Online Conference - Prayer Carpet Colloquium (Turkish and English) - March 21-22

Held in conjunction with the exhibition Prayer and Transcendence, this two-day virtual event will bring into conversation scholars and other leading voices to explore the role and iconography of classical prayer carpets from across the Islamic world, as well as design comparisons from the Jewish tradition.
Two keynote lectures will feature Walter B. Denny, Distinguished Professor of the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Idries Trevathan, curator of Islamic art and culture at Museum at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Saudi Arabi, with other panelists joining from around the world.
The colloquium will be translated in English and Turkish. To join us, please register online to reserve your space. Once you have registered, we will email you links and details for joining each day on Zoom. We will also email registered participants a full program with a detailed schedule. Participation is free of charge.

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

Program Schedule:

Tuesday, March 21: Prayer Carpets in Context

10-11 a.m. 
Introduction and Keynote
“The Sajjadah: Symbolic Architecture in the Realm of Textiles in Islamic Art”

Walter B. Denny, distinguished professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst

11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Panel: Prayer Carpet Traditions

“Silent Witnesses of Worship: Prayer Carpets from the Vakıflar Collection”  

Suzan Bayraktaroğlu, retired director, Vakıflar Carpet Museum

“An Overview of Anatolian Prayer Rugs”  
Şerife Atlıhan, retired director of research, Center of Traditional Handicraft and Design, Marmara University

“Court Artist Designs: Examining the Met's McMullan Ottoman Prayer Carpet” 

Deniz Beyazit, associate curator, Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

12-12:30 p.m.
Discussion and Q&A
Hülya Bilgi, director, Sadberk Hanım Museum (Moderator)

Wednesday, March 22: Designing for Transcendence

10-11 a.m.
Exhibition Overview and Keynote
Sumru Krody, senior curator, The Textile Museum Collection, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum

“Things Seen and Unseen: Light, Color, and the Divine in Islamic Textiles”  

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

11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Panel: Divine Designs
“The Multi-Layer Architecture of a Spiritual Journey on Anatolian Prayer Rugs”  

Turgut Saner, History of Architecture Department, Istanbul Technical University
Hülya Bilgi, director, Sadberk Hanım Museum
 

“Motifs of Islamic Cosmology on the Sajjadah”

Fatima Kadić, head librarian, faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Sarajevo
 

"Shared Symbols, New Meanings: Comparing Jewish and Islamic Carpets”  

Alberto Boralevi, independent researcher, Florence, Italy

12-12:30 p.m.
Discussion and Q&A
Sumru Krody, senior curator, The Textile Museum Collection, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum (Moderator)