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Visual Literacy Activity netw rks

The World Before Modern Times

Islamic Textiles
Viewing art through a historical lens requires that you keep in mind how artistic traditions
develop within larger cultural frameworks constituting—among other factors—the folk
beliefs, economic principles, history, social customs, and religious faith of a particular
people. When you analyze a culture’s traditional arts, consider both the practical purposes
of the art and the values and beliefs that underlie it and guide its expression. In the case
of Islamic art, it is important to understand that the individual expression of the artist is
both guided and circumscribed by religious belief.

Directions: The image below is a detail from one of the most highly valued objects in
the Islamic world: a carpet. Look closely at the details in this carpet, analyze them, and
answer the questions that follow.
© SuperStock/Super Stock

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

Caption: Islamic carpet.

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Visual Literacy Activity Cont. netw rks

The World Before Modern Times

Background
Early Islamic textiles—colorful carpets, tapestries, embroideries, and luxurious silks—
were only one of many art forms produced by Islamic culture, but they are among the
most prized and admired. Dyed with bold colors and decorated with geometric shapes,
elegant inscriptions written in calligraphy, and stylized decorative motifs, early Islamic
textiles are sophisticated works of art.

Because fabrics are fragile and tend to be used for practical everyday purposes, there
are few remaining complete examples of early Islamic textiles. The examples that
remain, however, display originality, creativity, and artistic ability within religious
parameters strictly defined by the Muslim holy book, the Quran. According to the
Quran, art should inspire contemplation and prayer, not idolatry, or the worship of
images. The religious restrictions inspired artists to create designs that moved away
from representations of the real world. Instead, they developed patterns consisting of
geometric shapes and abstract depictions of plants, animals, and mythological figures.
These ornamental patterns reveal a highly developed aesthetic sense that emphasizes
symmetrical balance, repetition, and proportion. One common pattern was the
arabesque, a swirling design motif of stylized intertwining plants and abstract curving
shapes. The arabesque design was adopted—and adapted—in the West and later
became popular in Renaissance Europe. Islamic decorative motifs also had an impact in
Africa, where Islamic influence was strong. Because traditional African decoration
already favored symmetrical, repeating patterns, there was natural affinity between the

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
two styles. African craftspeople and weavers readily adapted the nonrepresentational
visual styles of Islamic art.

In addition to being works of art, Islamic textiles were also profitable, portable, and
easy-to-export trade items. As rugs and other Islamic textiles began to appear on the
trade routes, they became sought-after items in both the East and the West. Europeans
eagerly purchased Islamic carpets, as well as textiles made of expensive materials
(among them silks embroidered with metallic gold and silver threads), considering them
“luxury goods” and status symbols. One evident effect of the widespread trade in
Islamic textiles via Muslim merchants can be seen in the introduction into European
languages of many words relating to fabrics from the languages of Muslim countries.
For example, the English words cotton, calico, satin, muslin, and mohair come from
Arabic, and the words taffeta and seersucker come from Persian.

It is not surprising that carpets, such as the one shown, were among the most highly
valued textiles produced in the Islamic world. Not only could carpets serve utilitarian or
religious purposes—such as prayer rugs—but the finest ones were collected by royalty
in Islamic countries. Carpets could take years to complete; the finest ones could have
from 300 to 1,000 knots per square inch. To determine a place of origin, scholars have
to rely on clues in the form of dyes and materials, the number and types of knots, and
characteristic decorative motifs.
NAME ______________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________

Visual Literacy Activity Cont. netw rks

The World Before Modern Times

Practicing the Skill

1. Describing What details in this carpet are typical of Islamic textiles?

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2. Making Inferences Why do you think carpets like this were so highly valued,
both in Islamic culture itself and as items of trade?

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Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Go a Step Further
3. Speculating Do you think religious restrictions helped or hindered the
development of textile art in Islamic culture? Why or why not?

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