In Muslim cultures, words are used not only to communicate but to decorate. Because it is through writing that the Qur’an is transmitted, scripts in the Arabic alphabet were devised and perfected to be worthy of divine revelation. On this account, calligraphy became the most important art form regardless of the text. This concern with beautiful writing extended beyond the page to inscriptions on buildings as well as objects of all sorts, including metalwork, coins, ceramics, stone, glass, wood, and textiles, as here.
Of the many sumptuous silk textiles produced in the Islamic world, perhaps none are more precious and prestigious than the ones used to drape the Ka‘ba, in Mecca, inside and out. This section is from the internal kiswa, or covering. The bright red color and chevron-patterned calligraphic bands with pendants and circles in the interstices are all typical of Ottoman-era Ka‘ba textiles, as are the associated texts, including a Qur’anic verse from Sura Al-Baqara (2:144) and the shahada, or profession of faith, along with other pious invocations. Unlike the great exterior kiswa, which was renewed yearly in conjunction with the hajj (pilgrimage), the interior wall coverings were changed to celebrate the accession of a new sultan. Whenever the kiswa was replaced, the old ones were often circulated as gifts; the internal curtains, in either red or green, were often converted into a cenotaph cover such as this one.
