Carpets from Islamic Lands, Friedrich Spuhler

Carpets from Islamic Lands assembles more than forty of the world’s most exquisite flatweaves—from Mamluk court carpets to lush Safavid medallions—tracing their lineage across Egypt, Turkey, Persia, the Caucasus and India between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Enhanced with select pre-Islamic fragments, the tapestry unfolds as both a visual feast and a cultural chronicle, bridging artistry, ritual, and material history.

Each carpet is presented not merely as ornament, but as artefact: Spuhler weaves personal stories, historical context, and weaving insights—such as the dramatic power shifts etched into one carpet’s intricate design, now lost to the Iraq invasion of Kuwait.

“A handsome book ... not a ‘coffee-table’ decoration, but a scholarly work with textural notes and an extensive bibliography.” – Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot

About the Author
Dr Friedrich Spuhler, former curator at the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, is a pre-eminent authority on Oriental carpets and Islamic textiles. His expertise shines here, as he provides both scholarship and elegant clarity to what might otherwise remain distant museum treasures.

Publication date: 2012
Publisher: Thames & Hudson 
Pages: 186
ISBN: 9780500970331