Coupled-column Prayer Rug

Prayer carpets are characterized by a central space featuring a mihrab, or arched niche, at one end. This carpet is distinctive for its pairs of slender columns with stepped bases and stylized capitals that support the arch. These so-called coupled columns were not a known feature of Ottoman buildings when this design was first developed in the 16th century. Recent scholarship suggests this motif is characteristic of Nasrid architecture from Muslim Spain. It was likely brought to the Ottoman Empire via Jewish weavers who fled persecution during the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century.