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Religion

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MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
Tue Mar 6, 2018, 03:18 PM Mar 2018

Religious Symbolism in the Islamic Prayer Rug [View all]

Last edited Fri Mar 9, 2018, 11:58 AM - Edit history (1)

Prayer in Islam is an important aspect of faith for Muslims. With the devout praying at five set times daily, Muslims pray, on average, far more often than average followers of other religions. Many Muslims own their own personal prayer rug or mat, which contains a great deal of symbolism knotted into the design of the rug.

Here's an interesting page from Britannica.com, on Prayer Rugs and their symbolism. You can visit it to learn more about this unique aid to prayer in the Islamic faith:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/prayer-rug

My Personal History with Rugs

Many years ago, a friend gave me an antique, hand-knotted prayer rug from the Caucasus region. I began to learn about rugs, so I could be more knowledgeable about the gift. As I learned how they were made, with each strand of yarn hand-knotted into the pile on its loom, I decided that the best way to learn more would be to weave my own rug. So, I did. I designed a simple 12" square rug with a relatively simple pattern, with 100 knots to the square inch. That's pretty coarse, but... I build a primitive loom of sticks from a cedar tree in my yard, and assembled the loom and all of its components after seeing many photos of people creating such rugs. Then, working from my pattern, I began knotting the pile on the weft on the crude loom. As I worked on it, I reflected on the people who wove and knotted much larger, more complex and finer rugs. Rug weavers are mostly children and women and the process, even for a small rug like a prayer rug, can take hundreds of hours. My 1-square foot rug took me about a week of spare time work. But, it took many hours and gave me a lot of time to think about everything that goes into the process. Here's a photo of that little project:



At the time, I was writing how-to articles for several magazines, so I photographed the process as I went. Once it was completed, I sold an article on the project to the now-defunct Better Homes and Gardens Crafts magazine, which published it later that year. That's what I did back then. Everything I did became a how-to article. That little rug, still on its primitive loom, now hangs on the inside of the entry door at our home. It's a conversation piece which lets me talk about rug weaving occasionally. Later, I started a larger rug on a larger loom. It was to be a rug of the typical size of a prayer rug. I created a pattern for it, built a sturdy loom like the ones used by nomadic rug weavers, and began working on it. I never finished it. I got it about 1/3 complete and then got busy with work and other activities, and just never came back to it. The loom sat in my living room for years, mocking me silently for its incompletion. Occasionally, I'd take a couple of hours and knot another row, but that happened less and less often as the years passed. But every time I worked on it, I once again contemplated the workers and the religious use of rugs like the one I was weaving. Here's that project, still on the loom:



Eventually. my wife and I moved from California to Minnesota. That 4' X 6' simple loom was not a high priority to travel with us. The rug was only about 1/3 finished. I wove a plain section above the pattern to match the section below it. Then, I cut the weaving from the loom, and knotted the fringe carefully, and rolled it up for our move. In our new home the 3' x 2' unfinished weaving sits on an end table most of the time. I look at it now and then. I no longer regret not finishing the project. Every Christmas, it is used on the floor under our holiday tree. I cannot look at my partially finished rug, though, without considering all of the people who have spent much of their lives creating such rugs. I understand rugs better for having participated in weaving one small one and part of larger one. I have other hand-woven, hand-knotted rugs in my home that I have accumulated over the years. I walk on them. The dogs sleep on them. They are part of my life. I appreciate rugs more each time I look at the two I've worked on.

This little essay on rugs was inspired by recent events. I hope you found it interesting.

56 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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I find the topics of rugs fascinating Heddi Mar 2018 #1
Thanks. I was glad to share my experience of weaving rugs. MineralMan Mar 2018 #3
I was glad to read about your experience, and I've been thinking about them a lot, too Heddi Mar 2018 #12
So, it's not just me, then? MineralMan Mar 2018 #14
No, not just you Heddi Mar 2018 #17
That is so often the case, it seems. MineralMan Mar 2018 #18
On an unrelated note... NeoGreen Mar 2018 #5
I am having a very nice day, thank you! Heddi Mar 2018 #13
Aw, Geez. I really have to think about interior painting MineralMan Mar 2018 #16
I'm bad at picking art but I like these kinds of things Heddi Mar 2018 #19
What a great idea. Words on walls. MineralMan Mar 2018 #20
Peace to you as well Heddi Mar 2018 #21
"Rug" is also slang for overgrown pubic hair. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2018 #9
And then there is the word "Merkin," MineralMan Mar 2018 #22
In Ancient Egypt, the priests were completely bereft of body hair. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2018 #23
Well, it seems like a lot of millennials are "walking like Egyptians" MineralMan Mar 2018 #24
Whatever floats your boat, I guess. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2018 #25
Please don't say boats... Lordquinton Mar 2018 #34
!!! Mariana Mar 2018 #36
OMG... NeoGreen Mar 2018 #37
I had a rug once. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2018 #2
Dude! MineralMan Mar 2018 #4
El Duderino, if you're not into the brevity thing. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2018 #6
Our somewhat overweight Beagle/Basset dog is named Dude. MineralMan Mar 2018 #8
I have cats. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2018 #10
It seems that our pets have little respect for rugs in general MineralMan Mar 2018 #11
I can only imagine what my little critters would do to a rug. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2018 #15
Yeah, but don't you hate it when... NeoGreen Mar 2018 #7
What a fascinating rug discussion... nil desperandum Mar 2018 #26
Life is a ubiquitous classroom, it seems. MineralMan Mar 2018 #27
Indeed it is nil desperandum Mar 2018 #31
Sadly, most people don't get that. MineralMan Mar 2018 #35
When I was a Cub SCout leader, 35 years ago when my son was young... Binkie The Clown Mar 2018 #28
Crafts are important. They help us learn more about MineralMan Mar 2018 #29
For sure. Binkie The Clown Mar 2018 #30
If you tug on a thread in a rug it unravels. Voltaire2 Mar 2018 #32
I got ten advertisements for rugs when I clicked on this post. Iggo Mar 2018 #33
I think I would find the act of weaving the rug aka-chmeee Mar 2018 #38
There is a good repetitive rhythm in knotting the pile MineralMan Mar 2018 #39
Thanks for sharing. You're unfinished worrk of art reminds me of the work that Penelope left Nitram Mar 2018 #40
You're welcome. The more we learn about things, MineralMan Mar 2018 #41
Nice! Still attached to your hand-made loom this is indeed a work of art. Nitram Mar 2018 #42
Thanks. MineralMan Mar 2018 #43
Here's a photo of the larger rug project MineralMan Mar 2018 #44
I love the colors and the design. How about if you settled on a limited goal of just finishing Nitram Mar 2018 #45
I already cut it off the loom 15 years ago, after weaving a plain MineralMan Mar 2018 #46
Links Between Turkish and Navajo Rugs Bretton Garcia Mar 2018 #47
Yes. I've compared them as well. MineralMan Mar 2018 #48
Yes the "medium is the message" somewhat Bretton Garcia Mar 2018 #49
Yup. Both common natural symbols. MineralMan Mar 2018 #50
Sometimes in-common symbols tell us things. Bretton Garcia Mar 2018 #51
My grandmother braided rugs. Mariana Mar 2018 #52
Check the discount bins at thrift stores for wool items. MineralMan Mar 2018 #53
Thank you MineralMan. Mariana Mar 2018 #55
Here's another possible source of wool fabric scraps MineralMan Mar 2018 #54
I think we will probably have this discussion Voltaire2 Mar 2018 #56
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