This 16th-century carpet is a rare surviving example of a “chessboard” carpet, named for its grid-like design of squares or rectangles. The exact place where it was made is a mystery that invites a fascinating dive into the rise and fall of empires in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Mamluk Sultanate came to power in Egypt and Syria around 1250. Its capital, Cairo, became the economic and cultural center of the Islamic world. Weavers there produced spectacular Mamluk carpets with octagonal star medallions, which were profitably traded.
In 1517, Ottomans from Anatolia (present-day Turkey) conquered Egypt, and a new Islamic empire rose to world power. Weaving workshops shared Anatolian, Mamluk and Persian design elements to meet new markets and royal dictates for luxury textiles.
This carpet was likely made around the time of the Ottoman conquest, and its design shows both Mamluk and Anatolian influences. Classic Mamluk elements include the knotting technique, color palette and pattern: an arrangement of eight-pointed, interlaced stars, encircled by tiny cypress trees, rosettes and rams’ horns. The border design of cartouches and leafy arabesques, however, is distinctly Anatolian.
Was this carpet made by Mamluk artisans in Ottoman Anatolia, or were Anatolian designs added in an Egyptian workshop? Scholars believe the latter, but not with certainty.
