19th Century Zabihi Collection Majnum and Layla at the Tree of Knowledge Persian Pictorial Rug - 1'4" x 2'5"

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a 19th Century Persian Pictorial Small Carpet

1'4'' x 2'5''

On the left and right dark blue borders, the script … Read more a 19th Century Persian Pictorial Small Carpet

1'4'' x 2'5''

On the left and right dark blue borders, the script is Persian (Farsi) in Nastaliq style. It’s a bit stylized and partly distorted by the weaving,

on the right side the inscription reads:

یا علی
(Ya Ali)
This is an invocation meaning “Oh Ali”, referring to Imam Ali, a central figure in Shia Islam.

the right side Which means “Oh Hossein”, an invocation to Imam Hossein, the son of Ali and a central figure in Shia devotion.

the left side (next to the woman in blue).

That inscription is also in Persian calligraphy, and it reads:

یا حسین
(Ya Hossein)

Which means “Oh Hossein”, an invocation to Imam Hossein, the son of Ali and a central figure in Shia devotion.

So together, the rug has:

Left side (woman’s side): یا حسین (Ya Hossein)

Right side (man’s side): یا علی (Ya Ali)

This type of short invocation is very common on pictorial Persian rugs, especially from regions like Kerman, Qom, or sometimes Bakhtiari and Qashqai weavings. It usually accompanies religious or symbolic imagery — here likely Adam and Eve at the Tree of Knowledge, combined with a Shia devotional phrase See less