Tiraz textile fragments, Egypt, 10th century, Linen with tapestry-woven inscription in silk, On loan from the Royal Ontario Museum, 978.76.984 A-B

Tiraz textile fragments, Egypt, 10th century, Linen with tapestry-woven inscription in silk, On loan from the Royal Ontario Museum, 978.76.984 A-B

These delicate tapestry-woven textile armbands with inscriptions (Arabic, tiraz) rendered in golden Kufic script lettering would have adorned the wearer's body in a luxurious echo of the regal blue and gold parchment Qur'ans produced during the Fatimid Dynasty. These fragments, which likely came from two different garments of a matching set, include the phrase "Abu l-Mansur," part of the name of the Fatimid Caliph al-Aziz Billah (975-96), whose reign brought the founding of Cairo's al-Azhar University (988), military expansion into Palestine and Syria, and economic and social stability. The inscription reads, "[In the name of God] the Merciful, the Compassionate! There is no God but God alone. Victory from God and imminent conquest to Abdullah and his viceroy Abu l-Mansur."

Dimensions: 45 x 75 cm

Material: Linen with tapestry-woven inscription in silk

ROM 978.76.984A and 978.76.984B

Egypt

Photographer credit: Courtesy of the Royal Ontario Museum

10th century

Arabic

Royal Ontario Museum

Royal Ontario Museum

Tiraz textile fragments