Tapestry woven bands of silk on a linen warp. Tiraz. Egypt, Manshiya, Fatimid, ca. AD1000-1200. The linen is undyed and approx. 24x16 tpc; thread dia. between 1mm and 0.5mm; s-spun. The warps become double with the bands of decoration. The top band of decoration is approx. 53mm wide and in green, red, black and yellow silk and undyed linen. At the centre is a row of animals (rabbit? and bird) in circles. Between the circles are black line decorations. This row is bordered on either side with a row of connected oval motifs (with one quarter cut away) and vertical lines. On either side of the row is a solid line of yellow silk, a line of undyed linen (made up of four threads) and a thin line of red silk. 74mm down the fabric is a second band of decoration. It is approx. 25mm wide and in red, black and yellow silk and undyed linen. It is a row of the same animals in circles. Between the circles are black line decorations. This row is bordered on either side with a line of undyed linen (made up of four threads) and a thin red silk line. The piece has some holes and is stained. In the Abbasid period (AD750-1258) fabrics, called tiraz, were made in present day Iraq and Egypt. The word came to mean honorific robes with woven or embroidered inscriptions. Text from the Koran was embroided across the fabric with a line of geometric shapes above that were probably for decoration. Text might also include information such as the name of the reigning caliph, place of production and date. Similar to 246-1890.