Cleveland Museum of Art

Striped tiraz

Date

1049–50

Medium

plain weave with inwoven tapestry weave: linen and silk

Culture

Egypt, Fatimid period, reign of al-Mustansir

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This rare striped, lightweight linen cloth was probably worn wrapped as a turban with the decorated end shown off in the front. The small birds in roundels appear to be mythological harpies with human faces. The Arabic text written with letters ending in fancy trefoils contains historical data, known as tiraz. The complete text generally includes Muslim blessings, the name of the ruler, and the place and date of manufacture. The lower line reads, "Help from Allah to the servant and friend of Allah, Ma’add Abu Tamin the Imam a[l-Mustansir bi-Allah]. . . ." The upper line reads, ". . . al-barakat al-Husayn bin al-Shaykh(?) ‘Imam al-Dawlah Muhammad bin [Ahmad]. . . ."

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