Sitara (textile)

[3] Suleiman set aside the revenue of ten villages to fund the creation of textiles for the Kaaba and the Prophet's Mosque: an arrangement that continued until 1813.

[4] Replacing the textiles is one of the privileges of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, a title adopted by Mamluk, Ottoman, and Saudi Arabian rulers.

[4] Responsibility for transporting the textiles from Cairo to Mecca was given to a specially chosen Muslim family, for whom it was a high honour.

The present colour scheme for the sitara of the Kaaba, in use since the early 20th century, is gold and white embroidery on a black background.

[3] These inscriptions include verses from the Quran and supplications to Allah, as well as the names of the rulers who commissioned the textiles.

[13][4] Sitaras made in the Ottoman Empire included the Sultan's tughra (their official calligraphed monogram) in their design.

[5][15] During the Ottoman era, many sacred textiles, including some sitaras, were returned to Istanbul after use, now forming part of the collection of the Topkapı Palace.

It bears the cartouche of Mahmud II who commissioned it for the Rawḍah ash-Sharifah (Noble Garden) of the mosque.

[22][23] The Met's sitara was commissioned by Abdul Hamid II for the interior door of the Kaaba and is 280 centimetres (110 in) high.

It is dated 1315 AH (1897–98 AD) and calls for blessings for Abbas II of Egypt, who would have overseen the textile's production.

[15] An 18th century sitara, commissioned by Selim III for the Prophet's Mosque, was donated to the Ashmolean Museum by Nasser Khalili in 2012.

[1] In 1983 the Saudi Arabian government donated a sitara from the Kaaba to the headquarters of the United Nations, where it remains on display.