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Source Description
Elaborate wedding sashes woven in Fez, Morocco, are distinctive for their multiple colors, designs, and uses. Folded lengthwise, they are wrapped around the waist so that the colors and designs coordinate with the attire worn during and after a wedding. Typically, the colors vary on each half although the designs are the same. Luxury textiles with elaborate patterns were woven on large looms called drawlooms that automatically repeated designs. The weaver operated the structure, inserting horizontal wefts, while the drawboy activated the programmed pattern. However, this wedding sash has ten programmed designs, which required considerable expertise.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
161005
label
Belt (Hizam)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
161005
contentType
object
title
Belt (Hizam)
description
Elaborate wedding sashes woven in Fez, Morocco, are distinctive for their multiple colors, designs, and uses. Folded lengthwise, they are wrapped around the waist so that the colors and designs coordinate with the attire worn during and after a wedding. Typically, the colors vary on each half although the designs are the same. Luxury textiles with elaborate patterns were woven on large looms called drawlooms that automatically repeated designs. The weaver operated the structure, inserting horizontal wefts, while the drawboy activated the programmed pattern. However, this wedding sash has ten programmed designs, which required considerable expertise.
date
1800s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79983165
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 396.8 x 38 cm (156 1/4 x 14 15/16 in.)
cul
Africa, North Africa, Morocco, Fes, Moroccan weaver
accession
1999.253
Source extras
tec
Silk, dye, metal
tombstone
Belt (Hizam), 1800s. Africa, North Africa, Morocco, Fes, Moroccan weaver. Silk, dye, metal; overall: 396.8 x 38 cm (156 1/4 x 14 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1999.253
collection
T - Islamic
didYouKnow
Women sometimes added starch to stiffen these belts.
citations
citation
Gebremedhen, Helina. “Arts of the Maghreb: North African Textiles and Jewelry – Curatorial Reflections.” <em>Journal 18</em>, Issue #19 (Spring 2025).
citation
Paydar, Niloo Imami, and Ivo Grammet. <em>The Fabric of Moroccan Life</em>. Indianapolis, Ind: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2002.
page_number
p. 110-117
citation
Alaoui, Rachida. <em>Florilège de la broderie marocaine</em>. [Milan]: Skira, 2011.
page_number
p. 35-37
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. 40-41, fig. 1.24; Mentioned: P. 40
citation
Windmuller-Luna, Kristen. "Textile stories from North Africa." <em>HALI </em>224 (Summer 2025): 54-61.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 58; Reproduced: p. 60-61, fig. 11
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:22:34.566000
sourceId
161005
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Islamic
med
Silk, dye, metal
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
bb556b6668654484