Ottoman prayer carpet with triple-arch design

This Muslim prayer carpet shares striking visual similarities to a Jewish carpet meant to cover the Torah ark.

Carpet with Triple-Arch Design, c. 1575–90, silk (warp and weft), wool (pile), cotton (pile), attributed to Turkey, possibly Istanbul, 172.7 x 127 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). Speakers: Dr. Ariel Fein and Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank

The Ottoman prayer carpet at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Torah Ark Curtain at the Jewish Museum

Sumru Belger Krody, “Prayer Carpets,” Khamseen Islamic Art History Online, 11 May 2021.

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Cite this page as: Dr. Ariel Fein and Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank, "Ottoman prayer carpet with triple-arch design," in Smarthistory, October 11, 2022, accessed April 23, 2024, https://smarthistory.org/ottoman-prayer-carpet-with-triple-arch-design/.