Hand made antique Turkish Melas rug from the beggining of 20th century. The rug is made in traditional Melas praying style in regular for it colors: red, white, yellow. It has beautiful large border surrounding central praying area. The condition is wear and has some little colour run from the red colour.

Melas carpets are handwoven in the neighbourhood of Milâs (Melas) on the Aegean coast of southwestern Turkey. Normally of small size and dating from the 19th century, Melas carpets have unusually wide borders in relation to their narrow fields. In the prayer rugs the arch (which indicates the direction of Mecca, the holy city) is straight-sided, with a triangular indentation below it on each side, the local reminiscence of a lobed-arch form used in the Ottoman court prayer rugs of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Their colour scheme is unique: the field is usually a strong red, and yellow and violet ...

Early Milas rugs created in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries featured an angular, geometric style that was full of ancient symbols and abstract botanical motifs. By the late 19th century, a second style evolved. This change was spurred largely by outside influences. Imperial powers in Hereke affected the Turkish style profoundly as did European demand for fine exports. Later baroque rugs incorporated curvilinear arabesques and delicate floral motifs that were more recognizable to the western eye. The colors also became more saturated and varied compared to the soft, warm hues featured in earlier Milas rugs. The classic antique Milas prayer rugs with their long, narrow fields and angular mirhabs are the most iconic Turkish carpets from the area. These formal carpets are traditional, rustic and beautifully styled. The classical Turkmen appearance of antique Milas rugs works equally well in contemporary and old-world interiors.

Antique Milas rugs from southwestern Turkey are exceedingly beautiful in the finnesse of their weave and drawing, and in the subtlety of their coloration. Famed particularly for their classic red- ground prayer rugs with simple niches or mihrabs, Melas weavers also produced long rugs with geometric patterns. The melas repertoire is mostly floral, although it is often so abstracted that this aspect is no longer immediately apparent. Read More about Milas / Melas and Karaova Turkish Village Rugs.

-in original condition: some age wear, little colour run,

-circa: 1920,

-size: 4'' x 6.3'' ( 123cm x 192cm ),

-material: wool,

-country of origin: Turkey,

-style: Melas,

-background colors: beige, red, yellow.