Melas prayer rug

Made in or near the ancient city of Melas in southwestern Turkey, these rugs are known for their complexity of patterning, a distinguishing feature of a group that is not often placed among the most coveted rugs said to come out of central Anatolia, Konya or Karapinar areas. Rather than the exact origin for any of these rugs, be it a village or city, these geographic names are assigned to these rugs which were commonly available and gathered in provincial marketplaces for sale. As with most prayer rugs throughout the region, most are made for sale to affluent patrons or pilgrims. The spacious handling of design is exceptionally nice, with the prayer arches ‘implied’ by the pointed ends of the red and white ground of the inner field. Decorated with ancient ‘turkic’ devices seen throughout Central Asia, the light blue ground area maintains the ‘directional’ quality of a prayer rug. The borders are typically complex and less spaciously handled than the field motifs, providing a stark and fascinating contrast to the bolder handling of the design elsewhere.