Hereke - Rug - 72 cm - 50 cm - Istanbuli Turkish

Genuine and Rare Ancient Istanbul Silk Turkish Rug: 49x72 cm - Fringes in poor condition

Translation of the inscriptions

1. At the top: "شراب اندر کف" Translation: "Wine in hand" or "Wine in hand".
2. On the left: "چنگ اندر کف" Translation: "The harp in hand" or "Lyre in hand".
3. On the right: "کتف اندر کف" This seems to be a distortion or stylization, but likely intended to rhyme with the others. The word "کتف" means "shoulder", which here is probably metaphorical or poetic.
4. At the bottom: "جام بیدار هوش" Translation: "The cup that awakens the mind" or "The cup of awakening of intelligence".
The motif is typical of scenes of feasting or classical Persian poetry, often linked to the works of Hafez or Omar Khayyam, who celebrate the pleasures of wine, music, and poetry.
Perfect, I will explain the symbolism of this scene in Persian culture.
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### 1. The Old Man (Sage or Poet) with the cup of wine:
* He often represents the suf i or the mystic poet (like Hafez, Omar Khayyam or Rumi).
* Wine in Persian poetry is not merely an alcoholic drink, it is a spiritual symbol:
* Mystical awakening, divine ecstasy.
* Transcendence of reason to reach divine love.
* Wine is a worldly prohibition but allowed in the spiritual world, revealing social hypocrisy.

### 2. The dancing woman (Dance wine) :
* She embodies physical pleasure, earthly beauty.
* But in Sufi poetry, she also becomes an allegory of the free soul dancing in the quest for union with the Divine.
* The reclining, relaxed position symbolizes the abandonment of moral constraints.

### 3. The musician (Lyre or rubab player):
* He symbolizes cosmic harmony.
* Music is seen as a means to attain spiritual ecstasy and to vibrate with the universe.
* It is the sonic equivalent of mystical wine: a path to self-forgetfulness in the All.

### 4. The inscriptions (Epicurean poetry):
* They evoke the three elements of the mystic feast: wine (شراب), music (چنگ), and pleasure (کتف).
* The bottom evokes the "cup that awakens the mind", thus an invitation to transcend material life through pleasures that lead to higher consciousness.

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### Symbolism overall:
This kind of scene is not merely a celebration of earthly pleasures:
It is a metaphor of the Sufi mystic path:
We liberate ourselves from rigid rules (religious or social).
We seek divine truth through art, wine, beauty, and love.
It is a gentle rebellion against hypocrisy and a quest for authenticity.