A Vintage Mihrab in Pure Silk

Qum (Ghom) emerged as the centre of Persian silk weaving in the twentieth century, and prayer rugs are among its most contemplative compositions. This vintage piece, knotted some forty to sixty years ago, is worked entirely in mulberry silk — pile and foundation both. The years have settled the silk into a soft, gathered sheen. Because the rug spent most of its life as a wall hanging rather than underfoot, it has survived in excellent condition, with the patina that distinguishes a genuine vintage silk from a brand-new piece.

An Old Turkish Design — The Gördes / Panderma Manner

The composition is not a typical Persian floral Mihrab but follows an old Turkish prayer-rug model in the manner of Gördes and Panderma. The niche is flanked by two slender columns that carry the arch, with a hanging mosque lamp (kandil) suspended in the ivory niche — the architectural vocabulary of the classical Anatolian prayer rug. Qum silk weavers of the twentieth century revived these Ottoman models in fine silk, and this piece is a faithful, finely drawn example: ivory niche, an ochre upper field with delicate floral sprays, and a deep anthracite main border of palmettes and scrolling vine, framed by several ivory and ochre guard borders and a running zigzag band. Within the restrained beige-and-anthracite scheme run subtle accents of salmon, soft rose, aqua and green.

Placement

At 155 × 105 cm the piece works as a wall-hung display — as it has been kept — where the directional, columned Mihrab reads as intended, or in a reading corner or beside a bed. Silk shifts with the angle of light — the niche reads deeper from one direction than the other. If laid on the floor, use a non-slip pad on smooth flooring; suitable above underfloor heating. For vintage silk, low-traffic placement protects the patina that took decades to develop.

Specifications

Responsible Origin · Label STEP

Djoharian is a certified partner of Label STEP, the international fair-trade organisation for hand-knotted rugs. STEP audits production conditions on the ground — wages, working environment, no child labour — and tracks pieces from loom to dealer.

Djoharian — Since 1967

Our family business was founded in 1967, with roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran. Five decades of trade and connoisseurship inform every piece we offer — collected, vetted, and presented with the documentation a serious buyer expects.

Service

Secure and fast worldwide shipping, fully insured. Each piece is professionally packed and documented. We are available for any questions on placement, care, or comparable pieces.