The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Velvety prayer rugs for the devout

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Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Velvety prayer rugs for the devout

J.S. Ifthekhar

With Ramzan just a fortnight away, the market is being flooded with devotional merchandise

- Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

Up for grabs: An employee of Mohammed Cap Mart arranging imported Janamaz during an exhibition in the city.

Hyderabad: Hyderabadis are in for a great religious experience. With Ramzan, the month of fasting, just a fortnight away, the market is being flooded with devotional merchandise. The devout can now offer ‘namaz’ on the same kind of rugs which are laid in the grand mosque at Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia.

Soft, velvety ‘janamaz’ accentuated with beautiful Islamic motifs are designed to enhance the bliss of prayers. Yes, the month-long international exhibition of prayer rugs being unveiled by Mohammed Cap Mart at its premises in Pathargatti promises just that.

For the first time one can shop for the best of prayer mats from around the world. A mind boggling range of rugs from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Belgium, Malaysia, Libya and India are on display. Prayer rugs are perhaps as old as Islam itself. They are used by Muslims to cover the bare ground or floor while offering namaz five times a day. Characterised by a ‘mihrab’ (niche), an arch-shaped design at one end, the rugs are laid in the direction of the ‘Kaba’.

Ramzan shopping is essentially about clothes, caps, surma, dry fruits and other essentials. But there is a fascination for prayer rugs too. Many like to get new carpets for home while some arrange them for mosques in memory of their kith and kin. “Come Ramzan and the demand for prayer rugs goes up. A large number of people from nearby districts come here to shop,” says Mohd Ilyas Bukhari, managing director, Mohammed Cap Mart.

Multiple colours

The shop, which is in business for the last 75 years, has devoted the entire fourth floor for the prayer rug exhibition. In multiple colours of blue, beige, light red, green – the rugs are chic and elegant and priced to suit every pocket.

The imported velvet rugs for individuals range from Rs. 480 to Rs. 800 while the Indian cotton carpets come as cheap as Rs. 65 to Rs. 200 and the plastic ones cost just Rs. 40. The cost of a roll of imported rug for congregational prayers is priced between Rs. 19,000 and Rs. 32,000.

Not just individuals, but corporate houses and institutions also acquire the prayer rugs during Ramzan for the benefit of their Muslim employees, says Mr. Bukhari.

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