Roman and Islamic Textiles from the Egyptian Site of Quseir al-Qadim

Dr. Vogelsang-Eastwood’s fellowship was spent investigating the ROM’s collection of late Fatimid and early Mamluk textiles from Fustat (Cairo). This investigation was done to bolster ongoing research into the Egyptian site of Quseir al-Qadim. The site had been occupied briefly in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE and then again from the 12th century to the late 14th century. During the medieval period, it was a port for trade between Fustat and various cities in India. Many textiles have been found at this site, including some of distant origin. Dr. Vogelsang-Eastwood found the ROM’s collection of medieval textiles from Fustat relevant to the study of textiles found at Quseir al-Qadim in two ways: they were from the Egyptian end of the trade route in which Quseir al-Qadim served as a port, and they represent the higher-end of textiles that were available in the period---such luxurious textiles were under-represented in the archaeological finds from the port. By looking at the extant textiles from both sites, Dr. Vogelsang-Eastwood sought to present a more comprehensive description of the range of textiles that were being traded between Egypt and India during the period.