Curtain for the Door of the Ka‘bah
Title:
Curtain for the Door of the Ka‘bah
Date: dated 1283 AH (1866–7 AD)
Location: Cairo, Egypt; commissioned by Sultan Abdulaziz
Materials: black silk, with coloured silk appliqués, heavily relief-embroidered in silver and silver-gilt wire over cotton thread padding
Dimensions: 537 x 264cm
Accession Number: TXT 359
Script:
This curtain presents two unusual features. The first is the design of the four arches at the top. These enclose U-shaped elements embroidered with the verses of Surat al-Fatihah on old ground. Within the two central arches is the name of Allah, written in a plaited Kufic style, while the outermost ones enclose a mosque lamp. The second unusual feature is the presence of the tughra of Sultan Abdulaziz, together with a short prayer asking for God’s mercy. The tughras of Ottoman sultans are often seen on curtains made for the mosque of the Prophet, but less so on curtains made for the door of the Ka‘bah.
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