Sitara (textile)

Sitara for the door of the Kaaba, 1606 AD, Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage

A sitara or sitarah (Arabic: سِتَارَة [si.taː.ra] ⓘ) is an ornamental curtain used in the sacred sites of Islam. A sitara forms part of the kiswah, the cloth covering of the Kaaba in Mecca. Another sitara adorns the Prophet's Tomb in the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi mosque in Medina. These textiles bear embroidered inscriptions of verses from the Quran and other significant texts. Sitaras have been created annually since the 16th century as part of a set of textiles sent to Mecca. The tradition is that the textiles are provided by the ruler responsible for the holy sites. In different eras, this has meant the Mamluk Sultans, the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, and presently the rulers of Saudi Arabia.[1] The construction of the sitaras is both an act of religious devotion and a demonstration of the wealth of the rulers who commission them.[2]

  1. ^ Ipek, Selin (Summer 2011). "Dressing the Prophet: Textiles from the Haramayn". Hali. 168: 49–51. ISSN 0142-0798.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).