Textiles & Rugs
Textiles are one of the most diverse types of objects from the Islamic lands. They include some of the most valuable and refined luxury goods produced, highly prized by their owners at the time and among the most prestigious diplomatic gifts and rewards for service at court. Egypt, Iran, Turkey and India produced some of the most spectacular woven textiles for garments and cushions, using silk and metal threads to luxurious effect in figural as well as calligraphic, floral and other designs.
In the early mediaeval period, Egypt was famous for ‘tiraz’ textiles, a series of types which incorporated inscription bands. Whether integrally woven, embroidered or written with pen and ink, these inscriptions generally took the form of fine calligraphy and often included the name of the Caliph and the factory (tiraz) in which they were produced.
Knotted pile carpets have a history in Asia which goes back beyond the fourth century BC. The Iranian lands and Turkey are justly famous for their production of carpets, with The al-Sabah Collection holding some two dozen fragments of 2nd – 4th centuries carpets from the region. These are in addition to many examples from later Islamic centuries. Thr distinctive ‘Mamluk’ carpets from 15th and early 16th centuries CE, Cairo are also well represented in the collection.
Fragmentary multiple-niche pile prayer carpet (saff) with floral and palmette arabesques
Linen, silk and silver wire textile fragment with affronted birds, human face, hares, rosettes
Cotton shawl embroidered with vegetal designs and Persian lament mentioning Bamyan
Fragmentary silk textile with naskhi inscriptions, quadrupeds, guilloches, medallions
Pile carpet with chahar bagh layout, flowering trees, flower beds, pond with peacocks
Stone and stucco have a long history in the art and cultures that became the Islamic world. Even as far back as the Bronze Age, stone was used to create almost reverential objects of sacred animals, demons and gods/goddesses.
Textiles are one of the most diverse types of objects from the Islamic lands. They include some of the most valuable and refined luxury goods produced, highly prized by their owners at the time and among the most prestigious diplomatic
With more than 12,000 coins in the collection, The al-Sabah Collections numismatic holdings are extensive. Coins in the collection were minted in virtually every corner of the geography of the Islamic world. Equally notable, they were minted over a period
