Dhurrie Rug

Dhurries are Indian flat woven rugs, used and admired in the west mainly for the cotton woven dhurries that are used as summer rugs. Up until the 20th century,  Dhurries were more functional than fashionable. Indians of all social standing had them, and they would be used as rugs, blankets, and wall hangings. Dhurrie weaving skills, traditions, and designs were passed down through generations. The most elaborate pictorial dhurries were actually woven in Indian prison workshops.

Large, prayer arch rugs like this one were used in mosques as a communal prayer carpet. This rug is woven in a weft-faced simple tabby weave out of cotton dyed with indigo. The design is dominated by a large prayer arch with a field of small stars throughout. A short cotton fringe made from the excess warp threads line both long edges.