Block-printed Textiles excavated from Fustat in Egypt

Indian textiles were exported to Egypt in Roman times, although the trade may be much older. Hundreds of fragments of textiles have been discovered in Fustat, near Cairo. Research revealed that they were made in Gujarat, in western India. Close study of similar fabric fragments suggests that they were used both for furnishing as well as clothing. The motifs can be related to patterns in Jain manuscript paintings as well as the decoration of Islamic buildings in Gujarat.