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Source Description
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]. . . ."
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
127892
label
Striped tiraz
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
127892
contentType
object
title
Striped tiraz
description
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]. . . ."
date
1049–50
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79908267
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 41 x 24.1 cm (16 1/8 x 9 1/2 in.); Mounted: 47 x 30.5 cm (18 1/2 x 12 in.)
cul
Egypt, Fatimid period, reign of al-Mustansir
accession
1950.528
Source extras
tec
plain weave with inwoven tapestry weave: linen and silk
tombstone
Striped tiraz, 1049–50. Egypt, Fatimid period, reign of al-Mustansir. Plain weave with inwoven tapestry weave: linen and silk; overall: 41 x 24.1 cm (16 1/8 x 9 1/2 in.); mounted: 47 x 30.5 cm (18 1/2 x 12 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1950.528
collection
Textiles
inscriptions
inscription
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]. . . ."
citations
citation
Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, Etienne Combe, Jean Sauvaget, and Gaston Wiet. Répertoire chronologique d'épigraphie arabe. Le Caire: Impr. de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale, volume VII, 1936.
page_number
no. 2547
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 213
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 269
citation
Mackie, Louise W. <em>Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century</em>. Cleveland; New Haven: Cleveland Museum of Art; Yale University Press, 2015.
page_number
Reproduced: P. 106, fig. 3.23; Mentioned: P. 107
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:36:03.287000
sourceId
127892
dept
Textiles
coll
Textiles
med
plain weave with inwoven tapestry weave: linen and silk
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
cb920e30e76e65c6