IMPORTANT MIDNIGHT-BLUE BAND OF THE HIZAM OF THE KA'BA Egypt, 20th century Large rectangular calligraphic headband in midnight-blue silk velvet, finely embroidered with silver and silver-gilt thread. Within a cartouche with rounded ends is a long Qur'anic calligraphic inscription in monumental thuluth (jali thuluth) framed at the top and bottom by delicate stylised foliage. Very good overall condition, with some old restorations to the silver threads, and the borders reinforced with strips of blue velvet. Inscription: Sura 22 al-Hajj: verses 28-29 Size: 630 x 85 cm Provenance: According to family tradition : Gift from the King of Saudi Arabia to the current owner's father, circa 1982-83 The production of luxurious textiles embroidered with metal threads to cover the Ka'ba in Mecca was an important annual ceremony. The practice is attested to in the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, when the inscriptions proclaiming the name of the caliph were of great symbolic significance (Hülya Tezcan, Sacred Covers of Islam's Holy Shrines with samples from Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, 2017, p.74). In the Ottoman period, the practice of sending these textiles with the Sultan's titles and genealogy to Mecca seems to have become standardised. The textiles were then produced in Damascus or Cairo. This headband comes from a set forming a hizam ("belt") intended to encircle the top of the Ka'ba and under which other panels of the kiswa are suspended. It is part of the Ottoman tradition of diplomatic gifts of luxurious textiles for the Guardians of the Holy Places. This headband is similar to the Ottoman hizams produced at the end of the 19th century. An example in the Topkapi Sarayi Museum (TSM 24/9), dedicated to Sultan 'Abd al-Hamid II (r.1876-1909) and dated 1890, is executed in an extremely similar style in Jali thuluth calligraphy (Tezcan 2017, cat.67, p.283). The inscription on the Topkapi textile is the work of the calligrapher 'Abdullah Zühdi, who lived in Medina for several years. He then visited Egypt, where he produced the designs for a series of headbands for the Ka'ba. It is likely that this headband comes from a large composition designed by Zühdi. A similar hizam, on midnight-blue silk velvet, the composition of which was prepared by 'Abdullah Zühdi, was presented at Sotheby's, 8 October 2008, no. 28, and two others at Christie's, 17 April 2007, no. 19 and 26 April 1994, no. 15. A silver-gilt embroidered navy blue silk calligraphic panel 'Hizam' for the Holy Ka'ba, Egypt, 20th century The production of luxurious metal-embroidered textiles on an annual basis to cover the Holy Ka'ba in Mecca was an important annual ceremony. It was a way for the custodians of the sacred city to illustrate their wealth and power and assert their authority in the region. During the Ottoman period the practise of sending textiles with the titles of the Sultan to Mecca became an almost standardised practice. The textiles themselves seem to have been produced mostly in Damascus or Cairo. In some years there were rival sets produced in both locations. This band takes the form of a hizam or 'belt' that would have been draped around the top of the Ka'ba, below which embroidered panels or kiswa would have been suspended. This band follows in the Ottoman tradition of making political gifts of presenting luxurious embroidered textiles to the custodians of Mecca. The form of this embroidered panel follows closely the Ottoman bands produced in the late 19th century. An example in the Topkapi Sarayi Museum (TSM 24/9) dated to the equivalent of 1890 and carrying a dedication to Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II (r.1876-1909) is executed in a very similar calligraphic style (Tezcan 2017, cat. 67, p. 283). Hülya Tezcan notes that the calligrapher responsible for the inscription was Abdullah Zühdi who worked and lived in Medina for several years. Zühdi is then recorded as having travelled to Egypt where he produced the calligraphic template for a series of Ka'ba covers. It is likely that the design for the calligraphic inscription on this band originates from one of the templates produced by Zühdi while he was in Egypt. A similar hizam, made of midnight blue silk velvet, designed by 'Abdullah Zühdi, was presented at Sotheby's on October 8, 2008, lot 28. Two others were presented at Christie's on April 17, 2007, lot 19, and on April 26, 1994, lot 15. The production of luxurious textiles embroidered with metal threads to cover the Ka'ba in Mecca was an important annual ceremony. The practice is attested to in the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, when inscriptions proclaiming the name of the caliph took on great symbolic significance (Hülya Tezcan, Sacred Covers of Islam's Holy Shrines with samples from Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, 2017, p.74). In the Ottoman period, the practice of sending these textiles with the Sultan's titles and genealogy to Mecca seems to have become standardised. The textiles were then produced in Damascus or Cairo. This headband comes from a set forming a hizam ("belt") intended to encircle the top of the Ka'ba and under which other panels of the kiswa are suspended. It is part of the Ottoman tradition of diplomatic gifts of luxurious textiles for the Guardians of the Holy Places. This headband is similar to the Ottoman hizams produced at the end of the 19th century. An example in the Topkapi Sarayi Museum (TSM 24/9), dedicated to Sultan 'Abd al-Hamid II (r.1876-1909) and dated 1890, is executed in an extremely similar style in Jali thuluth calligraphy (Tezcan 2017, cat.67, p.283). The inscription on the Topkapi textile is the work of the calligrapher 'Abdullah Zühdi, who lived in Medina for several years. He then visited Egypt, where he produced the designs for a series of headbands for the Ka'ba. It is likely that this headband comes from a large composition designed by Zühdi. A similar hizam, on midnight-blue silk velvet, the composition of which was prepared by 'Abdullah Zühdi, was presented at Sotheby's, 8 October 2008, no. 28, and two others at Christie's, 17 April 2007, no. 19 and 26 April 1994, no. 15.