# Mihrab or Jai-namaz Suzani

- By: Bukhara Khanate (in present-day Uzbekistan)
- Date: 18th century
- Medium: Linen, plain weave; pieced; embroidered with silk
- Classification: Textile
- Dimensions: 138.8 × 87.8 cm (54 5/8 × 34 1/2 in.)
- Culture: Uzbekistan
- Credit line: Gift of Robert Allerton
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/15768)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/28128004-fd8b-a78b-7ff8-0d48b696f09e/full/843,/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Suzanis, from the Persian (Farsi) term suzan, meaning needle, are large, hand-embroidered textiles traditionally made by women in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as part of a bride’s dowry. Larger examples \[see 2019.794\] would have been used as a wall hanging or bed cover. Bukhāra, Uzbekistan, is well-known for the suzani style with its embroidered frame, as displayed on this example. This arch-like design represents a mihrab, the niche in a mosque that indicates the direction of Makkah (Mecca) for Muslim prayers. When hanging near an entryway, a mihrab suzani serves to welcome guests.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0