Hello detectives out there; I could use your insight! I believe this rug would be called a double-niche prayer rug. Size is approx. 1 x 1.3 meters (37" x 51").

Is it a Serapi rug? What could have led to the badly faded border at one end? If it were faded evenly across, I would guess that end had been left in the sun. However the fading does not extend to the niche on that end. Then we have the blue field which looks like it has been perhaps re-woven, because the same end that has the faded border has more dark and vivid blue field.

Sorry I don't have a picture of the back at this time. It's owned locally, and I will see it in person soon and get a look at the back. I like the overall look. It has some condition problems and missing border at the ends.

thanks in advance.

thanks RugPro. It is in rough condition, as you say. Here are some more pictures. It's Persian knotted, depressed warps, open left. The color change I was asking about is not the abrash, but the radical color change in the border only - the major border background changes abruptly from dark blue to to a sort of tan in the bottom 25% or so of the rug's length.

no, no information.

I would say Merawan area. Design influenced by NW persian (border) and Sarouk / Farahan / Malayer (field). Color change in border and in corner is typical abrash. Interesting rug. Age as RugPro posted around 1910.

never mind, I see it, from Wikipedia:
"Mehraban (Persian: ???????; also Romanized as Mehraban, Mehravan, and Mehrevan)[1] is a city in and the capital of Mehraban District, in Sarab County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran."