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Baluch people
Prayer rug (Jai namaz) (20th century)
wool
124.0 × 83.0 cm
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of John and Norma Gaidzkar, 2022
Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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Prayer rug
(Jai namaz)
(20th century)
Medium
wool
Measurements
124.0 × 83.0 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of John and Norma Gaidzkar, 2022
Gallery location
Level 1, NGV International
About this work
In the nomadic and pastoral traditions of the Baluch people of Afghanistan and Iran, prayer rugs were an integral item of religious and daily life. Used in the home or rolled up to be used when travelling, they would be orientated in the direction of Mecca and used at the five times of daily prayer (dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening). These examples are a display of the Baluch people’s mastery of tapestry and complex geometric patterns. The rugs feature paisley (mango shaped) designs known as boteh or buta, symbolising fertility, eternity, life and plants, as well as stylised representations of mosques, minarets and pilgrimage sites in Mecca and Medina.