Social Fabrics: Inscribed Textiles from Medieval Egyptian Tombs

Social Fabrics explores tiraz, the inscribed textiles of the medieval Islamic world, through objects recovered largely from Egyptian burial contexts. Woven, embroidered or painted Arabic inscriptions turned cloth into a medium of status, political affiliation and communication, and the surviving textiles open a window onto a society that was ethnically, linguistically and religiously diverse.

Produced as an exhibition catalogue for the Harvard Art Museums, the book places beautifully illustrated textile entries beside essays on their making, inscriptions and later collecting. Some cloths bore inscriptions regulated by rulers, marking a connection to power; others bring different parts of this varied world into view. A fragment of fabric may look slight today, but its words, materials and place of discovery can tell us much about the people who made, used and preserved it.