Epigraphic Textile

Description

The design of this textile consists of a repeating, mirrored inscription in cartouches separated by quatrefoil motifs. The inscription gives a date of 1122 H or 1710/1711 and reads, “Ya Imam Husayn Shahid” (Oh Imam Husayn, the martyr). It refers to the grandson of Muhammad and the third Shia imam, Husayn (d. 680). The inscription identifies him as “shahid” or martyr, alluding to his death at the Battle of Karbala, an event memorialized by Twelver Shia Muslims during the Safavid period. This fragment was likely once part of a much larger textile. Today, it appears bichromatic with primarily red and light brown wefts, but surviving green threads at its edges suggest it was originally more colorful.