Islamic embroidery from Morocco, Turkey, Algeria, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and a few regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan will be on display for four months at the royal palace here.
The exhibition is being organized by Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The textiles on view show the evolution of the region's culture. They define the wearer's social status -- from the ruler's magnificent gold-embroidered velvet robes to the laborer's striped cotton and the nomad's wool. The textiles also mark joyous and poignant events of family life including birth, marriage and burial.
The exhibition features textiles made by people in Hazara in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, Turkey, by the Lakai and Kungrat tribes in Uzbekistan and tribes from Rasht in Iran.
Other objects in the exhibition include wall hangings, door hangings, shawls and chest covers from various regions of Morocco, shawls from Algeria, and silk embroidery from Sindh and the Swat Valley in Pakistan.
