AN OTTOMAN CALLIGRAPHIC SILK LAMPAS PANEL FROM THE INNER COVERING OF THE KA'BA
Ottoman Turkey, 17th-18th century

A pistachio-green, faded, silk ground, with white silk bold inscriptions arranged within alternating chevron bands and highlighted by scattered floral motifs. Inscriptions read the Shahadah, blessings upon the prophets, Surat Al-Fātiḥa, Surat Al-Ikhlass, Surat Al-Qassas Textiles of this type were used by the Ottomans to line the interiors of important places of worship in Mecca and Medina. The colour palette of this example, together with the presence of floral decoration, suggest an early date, and floral motifs within the chevron bands are rather unusual. Furthermore, examples with a green ground are particularly associated with the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and were used to cover the cenotaphs in the Rawḍah.

Inscriptions:
1. Qul huwallahu ahad (Say he is Allah, One).
2. There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
3. Indeed Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, send blessings upon Him, and greet Him with a worthy greeting.
4. God and no one else.
5. Nothing will perish except His face. His is the Judgement and to Him you shall return.
6. Peace and blessing upon the noblest of prophets and messengers.
7. God is One, God is the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is begotten, and there is none comparable to Him.

Islamic rulers, and particularly the Ottomans, regarded it as an honour and as an official duty to send offerings (surre) to Mecca and Medina through ceremonial pilgrimage caravans led by the symbolic mahmel (a richly decorated tent-like structure mounted on a camel). Annual processions also delivered textile coverings for the Kaʿba and for the Prophet’s tomb (Ravza-i Mutahhara), adorned with Qur’anic verses, a tradition that was maintained continuously until 1915.

91cm x 68.1cm

For further references on the subject see: the Topkapı Palace Collection (TSM 13/1659), published in Hülya Tezcan, Sacred Covers of Islam’s Holy Shrines, Istanbul, 2017, no. 35, p. 209; İpek, S., Ottoman ‘Ravza-i Mutahhara’ Covers Sent from Istanbul to Medina with the Surre Processions, in Muqarnas, Vol. 23, 2006, figg. 10-11, pp. 300-301.

Provenance: Georges Antaki Collection.