Sitarah for the Prophet’s Mosque

Location: Istanbul

Materials: black silk with red and green silk appliqués, relief-embroidered in silver and silver-gilt wire over card and cotton thread padding

Dimensions: 300 x 226cm

Accession Number: TXT 373

Other Notes: The inscription in the light-green panel at the top of the sitarah is Surat al-Ahzab, XXXIII, verse 45 and, in the panels around the other sides, is Surat al-Jumu‘ah, LXII, verses 9–11. The four red circles at the top and centre contain the names of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali, and along the lower edge, those of three of the Companions of the Prophet, Talhah bin ‘Ubaid Allah, Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas and ‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Awf. The second green panel at the top has the hadith, ‘Between my tomb and my minbar lies one of the gardens of Paradise and my minbar is on my pool.’

Script: