What is it about that age-old lure of the Orient, that fascination I have that stems from factors such as exoticism, trade, cultural exchange and art.
It’s something I find irresistibly captivating. It’s a combination of mystery, splendour and unique aesthetics that form the Eastern cultures, landscapes and peoples.
So imagine, if you will, walking into the welcome shade of a pavilion in a hot, arid climate and being surrounded by the most outstanding arrangements of colourful shapes and patterns that highlight generational traditional designs and culture, made entirely by hand, as both protection from the heat and for its utter beauty.
Looking back on images of Khayamiya from the 19th and 20th centuries, I’m in awe of the scale, the patterning and the elegance of these amazing textiles.
In this episode of the Stitch Safari podcast, I’m exploring the dazzling appliqued panels featuring folkloric scenes, geometric patterns, and Arabic calligraphy that form a legacy that can be traced back to the Pharaonic and Islamic Golden Ages.
This is the fascinating history of Khayamiya – a lavishly decorative textile art that was originally used for tents, palace interiors and ceremonial pavilions and one that continues in the bustling market of Sharia Khayamiya or, as we know it, the ‘Street of the Tentmakers’, where skilled artisans continue to create dazzlingly intricate and colourful stitched panels, that have evolved into wall hangings and other cherished collector’s items now often made for the tourist industry.
The work is intense, and the designs are complex, but you can’t help but be in awe of the atmosphere these embroidered textiles create using meticulous hand appliqué techniques. They beguile, enchant and hypnotise.
This is a fascinating story of ancient artistry and craftsmanship crashing into and competing with contemporary resilience, trying to remain resilient in the face of modernisation and mass production.
It’s a tale of exquisite beauty and powerful cultural identity where the tentmakers themselves are trying to keep this rare and radiant tradition alive.
Stay with me, Stitch Safari listeners, as I uncover the story of the Khayamiya.
Let’s begin by defining exactly what Khayamiya are.
The word Khayma means tent, and there are many English approximations of how the word is spelled, as I’ve discovered.
These are elaborately patterned and coloured appliques applied in panels to the interiors of tents and pavilions, serving the dual function of decoration and shelter, but also used as backdrops for important public events and celebrations. They marked important occasions of life, such as birth, marriage, death, or when extra accommodations were required to offer hospitality.
Egyptians love to celebrate, and these street Khayamiya were large-scale ‘architectural textiles’. In the 20th century, they could measure approximately 3×6 metres. The panels were tied onto a wooden structure to form a fabric pavilion and were usually erected by expert tent assemblers called Farrasheen.
Contemporary Khayamiya, however, are made for indoor use.
It’s believed the art of Khayamiya dates back to the Egyptian Fatimid period, from the 10th to the 12th centuries, and was used as large tent pavilions.
The craft of the Khayamiya reached its peak during the Islamic Mamluk era and was very much influenced by Islamic art, calligraphy and religious phrases. Islamic calligraphy is one of the most beautiful, artistic and delicate art forms.
It’s during the Khedival and Touristic periods that more specific types of Khayamiya emerged.
The Khedival period, 1867-1914, featured large appliqued panels of red, indigo and white designs set on a beige canvas background, followed by the Touristic period, popular from the 1890s, especially after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, to the present day, when they began to feature figurative appliques made especially for the tourist trade. These pieces were often smaller, using motifs from Ancient Egypt, such as scenes of everyday life and folklore.
These panels were often collected as souvenirs by travellers, including soldiers, nurses and foreign officials, and now Museums worldwide have begun to appreciate not only their beauty, but their historic and cultural value.
So would ancient craftsmen recognise their Street of the Tentmakers today?
This small, tight-knit community, once said to number more than a thousand men working right on the street, has dwindled to house 20 or so shops and 30-40 stitchers.
The market has now become flooded with cheap, factory-printed fabrics that, from a distance, look similar to these wonderful designs and have largely replaced this ancient handicraft, forcing the tentmakers to adapt their designs to appeal to the tourist market.
It’s lowly paid work that does not encourage or entice new, younger stitchers, and with a decline in tourism to the area, this is cause for great concern.
This is work that, as yet, has not been properly appreciated or respected in its own country, so it’s a delicate tightrope these artisans have to deal with.
In 2015, Australian filmmaker Kim Beamish, with input from Australian quilter Jenny Bowker, made a documentary titled ‘The Tentmakers of Cairo’, which was the joint winner of the prestigious Margaret Mead Award for documentary film.
Bowker’s efforts helped secure contracts for the craftsmen with overseas textile companies, enabling contracts with 18 shops in the street and the exportation of 2,500-3,000 pieces of work annually, opening exhibition opportunities abroad. One such exhibition was aptly titled, ‘Stitch Like an Egyptian’.
Dr Sam Bowker presents a lecture on the Egyptian Tent: Past, Present and Future, uploaded to YouTube by the Gregg Museum of Art and Design. It’s about 14 or so years old now and goes for over an hour, but it is a must-watch for its knowledgeable narration and host of amazing images, both old and new.
