Antique Konya Prayer Rug – Early 19th Century Central Anatolian Konya Prayer Rug

Konya carpet, floor covering handwoven in or near the city of Konya in south-central Turkey. A group of early carpet fragments has been found in the ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Mosque of Konya and attributed to the 13th century and the ruling Seljuks.

More recently rugs from the region have used design motifs widely distributed throughout the country. Notable is a type of prayer rug with columns and arches that seems descended from earlier rural rugs and ultimately from 16th-century Ottoman court rugs. The colours favour earth tones, with rust reds and a heavy use of yellow tones but relatively little blue. A number of long, narrow rugs with yellow fields were woven in this area. Often the Konya rug is of fleecy wool with a loose weave.