The Ballard rug, named for the American collector James Ballard, is probably the best known prayer rug in the world. This Ottoman court carpet was woven in the late 16th century. (ca. 1580)
This rug is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (not currently on display)
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/collection_database/islamic_art/carpet_with_triple_arch_design//objectview.aspx?OID=140004751&collID=14&dd1=14
I have long suspected that this rug was made in response to the Persia rugs given to the Turks in the mid sixteenth century. The rugs which we know as TopKapi or Salting were some of the greatest ever made. This rug is a huge step up from Turkish rugs of that era. This would corespond with the reign of Murad III. War with the Persians on one side and with the Hapsburgs on the other. The currency devalued and the Sultan scrambling to preserve his throne it seems entirely possible that they felt the need to project power through carpets.
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