Exhibition Program: Prayer Carpets Colloquium

Tuesday‚ March 21‚ 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EST 

Wednesday‚ March 22‚ 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  EST

This two-day virtual event will bring into conversation scholars and other leading voices from across the globe. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Prayer and Transcendence‚ the colloquium is designed to enrich the scholarly contribution of the exhibition. Panelists on the first day will explore prayer carpets in context‚ with a discussion of the divine interpretation of these works following on the second day.

This program is a partnership with with the Vehbi Koç Foundation’s Sadberk Hanım Museum.

About the Exhibition

In the Muslim faith‚ carpets create physically and spiritually “clean” spaces during the daily ritual of prayer. Drawn from the collections of five institutions‚ this exhibition introduces the purpose and iconography of classical prayer rugs from across the Islamic World‚ as well as design comparisons from the Jewish tradition. Learn more about the exhibition

Tuesday‚ March 21: Prayer Carpets in Context

Keynote: Walter Denny‚ distinguished professor‚ University of Massachusetts Amherst

Deniz Beyazit‚ associate curator‚ Department of Islamic Art‚ Metropolitan Museum of Art

Suzan Bayraktaroğlu‚ retired director‚ Vakiflar Carpet Museum

Şerife Atlıhan‚ retired director of research‚ Center of Traditional Handicraft and Design‚ Marmara University

Wednedsday‚ March 22: Designing for Transcendence

Keynote: Idries Trevathan‚ curator of Islamic art and culture‚ Museum at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture

Fatima utic‚ head librarian‚ faculty of Islamic Studies‚ University of Sarajevo

Alberto Boralevi‚ independent researcher

Turgut Saner‚ History of Architecture Department‚ Istanbul Technical University

Hülya Bilgi‚ director‚ Sadberk Hanım Museum

How to Participate