Mamluk

An Afghan Mamluk rug, knotted by hand with hand-spun, vegetable-dyed wool. Very fine weave.

A historic design inspired by the magnificent carpets woven in Cairo during the Mamluk sultanate of Egypt in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, woven today by master weavers in northern Afghanistan. The intricate geometric drawing with a grand octagonal medallion, star motifs, and an elaborate network of interlacing ornament has been interpreted as a shimmering fountain viewed from above, while its radiating, kaleidoscopic geometry evokes a sense of cosmic order and harmony.