Cairo Under Wraps

Early Islamic Textiles

Almost 80 precious Early Islamic textiles dating from the 7th to 14th centuries – including rare examples of clothing – are featured in this original exhibition of ROM material. The decoration on these textiles mainly consists of Arabic inscriptions, often invoking Allah and naming the ruler. Many of these items were intended for the royal household. Some of the earliest pieces were collected by C.T. Currelly, the founding director of the Royal Ontario Museum, and are thus especially appropriate to show in our centennial year. Complementary material in other media (ceramics, glass, metalwork, coins, etc.) has been selected from the ROM’s collection of Islamic art.