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Secondary sourceArtifactdated 373 AH/983-984 CE

Tiraz Veil

dated 373 AH/983-984 CE

A dated Abbasid-era silk textile fragment with inscribed bands, showing the continued court textile tradition of the dynasty al-Mansur founded.

A dated Abbasid court textile from a century after al-Mansur, showing the lasting tradition of the dynasty he founded.

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Photograph of a fragment of textile with dark green-black woven ground and bands of gold-colored inscribed lettering running horizontally across the top and middle, mounted on a pale background. The fabric shows ragged, frayed edges and areas of loss.
Tiraz veil, dated 373 AH/983-984 CE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

About this source

What it is

This is a fragment of a tiraz veil, woven in silk with tapestry-weave technique, dated to 373 AH (983-984 CE). It is held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1971.

Why it matters

Dated textiles like this one help historians trace changes in Abbasid court workshops over time. Though made more than a century after al-Mansur's reign, it belongs to the same dynastic tradition of official textile production he helped establish as the empire's founder.

Look closer

  • What can the dated inscription tell historians that an undated object cannot?
  • Why do you think textiles like this survived while many other objects did not?
  • What does the damage to the fabric suggest about its age and handling over time?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Caliph al-Mansur on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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