Important Notice

DEZFUL, IRAN, CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven wool, natural dyes
35.25 x 53 in (90 x 135 cm)


The Bakhtiari are nomadic pastoralists and practising Muslims, who live in the areas west of Isfahan in Iran. Their long migration takes from the high Zagros Mountains down to the plains of Khuzestan. They make a range of textiles for their tents and personal use. The present lot is a prayer rug or sajadah, made with the interlocked, slit-tapestry weaving technique. The central panel has five rows of five botehs each on a dark blue ground. Each boteh carries a central floral motif and stands on a small mound as if rooted in the ground. Without a mehrab, which is typically used in prayer rugs to indicate the direction of Mecca, it is the one-sided direction of the botehs that indicate to the believer which way to place the rug while praying. The rug is surrounded by a characteristic border design in tan, brick red, mustard, white, light blue and dark brown.

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