Home » Oriental Rug Guide » Caucasian Rug Guide » Kazak Rugs » Kazak Prayer Rugs

Kazak Prayer Rugs

Guide to Kazak Prayer Rugs & Carpets

Examples:

The Rippon Boswell Kazak Prayer Rug
Kazak Prayer Rug Rippon Boswell Lot 34
Origin: Southwestern Caucasus, Kazak region, 19th century

Size: ca. 130 x 119 cm.

Kazak Prayer Rug with Hands

Origin: Southwest Caucasus, last quarter 19th century

Size: 5ft. 5in. by 2ft. 9in.

Description: Rows of alternating “shield” motifs and flowering plants in red, ice blue, ivory, gold, tan, and blue-green on the navy blue field, with an ivory “arrowhead” motif border.

Condition: Small corner gouge, end fraying, black corrosion.

The Alberto Levi Karachop Kazak Prayer Rug

Origin: Southwest Caucasus, circa 1860

Size:162 x 115 cm. (5ft.4in. x 3ft.9in.)

Construction: Symmetrically knotted wool pile on a wool foundation

Description: A unique example of its type, this Karachop prayer rug is characterized by a rectangular niche enclosing square devices and checkered motifs typical of the so-called Karachop-variant design. These elements are clustered around a striking zoomorphic motif that resembles an eagle in flight. At the base of the niche we see a pair of foot palms, to which corresponds a pair of hand palms located in the upper compartment, indicating the position of prayer. A curious feature is the presence in the latter compartment of a cartouche containing an enigmatic sequence of Arabic numbers (starting with five, followed by 225 repeated three times). The waterbug-type motifs that decorate the border are sometimes seen on Fachralo prayer rugs, although they are known to frame some of the earliest Karachop rugs.

Kazak Fachralo Double Niche Prayer Rug

A double niche prayer rug from the Kazak Fachralo or Bordjalou Kayseri area.