Praying through the senses: The Prayer Rug/Carpet and the Converging Territories of the Material and the Spiritual

Abstract

The night is yours, this hour, of prayer; You'll gain whatever you desire. Make new the angels' carpet; raise Your tent at the Divine Throne's base; Brighten the Throne's eyes with your light; Fold up the carpet in your flight; Then grasp the crown, for you are king; Exalted, rule created things. Raise high your head in grandeur; make Both worlds your own, through your attack.-Nezami Ganjavi, twelfth-century Iranian poet Fig. 1 Janamaz made of termeh, early 20th century