In the area known as Old Cairo, the southernmost gate is known as the Bab Zuwala. Built in the 10th century, this became a public meeting place, an important trading centre, and a site of public execution. This is the area where pilgrims gathered for the commencement of their journey to Mecca, and since the 11th century it has been home to the ‘Tentmakers of Cairo’. These skilled artisans once made tents and saddles for the Fatimid armies, and today they produce ornate canopies for celebratory occasions. Often large ceremonial tents appear on the streets of Cairo and other cities, as if by magic, to be used for funerals, weddings, or political occasions; they disappear just as quickly. One such tent is used as a mobile eye hospital. The work of these artisans is part of a long textile tradition that spans some 7,000 years.
Textiles in Egypt
The earliest linen samples, dating to c.5000 BC, were found during excavations in the Fayum area, and can now be seen in the Petrie Museum in London – home to the world’s oldest existing garment, the ‘Tarkhan Dress’ (dating to c.3000 BC). Perhaps the earliest example of a painted fabric was discovered in 1930 during excavations at Gebelin. Dating to c.4000 BC, the piece of linen had been painted with black, red, and white pigment, portraying hunting and fishing scenes.
The hot dry climate of Egypt is responsible for the natural conservation of many textiles. Sadly, textiles were disregarded by many eminent archaeologists, who treated them as unimportant rags. Even the Tarkhan Dress, discovered by Flinders Petrie in 1912, was left in a parcel labelled ‘dirty linen rags’ and only rediscovered in 1977. Thankfully, Egyptologists now realise that these unassuming pieces of linen provide vital clues to life in ancient Egyptian times, and are worthy of conservation and study in their own right.
