Early 19th C. Heriz Silk Prayer Carpet, Safron Dye, Flowering Tendrils

US Dollar Priced Item. A beautiful example of the classic Mughal Flowering tendrils of the 16th C. rugs.  
This prayer rugs has an elaborate Mihrab with a cream colored field which contains a gorgeous vase with the flowering tendrils, an artichoke and a beautiful flower at the very top.  
The border contains 16 cartouches with verses from a historic Persian poem.  The rough translation says "Under the shadow of the trees is laid down a carpet in the colors of a turkey."  I had this looked at by an expert in Farsi and was told that since the weaver was an illiterate person the cartouches contain writing with an artistic flair, not 100% true to form. Like taking a line off an E or the top off a T.. what we find here is enough of each word to reconstruct the poem as originally written. Some panels are actually the words in reverse, that is when viewed from the back side the word is legible. An interesting ancedote, to you and I this looks like Persian but with the loss of a line, a loop or a twist, the word is lost. 
100% vegetal dyes including the rare Safron dye.   This measures 51" x 68" (1.3m x 1.73m). Low pile in some areas, a tiny hole here and there, some loose selvage cords on the sides. All consistent with its' age.  No dryness nor splitting. It is said of these antique rugs that the early Heriz's would fold like a table cloth, while the Tabriz and Isphahans would crack if folded.  Silk, weft, weave and pile.