Images from The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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11th Century. Attributed to Egypt.
Linen and silk; plain weave, tapestry weave. Inscribed in kufic script: on main line: commander of the faithful;
border scripts, two pairs: The victory is
from God (repeated) L. 19 3/4 in. (50.2 cm) W. 34 in. (86.4 cm). Accession No. 29.136.5.
11th Century. Attributed to Egypt, Fustat. Linen and silk; plain weave, tapestry weave. While the decorative motif refers to pre-Islamic Coptic and Sasanian textiles, the textile’s late date of the eleventh century reflects a trend toward classical revival in Fatimid artistic production. The stylized kufic inscription is based on the Arabic word for God, "Allah." Textile: L. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm)
W. 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm)
Mount: L. 16 in. (40.6 cm)
W. 15 5/16 in. (38.9 cm). Accession No. 27.170.67.
Mid 11th Century. Found in Egypt, Fustat. Linen, silk; resist-dyed (ikat), plain weave, tapestry weave. Textile: L. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) W. 17 in. (43.2 cm) Mount: L. 15 3/8 in. (39.1 cm) W. 22 in. (55.9 cm) Wt. 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) Accession No. 27.170.28.
1035-1094. Attributed to Egypt. Linen and silk. Inscription in Arabic:
Translation: ...Mustansir billah, Commander of the Faithful, blessings...(one band; other band undeciphered). Textile: L. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm) W. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm) Mount: L. 15 in. (38.1 cm)
W. 15 in. (38.1 cm) D. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm). Accession No. 55.69.5.
1035-1094. Attributed to Egypt. Linen, silk; plain weave, tapestry weave. L. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm) W. 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm). Accession No. 31.106.36.
1058-1059. Attributed to Egypt. Linen, silk; plain weave, tapestry weave. The inscription mentions the Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir. L. 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm) W. 28 1/4 in. (71.8 cm).
1094-1101. Attributed to Egypt, Damietta. Linen, silk; plain weave, tapestry weave. There is an inscription in naskhi in the circle that may be الله Allah and two lines that read نصر من الله Victory from God, which is a verse from the Qur'an 61:13. Textile: L. 28 1/2 in. (72.4 cm) W. 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm) Mount: L. 34 3/4 in. (88.3 cm)
W. 35 in. (88.9 cm) D. 1 in. (2.5 cm)
Wt. 21 lbs. (9.5 kg). Accession No. 32.96.
12th Century. Attributed to Egypt. Linen, silk; plain weave, tapestry weave. Textile: L. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm) W. 11 in. (27.9 cm)
Mount: H. 23 3/4 in. (60.3 cm) W. 17 1/4 in. (43.8 cm).
12th Century. Attributed to Egypt. Linen, silk, metal-wrapped thread; plain weave, tapestry weave. Textile: L. 16 in. (40.6 cm)
W.19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm) Mount: H. 32 7/8 in. (83.5 cm) W. 22 5/8 in. (57.5 cm) D. 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm). Accession No. 29.136.4.
12th Century. Attributed to Egypt. Cotton; embroidered in gold thread and silk. L. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm) W. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm). Accession No. 29.106a, b.
12th Century. Attributed to Egypt. Linen, silk; plain weave, tapestry weave. Arabic inscription in kufic script:
Top four lines: In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. There is no [God but God]; fifth line: In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. There is no God but God [....]. Victory is from God and the triumph is close at hand [....]; the bottom two lines contain a repetition of the phrase: Victory is from God. Mount: L. 17 1/16 in. (43.3 cm) W. 19 3/4 in. (50.2 cm) D. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm). Accession No. 29.136.2.
13th-14th Century. Attributed to Egypt. Linen, silk, metal wrapped thread; plain weave; appliqué. Textile: H. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm) W. 10 in. (25.4 cm) Mount: H. 18 3/4 in. (47.6 cm) W. 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm) D. 1 in. (2.5 cm). Accession No. 1974.113.1.
