Vintage Tulu Prayer Rug with Light Blue Niche
Tulu rugs represent one of the earliest forms of nomadic pile weaving, typically knotted with a medium-high pile as they were meant as bedding rugs for the tent. Woven in the Karapinar area in central Anatolia, these are distinguished by the use of fine mohair wool. The patterns are typically quite simple, ranging from completely open fields to stacked niches.
This archaic looking niche design rug is distinguished by the extra weft loop pile technique, which is one of the earliest forms of weaving that preceded the creation of the pile rug. It is knotted on a weft-faced wool foundation in two panels, as these were woven on narrow nomadic looms. The light aqua blue background of the niche gives a sense of three-dimensionality to the composition, as if representing a window over the infinite.