From the intricate embroidery on a Palestinian wedding dress to the complex iconography on an Afghan war rug, textiles reflect the beliefs, practices and experiences of people from across the Middle East and Central Asia. This book explores the significance and beauty of textiles from across this vast area, and is arranged thematically to enable cross-regional comparisons of the function and symbolic meaning of textiles. Each chapter relates to a facet or phase of a person's life in which textiles feature prominently: childhood, marriage and ceremony, status and identity, religion and belief, and house and homestead. The book also includes contemporary works that grapple with modern political issues. The textiles featured include men's, women's and children's garments, hats and headdresses, mosque curtains and prayer mats, floor coverings, tent hangings, hand towels and cushions, storage sacks, purses and cosmetic pouches, dolls and souvenirs, animal trappings and amulets. Focusing on the British Museum's remarkable collection, this book offers a wealth of creative inspiration and will be essential reading for anyone interested in textiles and the cultures of the Middle East and Central Asia.

Interviews with women artists connected with the Islamic world and their compelling works that are shaping contemporary art today. Showcasing artworks that offer political and poetic commentary on many of today’s major global issues, Being and Belonging also features powerful and intimate interviews with 25 women artists from the Islamic world and beyond. Born and living in many different countries, the artists claim space and place as equal commentators on the world we live in today. Whether addressing domestic spaces, political displacement, war, discrimination, or gender and sexuality, these artists invite us to move away from easy and schematic representations of the world. The featured artists include Sama Alshaibi, Shahzia Sikander, Dilyara Kaipova, Lubaina Himid, Manal AlDowayan, Shirin Neshat, Mona Hatoum, and Tayeba Begum Lipi, and the works included in the book range from paintings, drawings, photography, and ceramics to mosaics, textiles, graffiti, animation, and video installations.  Distributed for the Royal Ontario Museum   Exhibition schedule   Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (July 1–November 19, 2023)