The tradition of covering the Ka’ba with textiles is said to go back to the pre-Islamic period. As early as 400 AD the Ka’ba was covered with luxurious cloth from Yemen (Venetian Porter, ed., Hajj, Journey to the heart of Islam, London, 2012, p.257). Following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 AD, providing the cloth of the Ka’ba became the prerogative of the ruler. The Caliphs ‘Umar, Mu’awiya and al-Ma’mun, Sultan al-Nasir Qalawun, Sulayman the Magnificent and Muhammad ‘Ali Pasha, all are recorded to have sent the most expensive textiles to decorate the Ka’ba. Traditionally the textiles for the Ka’ba and the holy shrines were made in Egypt. Some coverings were also made in Yemen, Iran or in Istanbul (at the Hereke factory for instance). Opened by Muhammad ‘Ali in 1817, the Kharanfash factory in Egypt stopped producing thekiswawhen King ‘Abd al-‘Aziz of Saudi Arabia open a factory in Mecca in 1927.
Textiles for the Holy Shrines include the kiswa (robe) of the Ka’ba, the hizam (belt) and sitara (door), which are changed every year. The elegant thuluth inscriptions adorning this panel are typical of the decoration of Ka’ba textiles and would fit into a larger scheme of alternating panels of monumental calligraphic inscriptions. Further, comparable panels to the present lot include one in the Aga Khan Museum (inv.no. AKM823) and another sold in these Rooms, 11 April 2014, lot 210.