Mamluk Historical Embroidery Patterns

Henry VIII of England's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was born and raised in Spain. At that time, Spain had been majorly influenced by Moorish geometrical design during the Moorish rule of Spain and Portugal. The Moors were members of the Muslim population. "The Spanish occupation by the Moors began in 711 AD when an African army, under their leader Tariq ibn-Ziyad, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from northern Africa and invaded the Iberian peninsula 'Andalus'." (15 Things You Did Not Know About the Moors of Spain")

The name Mamluk is Arabic and was used to describe Muslim rulers of slave origin. "By the end of the 9th century, such warrior slaves had become the dominant element in the military." ("Mamluk")
"The Mamluks ruled Egypt and Syria from 1250 until 1517, when their dynasty was extinguished by the Ottomans." (Waterson) The Mamluks were part of the Muslim states.

As the Moors and the Mamluks were both Muslim and originated from northern Africa, I believe it stands to reason that their embroidery patterns are related. This is supported by the fact that the Mamluk items that I have found so far share a resemblance to Moorish designs and geometric blackwork embroidery designs. I have learned that both the Moors and the Mamluks were originally part of the Umayyad Caliphate. "The Umayyads ruled the Islamic world from 661 to 750 C.E." (Szczepanski)


Below are a couple historical examples of Mamluk items and my interpretation of the embroidery patterns.



(Linen embroidery with pink silk and brown thread circa Mamluk period in the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford)
http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/921/per_page/100/offset/0/sort_by/date/category/textiles/object/15983

Pattern:

(Sampler fragment diamond-shapes and chevrons, circa 13th century, in the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford)
http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/8/per_page/100/offset/0/sort_by/date/object/10755

Pattern:

Works Cited:

"15 Things You Did Not Know About the Moors of Spain." https://blackhistorystudies.com/resources/resources/15-facts-on-the-moors-in-spain/

"Mamluk." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk

 Szczepanski, Kallie. "What Was The Umayyad Caliphate?" 15 January 2018. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-was-the-umayyad-caliphate-195431

Waterson, James. "Who Were the Mamluks?" History Today. 5 September 2018. https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/who-were-mamluks