Rug Symbolism of the Orient

1922

"And then the caliph sat himself down upon the magic rug," said the immortal Caliph of Baghdad, "and straightway he was there."

The fairy tales of the Western world have magic steeds whereon the fairy princess or brave prince is spirited away to fair realms, but the old legends of the spicy Orient have their rugs. There is absolutely no limit to what these rugs of age-old lore could do. They could fly like a bird, talk like a human, reveal hidden treasure, and bring happiness ever after.

There is a reason for all this. The rug has always had some part in every happening of the Oriental's life. It plays its part in his domestic, religious, and state life.

The uncouth barbarian nomad wove his rug in his mountain tent. He spoke the story of his whole life through its glowing warp and woof. Often he would arise from his weaving to peer over the craggy ledge for an enemy, and returning to his work he wove within his pattern his vision of the enemy waiting among the rocks below.

The Persian in his adobe hut told the story of his fighting ancestors, of mythical winged horses and gardens of golden fruits.

The Turkish girl wove a rug as a dowry for her husband. Her pattern told of her girlhood and her fears and dreams for the life before her.

And all the Orientals, Persian, Chinese, Turkish, Kurd or nomad, wove their prayer rugs. They put within them all the flowing colors and rich threads that they could find or money could procure. Deepest grief was it for one to take to the sacred prayer niche a rug put to shame by all the others.

Prayer Shaped Rugs

The shape of the various Oriental prayer niches accounts for many differences of shape in the rugs. The buyer of the Oriental prayer rug can know from just what part of the Orient his rug comes by comparing its outer corners with the prayer niche architecture of the shrines to Buddha or Mohammed.

Did you ever hesitate to buy an Oriental rug because of some imperfection in the weaving of the design? The imperfection was intentional. It was the voice of the one who ages ago spoke to say, "Nothing but Allah is perfect!"

Did you ever wonder why the Arabian rugs were so full of flowers -- lotus, iris, lily, poppy and rose? It is because to the Mohammedan paradise was a place of flowers and his rug spoke of his future dreams.

Did you note the gorgeous birds and animals of the Persian and Chinese Orientals and wonder why the Turkish designs were so bare of living designs? It is because the Turk's religion barred him from making any reproduction of a living creature. That was idolatry.

--Adapted from The Oil City Derrick, Oil City, Pennsylvania, October 11, 1922, page 20.