Textiles · Catalog HV6E9981

Ikat tiraz

Unknown creator · 960–80

The "flame" pattern was dyed on the vertical warp threads before weaving began by tightly binding them to resist dye penetration, and repeated for each color. The process and fabric are called ikat, a Malaysian word which may have originated in South Arabia. Yemeni ikats with historical Arabic inscriptions from the 10th century are among the oldest known. This text, written in Kufic script with gold leaf outlined in black, identifies a ruler of the Yemen: ". . . [a]l-Da’i ila