A BLACK SILK KABAA KISWA, TURKEY, 20TH CENTURY

A fragment of the inner curtain of sacred kiswa for the inner wall of the Kabaa with an inscribed weave in darker black silk over a black ground. Embellished with a prominent inscription within a broad border in thuluth script of praise of the prophet ‘Prayer and peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah’. Below with a narrow band containing prayers for the four righteous caliphs Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali as well as for the companions of the Prophet. At the top with a narrow band enclosing ‘O Allah, bless the Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of Prophets and Messengers’. 120 by 295 cm.