets cover the floors of parishes in denominations such as the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church on which Christians prostrate in prayer. Among Russian Orthodox Old Ritualists ,

1680-455: Was a development in industrial chemistry. An important element in the attractiveness of traditional rugs is abrash , the dappled appearance resulting from variation in shade of each colour caused by hand-dyeing of the yarn. The synthetic ( aniline -derived) dyes introduced late in the Victorian era abolished abrash, giving brilliant colours which however often faded with time. A second factor

1722-494: Was actually a different nature of rugs woven for indigenous use as opposed to rugs woven on a strictly commercial basis. Because kilims were not a major export commodity, there were no foreign market pressures changing the designs, as happened with pile carpets. Once collectors began to value authentic village weaving, kilims became popular. Three factors then combined to reduce the quality of the West's newly discovered kilims. The first

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1764-399: Was the loss of the nomadic way of life across Central Asia. Once people had settled, the tribal character of their weavings faded. A third factor was a direct consequence of the kilim's new-found marketability. As rugs began to be made for export and money rather than personal use, the local style and social significance of each type of carpet was lost. Patterns and colours were chosen to suit

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