Prayer Rug

This prayer rug with a silk pile on a ground brocaded with metal threads forms part of a prestigious set of Safavid Persian Niche rugs known as the Salting or Topkapi group. Calligraphic inscriptions are a common feature of the majority of these rugs, and while the others in this group are traditionally made of wool, this example is made of silk, suggesting its importance as a precious object.
The poetic inscriptions on the border are executed in nastal'liq script, in Persian verse and includes the name Sultan Murad in the upper left-hand corner cartouche. Its content indicates that it was given as a diplomatic gift from the Safavid Persian court to that of the Ottoman Turks. It is possible that the rug was presented in celebration of a peace treaty signed between the two powers in 1590 CE, in which case the name Sultan Murad would refer to the Ottoman Sultan Murad III (r. 1574-1596 CE). Shah Abbas would have been the Safavid ruler during this period.