AH 1312 (1895 AD) dated Kuba Alpan prayer rug, Northern Hillside Kuba Region, North East Azerbaijan. 71 x 119 cm, 2'4" x 3'11". Published at Ralph Kaffel's Caucasian Prayer Rugs, plate no: 54

Zeikhur area prayer rugs are extremely uncommon and this, to the best of my knowledge, is the only prayer example with the Alpan-Kuba' pattern. This design evolved from the eighteenth-century silk embroideries of Azerbaijan and Karabagh. In his auction catalogue notes (Rippon, 28 March 1992) Detlef Maltzahn remarks on the rug's small format, its designation as a prayer carpet and the presence of an inscription and date in the border, which may indicate that the rug was a commissioned piece, probably intended as a gift.

The bottom border differs from the others. Although at first glance it may appear that the original concept was simply abandoned in favour of the more standard 'running dog motif, a closer examination shots that the weaver had a definite purpose: hexagons from the bottom border are repeated as decorations in the spandrels flanking the 'Zeikhur rose' prayer arch. The rug's palette is quite similar to that of a late nineteenth century Alpan-Kuba example illustrated as plate 33 in Keshishian. The Treasure of the Caucasus.