DRESSING THE CALIPHATES: MATERIAL CULTURE AND EUROPEAN ENCOUNTERS IN MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC FASHION

Abstract

This study examines the complex interplay of clothing, culture, and commerce in medieval Islamic societies (c. 900–1300 CE), with particular focus on regions of sustained contact with Europe. Through analysis of historical texts, material artifacts, and visual sources, the paper investigates how garments functioned as dynamic markers of identity, power, and religious adherence across major Islamic caliphates—Abbasid, Fatimid, Umayyad, and Mamluk. The research highlights three key dimensions: the socio-political symbolism of courtly dress, regional variations in textile production and use, and the mutual influences between Islamic and European sartorial traditions. Findings reveal that luxury fabrics like silk served not only as economic commodities but also as instruments of statecraft, with dynasties employing distinctive colours and toward assert legitimacy. The study demonstrates how Islamic textiles and tailoring techniques circulated through Mediterranean trade networks, significantly impacting European fashion. Through the combination of material culture studies and political economic and cross-cultural approaches, this paper seeks to counter the naturalization of description of what might be termed as Islamic fashion, rather introducing the idea of medieval dress as a consideration of internal social structures on one hand and as a form of intercultural communication on the other. The study brings novel information about premodern globalization focusing on the role of clothing in forming economic systems, diplomatic relations and a shared identity of people in the medieval world.