The imagery of tents from a variety of Museums and private collections, as well as old photographs and paintings, is historically important.
There’s an image of an intact Ottoman tent captured in 1683 after the Siege of Vienna. Many tents captured during campaigns went on to become trophies or gifts given around Europe. Some were even cut, re-stitched and worn as Church vestments.
One image that caught my attention was an 1887 photo of a travelling city of tents. To me, it’s almost beyond belief.
So what are the tools, techniques and textiles used in the making of these panels?
Colourful cottons are hand appliqued onto a heavy cotton or canvas ground. The intention was that it be both protective and durable in such a hot, dry and dusty climate.
Hand appliqué and hand quilting are used to create the panels. Dr Bowker showed an image of a round tent made for Muhammad Shah, circa 1834-48, which is a celebration of Chain stitch embroidery, but appliqué predominated
The tentmakers sit cross-legged and work extremely quickly. They’re very protective of their designs and innovations, as successful designs are copied rapidly.
Designs for the Khayamiya are innumerable and vary widely.
Geometric and curvilinear arabesque patterns, inspired by Islamic art and Pharaonic art, particularly papyrus, lotus, and stylised depictions of birds and fish, along with calligraphic patterns, are all highly popular design choices.
A Pinterest search abounds with the most delightfully intricate, beautifully coloured designs where the influence of culture and history is easily seen.
The designs are usually highly complex, many with a circular or overall composition, tightly packed with motifs and colour. Flowers, birds and elegant lines repeat and flow throughout, and many of the textiles offer repeat patterns that are sinuous and elaborate.
There are sub-genres of specific design styles, such as Arabesque, which is characterised by elaborate interlinked patterns. Orientalist styles include street scenes, Calligraphy, usually based on the Qur’an, and unique, one-off commissioned pieces.
How do they come up with their designs, and how do they transfer them, because many of them are so complex?
Well, there are a couple of methods.
One way is to draw up the design on paper, prick holes along the lines, then pounce with dusting powder that will work its way through the holes onto the ground fabric. Charcoal is used on light fabrics, and talcum powder for dark fabrics. This is known as the prick-and-pounce method. The small dots are then connected using a white or coloured chalk pencil.
But there is another way, and it’s amazing. Watch this video put out by the Arkan Gallery titled: ‘Egyptian Applique from Design to Hand Stitched Masterpiece Tentmakers of Cairo Khayamiya. It’s eleven years old and is in Arabic, but it’s well worth watching for the approach to a repeated design. Words are unnecessary.
A square of brown paper is folded, and folded and folded again, sometimes up to sixteen times, to create a wedge coming down to a central point. The design is drawn onto the top of this wedge using chalk, then the paper is pricked and pounced in the same manner as before.
But it’s what happens when you open up all those wedges that is truly stunning. And there, right before your eyes, is the intricacy and complexity, created so effortlessly. It’s a joy to watch.
Traditionally, these textiles were worked exclusively by men, and the reason for this male dominance was due to the large and heavy nature of the pieces; however, women are now involved in the making of Khayamiya.
Training to become a tentmaker is based on knowledge passed down from generation to generation. They have to learn how to stitch the intricate patterns through hands-on practice in a family setting or in a workshop.
Apprenticeship is a slow process, beginning with basic techniques and easier, straight lines, progressing to the more complex curves and angles that proliferate throughout this work.
Watch the video to see how Khayamiya were used in the 1920s fashion, how some Europeans used them to provide privacy for their afternoon teas and how Dr Bowker sees the influence of Khayamiya and working with scissors on the later work of Henri Matisse.
Best of all are the images of interiors showcasing the use of Khayamiya. There’s Doris Duke’s dining room, ‘Shangri-La’ in Honolulu, Hawai’i and a more recent image of a room covered in blue and white Khayamiya. It’s breathtaking.
We need to be reminded that embroidery and the textile arts not only serve aesthetic and functional purposes, but are also the profound carriers of cultural heritage. These panels, cushions, cloths or spreads are not relics of the past but the embodiment of a living practice that has an enduring power.
The Khayamiya is a living archive of Egypt’s cultural soul.
What a spectacle those tent caravans from the past must have been. Colourfully exotic, yet offering shelter and beauty in a harsh climate.
The Tentmakers of Cairo have had to adapt to survive, and they refuse to let this tradition fade. Their story deserves to be told again and again.
I hope this episode has inspired you in some way.
Why not explore designing your own repeat pattern using the simple yet effective method of paper folding?
I’m going to finish with the Khayamiya Poem, written in 1899, which Dr Sam Bowker shared in his lecture.
‘Look again, you will see a beautiful work and behold, I have shown you the proof. In Egypt, the beauties of every art, to reveal them, I need a long explanation.
One of the oldest and only remaining covered streets can be found in the heart of old Islamic Cairo. Once it was said that over one thousand men
The Khayamiya website describes the Street of the Tentmakers as follows: ‘The sunlight streams through the roof and the brilliant colours of the stunning applique designs dance in its rays from each shop doorway. This colourful background is a feast for the eyes and a joy to behold the master craftsmen at work’.
The website goes on to say
