Fragment of a shawl with inscription

8th–9th century

Not on view

In the medieval period, Yemen had a flourishing textile industry and both Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs established factories there. The large and prosperous city of Sana'a, to which this textile is attributed, was one of the most important centers of Yemeni textile production. The Arabic inscription under the lozenge-patterned band reads: "In the name of God. Blessing from God. Of what was made in the tiraz of Sana'a." The "tiraz of Sana'a" mentioned in the inscription refers to the workshop in which the textile was made, reflecting the convention of using the word (which literally means embroidery) to describe both textiles like this one and the workshops in which they were made.

Artwork Details

Title: Fragment of a shawl with inscription
Date: 8th–9th century
Geography: Attributed to Yemen, Sana'a
Medium: Cotton; embroidered in wool
Dimensions: Textile: L. 14 in. (35.6 cm)
W. 25 in. (63.5 cm)
Mount: H. 19 3/8 in. (49.2 cm)
W. 30 5/8 in. (77.8 cm)
D. 1 3/16 in. (3 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
Credit Line: Gift of George D. Pratt, 1931
Object Number: 31.106.23
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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Tiraz Textile Fragment, Cotton, ink, and gold; plain weave, resist-dyed (ikat), painted<br/>Inscription: black ink and gold leaf; painted — Tiraz Textile Fragment
late 9th–early 10th century

Textile Fragment, Cotton; embroidered in cotton — Textile Fragment
dated 250 AH/864–65 CE

Textile Fragment, Cotton; plain weave, resist-dyed (ikat), embroidered — Textile Fragment
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Textile Fragment, Cotton; plain weave, embroidered — Textile Fragment
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