13th-14th Century. Attributed to Egypt. Silk, metal wrapped thread; plain weave, tapestry weave. Arabic inscription in tuluth script: "...and peace among men..." Textile: L. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm) W.13 in. (33 cm) Mount: H. 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm) W. 17 1/2 in. (44.5 cm). Accession No. 28.217.4.
13th-14th Century. Attributed to Egypt, Fustat. Linen. L. 3 7/8 in. (9.9 cm) W. 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm). Accession No. 27.168.8.
14th Century. Attributed to Egypt. Wool. H. 4 5/8 in. (11.8 cm) W. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm).
Accession No. 1972.120.7.
Early 14th Century. Attributed to Egypt. Silk; double weave. The repeated Arabic inscription in thuluth script is translated as "Glory to our master the Sultan al‑Malik al‑Mu'ayyad." This probably refers to the Rasulid sultan al-Mu'ayyad Da'ud ibn Yusuf (r. 1297–1321), indicating that this is one of the many objects manufactured in Egypt for the Yemeni sultans, either as diplomatic gifts or special commissions. Several other fragments of this textile survive, and their shapes suggest that they once formed a coat. Textile: L. 20 1/4 in. (51.4 cm)
W. 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm) Mount: H. 17 5/16 in. (44 cm) W. 33 3/8 in. (84.8 cm) D. 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm). Accession No. 31.14a.
14th Century. Attributed to Egypt or Syria. Silk; lampas. Chinese-style lotus blossoms enclosing a naskh inscription. The inscription reads "The Sultan, the King," in mirror image, a reference to an unnamed Mamluk sultan. Textile: H. 21 1/4 in. (54 cm) W. 14 in. (35.6 cm) Mount: H. 26 3/8 in. (67 cm) W. 20 in. (50.8 cm) D. 7/8 in. (2.2 cm). Accession No. 46.156.17.
15th Century. Attributed to Egypt, probably Cairo. The Simonetti Carpet. Wool (warp, weft, and pile); asymmetrically knotted pile. The materials (most notably S-spun, or clockwise-spun, wool), dyestuffs (a limited range of colors including a purple-red made from the lac insect), and distinctive repertoire of geometric designs are all characteristic of Mamluk carpets from the period. Rug: L. 353 in. (896.6 cm)
W. 94 in. (238.8 cm) Tube: H. 106 in. (269.2 cm) Diam. 10 in. (25.4 cm). Accession No. 1970.105.
From the British Museum
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10th-11th Century. Qsar Ibrim (Nubia), Egypt. 21 fragments of wool carpet, knotted pile. Field design of six-petalled flowers on a dark blue ground. Border space filled with three dots. Border design of repeating small birds, peacocks? Outside this, a green, red, blue and wide yellow band. Outer border of small triangular motifs and dots. Length: 87 centimetres (largest fragment). Width: 41 centimetres (largest fragment). Accession No. 1990,0127.437.
1372-1400. Qsar Ibrim (Nubia). Egypt.
Main outer cloth of bishops cloak, but only a few surviving fragments. Fine black wool, possibly dark blue originally. Fragments are attached along the top of the tapestry panel and above this at the back of the hood. The hood is plain, coarse cotton. Plain pale blue silk used in bias-cut strips to decorate the inner edges of the cloak. A large panel of silk tapestry decorating the back shoulders. Fragment of fine wool, mainly black warp-faced but with an area of contrasting decoration. Width: 3.50 - 13 centimetres Length: 6.50 - 30 centimetres. Accession No. 1990,0127.439. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA72262
14th-16th Century. Egypt. hat; silk, linen and cotton; simple tabby; quilting.
Two fragmentary segmental panels sewn together to form what was originally an approximate hemisphere. .Each panel is made of strips of two textiles, (a) of brown and blue silk and undyed linen, with wide stripes in blue and paired narrow stripes in brown, and (b) ofundyed silk and cotton; outer edge bound with bias-cut strips of checked silk and cotton; (c) undyed linen lining; (d) thin quilted stuffing of linen waste. original circumference, ca 54 cm, concurs with use as a crown hat. Z-spinning of linen points to comparatively late date given the Egyptian context. Accession No. 1901,0314.30. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1901-0314-30