Textiles of the Early Islamic Caliphates

A collection of precious decorated Islamic textiles produced before the thirteenth century CE, many published here for the first time.

The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, includes a remarkable array of textiles from the Islamic world, ranging widely in form, function and place of origin. Textiles of the Early Islamic Caliphates focuses on a group of tiraz and tiraz-style textiles produced before the thirteenth century CE, mainly in the central Islamic lands.

Tiraz textiles – the word tiraz can be traced back to the Persian word for ‘embroidery’ – were highly valued in the early Islamic world. Inscribed with sacred invocations and the name of the ruling caliph, together with the names of administrators, the type of workshop in which the textile was made, the workshop’s location and the year of manufacture, these textiles provide an invaluable window into the political, administrative and religious life of early Islam, as well as various traditions of textile production. Other textiles of the period, similar in style but uninscribed, were decorated with colourful medallions, depicting animals and other motifs. The large majority of the surviving fragments of tiraz textiles, which were originally given as robes of honour to courtiers and ambassadors, have been found in Egyptian tombs: most of the textiles examined in this book once belonged to burial outfits from the diverse religious communities in Egypt during the early Islamic period.

Featuring more than 180 textiles from The al-Sabah Collection, some never published before, this volume provides authoritative analysis not only of the textiles themselves, but also of the historical and cultural context in which they were produced. With hundreds of illustrations, including specially commissioned macrophotography, Textiles of the Early Islamic Caliphates is a landmark publication that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike.

Jochen Sokoly is Professor of Art History of the Islamic World at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar. His research focuses on the material culture of the early Islamic caliphates, particularly in the context of court, administration and manufacture. He has published on early Islamic inscribed textiles, served as co-chair of the Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium, and curated exhibitions on contemporary Middle Eastern art. Sokoly has held fellowships at AKPIA Harvard, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, and has served as a member of the Council of the Royal Asiatic Society, London. He received his DPhil from the University of Oxford and holds degrees from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.