IRCICA’s illustrated book-album entitled Handmade Prayer Carpet Through History comprises the photographs of masterpieces of prayer carpets made of silk, wool and cotton that were displayed at the international exhibition organized by the Kuwait Centre for Islamic Arts of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Kuwait, and IRCICA on 29 December 2013 – 9 January 2014. Master artisans from 12 countries participated in the event namely Algeria, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, together with the host country Kuwait with its Sadou weaving. The exhibition was held in Kuwait City and aroused great interest.
The introduction reviews the history of prayer carpet weaving in the Muslim world. It briefly introduces the materials, natural dyes, types of knots, and forms of looms used in different regions. The photographs also are accompanied by indications on the features of each carpet.
