Moghan prayer rug

This is an extremely interesting and atypical example from the Moghan district of the Trans Caucasus region. Instead of the more typical ‘memling göl’ pattern, this rug depicts a repeated overall pattern of another classic medallion type common throughout Central Asia, as well as Anatolia. Generously drawn with a pleasing amount of space, these medallions, which appear in other prayer rugs of the group, are less often encountered. Curiously there are color changes in these medallions forming an inverse ‘mihrab’ or V shape in direct contrast to the classic pointed mihrab at the top end, which is flanked by two hand panels. The colors at the top end are not nearly as saturated as those in the field, and one can only wonder why. The deeply saturated shades of madder red, indigo blue, a paler but clear yellow and purple/brown seen in the field have not been continued in the very bold ‘kotchanak’ (a pan Asian Turkic motif) or hooked diamond medallions. Whether this is intentional or a result of availability of these colors as the weavers were finishing remains to be seen.