prayer rug

American  

[prair] / prɛər /

noun

1. a small rug upon which a Muslim kneels and prostrates himself during his devotions.

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prayer rug British  

/ prɛə /

noun

1. Also called: prayer mat.  the small carpet on which a Muslim kneels and prostrates himself while saying his prayers

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prayer rug Cultural  

1. A mat upon which Muslims kneel to say their prayers.

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Etymology

Origin of prayer rug

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

He was carrying a copy of the Koran and a prayer rug, police said at the time.

From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025

Zabih kept a red prayer rug in the dresser and a California driver’s handbook, in Arabic, on the kitchen counter.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2022

And in New Delhi, a woman knelt in prayer on an Islamic prayer rug outside U.N. offices as hundreds of Afghans protested against the Taliban takeover of their homeland and demanded refugee status in India.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2021

He unfurls a prayer rug, laying it on the mosaic tile, and opens an app with a compass that shows him the direction to Mecca.

From Washington Post • Jan. 27, 2017

The prayer rug, the one with the oblong, woven Mecca, came loose from the wall at one point and landed on my head; the dust from it made me sneeze.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini