Fragment of a Shawl with Inscription

In the medieval period, Yemen had a flourishing textile industry and both Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs established factories there. The large and prosperous city of Sana'a, to which this textile is attributed, was one of the most important centers of Yemeni textile production. The Arabic inscription under the lozenge-patterned band reads: "In the name of God. Blessing from God. Of what was made in the tiraz of Sana'a." The "tiraz of Sana'a" mentioned in the inscription refers to the workshop in which the textile was made, reflecting the convention of using the word (which literally means embroidery) to describe both textiles like this one and the workshops in which they were made.

Credit: Gift of George D. Pratt, 1931