Silk Weaving in Egypt
This time the photo is of two Egyptian silk weavers during the reign of Khedive Ismail,
1880.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptians) You can notice the old primitive spinning wheel
and the yarn holder made of bamboo, I am guessing from the photo.
Silk was considered the third most popular raw material for textiles in Islamic Egypt after
linen and wool. Silk fabrics were known in Egypt since the Ptolemaic era. Silk was
imported from India and China before Egypt started producing it locally in the sixth
century AD. Silk production was hindered at first because men were prohibited from
wearing it, but then it flourished in early Islamic Egypt. The city of Dabiq was known for
its production.
In Akhmim, a silk garment that belonged to Caliph Abd al-Malik Ibn Marwan was found.
More silk fabrics found in Akhmim are currently at the British Museum. Alexandria
became one of the most important silk manufacturing centers during the Fatimid era.
When Burjuan of Sicily, Fatimid vizier, was killed, he was found to own 1,000 silk shirts
from Alexandria.
Some historical accounts state that there were shops in Fustat dedicated to silk trading.
Many people carried the name "Qazzaz," which means silk trader.
The city of Al-Ashmunein in Middle Egypt, according to some papyri, was one of the
important centers in silk crafts, for which the documents had many names for the
numerous manufacturers in this city. Papyri also recorded the names of silk makers at the
time of Al-Mustansir, the Fatimid Caliph, which indicates the size of this industry at the
time.
Al-Fustat was an important center for manufacturing silk and apparently there was a kind
of fabric derived from the city's name. Cairo became a flourishing center for silk soon
after its establishment. Yaqoub ibn Kals, the Fatimid vizier, founded a silk manufacturing
house in Cairo .
During the reign of Mohammad Ali, the founder of Modern Egypt, more attention was
given to silk industry. In 1811, a silk factory was established, followed by other factories
to manufacture blankets for the army, ropes, as well as canvas for ship sails.
For decades Egypt used to send the cover of the holy Kaaba to Sudi Arabia ‫كسوة الكعبة‬
‫ المشرفة‬and that was at 'Dar Al Keswa' in Khoronfish. The cover was made of silk and
adorned with silk and gold embroidery with quotes from the Quran. It was a tradition that
every year on it's journey to Saudi Arabia, this cover would tour the streets of Egypt
carrying it on what is called ‫ المحمل‬a tradition started since the Fatimids, the Mamlukes'
until Nasser's reign.
Nagada silk weaving project:
The ancient town of Naqada , which lies on the historical West Bank of the Nile,
neighboring ancestral Luxor , has been considered one of the weaving powerhouses of
Egypt for as long as anyone can recall. Although this town isn’t a big tourist draw
nowadays, the necropolis of Naqada was the resting place for entire generations of
pharaohs more than five thousand years ago. Demographically,three quarters of the
population is Christian, and several abandoned monasteries surround the area.
The 70 artisans in Naqada Silk Weaving Project hand weave traditional Upper Egypt
long scarves and sheaths called 'ferkas', which for centuries were exported to Sudanses
women to help them celebrate social milestones, like circumcisions, marriages and
childbirths. These 'ferkas' display distinctive geometrical patterns and opalescent fabrics,
which set them apart from other traditional motifs and fabrics of nearby towns.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Zerida/Egyptians
http://eternalegypt.org
http://lexicorient.com/e.o/naqada.htm
http://nagada.net/clothes_egypt_fashion_egypt.htm