Manastir prayer rug from western Anatolia
Object No. 85/1901
This prayer rug is representative of the so-called 'Manastir' or 'Monastir' group of Anatolian rugs, many of which display a fusion of Anatolian and Balkan design features. While the mihrab shape of the field and the colours of red, yellow, green and rich indigo blue are typical of Anatolian village weaving, the extreme simplicity of the design and the coarseness of the weave give it a folk-art feel that is characteristic of Balkan weavings. The exact geographic and cultural origin of this group of rugs thus remains a matter for discussion as they have often been attributed to the Balkans and Thrace as well as to Anatolia. Historical events contributed to the uncertain provenance of this group of rugs. During the centuries of Ottoman expansion, some tribes from Central Anatolia settled in the Ottoman Empire's Balkan provinces but returned to modern day Turkey as part of the population movements that accompanied the decline and fall of the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 1800s. Rugs were woven in Manastir province in Macedonia, in and around the present day town of Bitola, up to the early 1900s, while others were made by Muslim villagers from the Balkans who resettled in Anatolia in areas such as Izmir (Manastir), Canakkale, Kutahya, Bursa, Eskilehir, Denizli and Tokat. Older 'Manastir' rugs are thus generally thought to be from the Macedonian region and later ones from Turkey. Generally speaking, Manastir rugs represent a fine example of textile folk art. Rugs like this were woven for use by the weaver's family or in the local mosque and can be described as the product of a folkloric handcraft tradition which has incorporated numerous symbolic elements from a cultural melting pot. The blend of Christian (rosettes in the wide white border) and Muslim (the mihrab) religious symbols makes them a powerful testimony to the turmoil that has characterised the Balkans historically.
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Summary
Object Statement
Manastir prayer rug, knotted wool pile, Western Anatolia, late 1800s
Physical Description
A rectangular prayer rug with long symmetrically-knotted wool pile on a wool foundation. The field features a dusty pink stepped mihrab outlined in fawn, blue, red, white and brown on a lighter pink ground. The mihrab is crowned by a diamond shaped 'evil eye' motif and the mihrab and ground are dotted with square and diamond shapes in pink, blue, yellow and fawn. The wide border has a row of stylised rosettes in pinks, fawn, blue and yellow with black outlines on a white ground. There are two guard stripes; the inner stripe has a row of diamond-shaped motifs on a yellow ground, the outer stripe has coloured circles on a yellow ground. At each end is a narrow band of plain weave in blue and brown with two rows of twining in pink and yellow. The rug is finished with a warp fringe.
DIMENSIONS
Width
830 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The rug is madel from Karaman sheeps' wool which is famous for its long staples and lustrous nature, qualities that make Karaman wool well-suited to rug weaving. The pile is symmetrically knotted onto a two-ply wool or goat hair foundation warp with three or four shots of single ply weft between each row of knots. Manasatir rugs have a distinctive structure, palette and design when compared to other Anatolian village rugs from the same period, ie 1750-1920. There is however an early type of Anatolian rug that may be a prototype for these rugs. These have been found in Central Anatolia in the area stretching from Karaman via Karapinar to Aksaray. The mihrab takes the form of the horns of a ram and the design as a whole reminds one of a stylised ram's pelt. We may speculate that the Karamanoglari women remembered their traditional patterns and designs and reproduced them during the tribe's long sojourn in Macedonia.
HISTORY
Notes
The prayer rug was purchased from Nomadic Rug Traders, Sydney, in 1985.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased 1985
Acquisition Date
25 September 1985
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