This large, cotton textile which contains talismanic symbols and religious invocations is done in batik technique. There are magic squares with numbers as well as Ali's, (Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law) famed doubled blade sword. The textile may have been dyed with henna. The textile could have been used to cover a tomb or the litter of a corpse or hung as a banner.Calligraphy is found on architecture in most parts of the Islamic world. On religious institutions, the phrases chosen are usually from the Qur’an. Qur’anic phrases and numbers thus have protective properties and they may be found on textiles and jewellery.
