Al-Andalus, A Textile Society

Maurice Lombard, in his work about the textile industry in the Islamic world, declared that the importance of the textile sector for early Islamic communities was so central that they might be described as ‘textile societies’. Some years later, Vincent Lagardère demonstrated that silk production was one of the features setting al-Andalus apart from the medieval West. The central role played by textile production in al-Andalus is, therefore, beyond doubt, and is regularly mentioned, in generic terms, in all general histories of al-Andalus.

The textile industry features as a prominent economic, social and cultural factor in the historical sources. Geographers and chroniclers described the regions of al-Andalus on which textile industries were based, and praised their production. These included textiles produced in the region since Antiquity, such as wool and flax, both of which were still major products in the Middle Ages.

Wool was probably the most widely used fabric, as reported by the geographer and traveller Ibn Ḥawqal (d. after 988) who visited al-Andalus: ‘Wool fabrics (assüf) […] There are marvels with regard to dyes, obtained from grasses native to al-Andalus.’

Wool was especially used among the humblest sectors of the population. Referring to North Africa in the 12th century, Idrīsī pointed out that ‘Common people dress in wool cadāwīr, and their hats are made with the same material; rich people wear cotton clothing and coats’.

Ibn al Khaṭīb, the Nasrid writer (Granada, 1313–1374), claimed, however, that wool was used by all social classes: