eight and resemble Ouchaks. They usually
have a plain centre, and when there are panels these are also of one
shade. Being firm and strong they are very durable.

_Kulah_ prayer rugs of ancient make are most interesting and valuable.
They are about the size of the old Ghiordes prayer rug, and have other
points in common, which might be expected from the proximity of the
towns. The Kulah rug, however, instead of the solid centre of its
neighbor, is apt to have its field ornamented with small floral designs.
The colors most prominent are a yellowish-brown, a blue, or a soft red.
Green and white are seen at times. There are many narrow stripes as
borders, often alternating in dark and light colors, and these are
beautifully ornamented with floral effects in minute designs. The niche
of the prayer rug is of medium height, often with serrated sides.

[Illustration: INDIAN PRAYER RUG

SIZE, 5.10 x 3.4

_This rug is a modern product of India. The prayer niche, with long
lines leading to it, extends well toward the top. The niche is decorated
with a delicate, dark blue floral design in ivory, red, and fawn, and
the lines leading to it are ornamented in blue, red, and brown. The
field is a beautiful sage-green, and the main border is embellished with
reds, browns, ivory, and occasionally with light blue. The outer border
is of the same green as the field. At each end is a full fringe. This
rug was made in the jail at Amritsar, from a design sent from the United
States._]

_Kurdistan_ (the Turkish portion) rugs are woven by the women in odd
moments, and one of the ways a girl gains distinction among her
associates is by the skill she displays in rug-weaving. As the wool is
taken from the flocks that are kept near home, and is spun and dyed
there, and as the time consumed in the weaving is not counted, each rug
is considered clear gain. In fact, the Kurdish women do not make their
rugs entirely for the market, but for their own entertainment and
use. Kurdish rugs are very durable, and they are much prized in
Turkey; but they do not sell readily in America because of the lack of
that harmony of color which our taste demands. Their coloring is often
too bright and varied to attract us. An Armenian clergyman said to me
recently: "I find Americans more devoted to harmony than to anything
else. I have in my house one of the finest of Kurdish rugs, but I could
never sell it in this country, should I wish. An American looks at it
a