The Best Workmanship, the Finest Materials: Prayer Carpets from the Islamic World

3 August until 15 December 2002
Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, Boston, USA

With a distinctive design and relatively uniform size, the prayer carpet (sajjãda in Arabic) ranks as one of the most recognizable and popular forms of weaving from Muslim lands.

This exhibition brings together prayer carpets from the eastern Islamic world and considers them from two perspectives: the structural design dictated by the weaver's technique, and the decorative design governed by iconographic and aesthetic traditions.

From documentary evidence stretching back to the 11th century, it is clear that artisans used only their best workmanship and finest materials to create prayer carpets. These carpets fulfilled not only the need for a clean space to pray, but also represented proximity to God, where "his faithful servant has set foot to worship." A prayer carpet could also serve as a seat of honor or a spiritual throne, used by a leader to emphasize his legitimacy to rule.

Drawn mainly from the Harvard Art Museums collection, the rugs in the exhibition date to the 18th and 19th century and represent a fine range of both technique and design. Together, they suggest the variety of aesthetic experiences possible within a single medium.

Tribal Rugs of Southern Persia

04 October until 28 February 2003
Minasian Oriental Rug Gallery, Illinois, USA

Kilims: Textile Art of Anatolia

13 October until 29 December 2002
Deutsches Textilmuseum, Krefeld

The Classical Tradition in Anatolian Carpets

13 September 2002 until 16 February 2003
Textile Museum, Washington DC, USA

Anatolian carpets dating from the 15th through 19th centuries are presented in the context of their history and relationship to the centuries-old Anatolian weaving tradition. The exhibition explores the enduring classical tradition in Anatolian carpet weaving, the Ottoman Court and its impact on the weaving tradition, the land and its people, and provides an overview of the place of Anatolian carpets in Western material culture. The exhibition includes approximately 50 carpets and is curated by Walter B. Denny, Professor of Art History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Lectures and presentations at the 25th Annual Rug Convention, October 18-20, 2002, will draw inspiration from this exhibition.

Soffrehs, kilims aux multiples facettes

22 November until 22 December 2002
Galerie Chevalier, Paris, France

The Espace Chevalier will present an exhibition dedicated to Soufrehs, traditional iranian kilims.

Caucasian, Anatolian and Persian Rugs of the 19th Cent.

23 November until 29 December 2002
Nader, Milan, Spain