Indo-Egyptian cotton industry
The Indo-Egyptian cotton industry dates back to the 10th century. The seafaring in the Indian Ocean put economic ties and social networks forth by the Western Fustat ( in Arabic الفسطاط, DMG al-Fusṭāṭ 'the tent'; today Old Cairo ) reached via China to Java in the east. The movement of goods expanded, however, as Indian and Egyptian goods were transported and unloaded along the Red Sea as far as East Africa .
history
It is known from historical sources that the Indo-Egyptian trade aimed in particular at the handling of textiles . These businesses were primarily important for the Islamic , Indian and Southeast Asian markets. The textile trade was divided among traders with the most diverse religious beliefs and ethnic origins. However, merchants from the Indian Gujarat ( Gandhinagar ) achieved special importance , because they had the most stable networks. The population of Gaujarati was made up of different countries of origin. On the one hand there were Hindus , on the other hand there were Jains . Both groups set the tone in trade. Zoroastrian Parsees and many Muslims mingled in it . The latter were also of different origins. Long before the Islamization of the Gujaratis, Muslims were already engaged in brisk trade in the region. At the beginning of the 16th century, Malacca was still a colony of 1,000 Gujarat Muslims.
From the 16th century onwards, Europeans took part in trading in the Indian Ocean. At this point in time a highly developed economic empire already existed. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Portuguese ruled the Strait of Hormuz . The region's population was 27% Hindus, 10% Portuguese, and 40% Muslim. Indian textiles represented, as it were, a “ currency ” for the entire trading area. The decisive factor here were new manufacturing possibilities for real dyes ; but also developments for the innovative use of patterns and colors for the end products. Refinements led to an aestheticization of the colors and technical innovations brought success for the luxurious processing of silk fabrics and cotton textiles .
Famous Indian cotton fabrics were already known in ancient times . These dominated the world market until the onset of the industrial revolution in Europe . Archaeological finds from the Indus culture show that knowledge of pickling techniques dates back to the 2nd millennium BC. Go back. Also the cave paintings of Ajanta from the 5th / 6th centuries. The 20th century convey an early picture of patterns on clothing in northwestern India.
Indian textiles in Egypt
Indian textiles can be traced back to the 17th century. Mogul clothing or chintze outfits were exported to Europe. Today they are preserved in various overseas and Indian collections, where preserved. The most famous specimens come from Gujarat. They were traded to Egypt. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Cairo art markets presented them as Fusṭā Fragment fragments, because they were only partially preserved and their origins were linked to old Cairo. The largest collection is in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford , England . A special feature of these old textile fragments is that their wear and tear can be traced back to everyday use; it was not a luxury item. The colors can be grouped: There were “ indigo-blue basic colors ( indigofera tictoria )”. There were also various "shades of red on a white background" treated with noni or madder ( Morinda citrifolia and Rubia tinctorum ) and ultimately a combination of both color groups. Despite Indian roots, the manufacture of cotton goods in India cannot be deduced beyond any doubt.
Chronology of the Fusṭāṭ textiles
The Fusṭāṭ textiles were mainly manufactured using the stamp printing process. Similar to the batik process , color-free areas were created using wax coverings or paste ( bandhani ). The time of the Fusṭā lassen fragments is difficult to determine. Earlier research relied on dating methods that simply parallelized fabric samples with concurrent architectural decorations . Such insights, which were not specifically iconographic - and therefore motif interpretable - related to dating, were later increasingly rejected. Scientific knowledge has revealed that motifs can be permanently recurring within one medium, but have long since been superseded in another medium. Fusṭāṭ as an archaeological source is therefore problematic.
In search of more reliable dates, excavations began in al-Qusair ( Arabic القصير, DMG al-Quṣair 'little castle'). The search was carried out in an old port on the Red Sea. This port was used intensively in Roman times and in the 12th and 13th centuries and became important for trade relations between the Mamluks and Yemenis . 69 cotton fragments were found among the finds. All were obviously of Indian origin, because they were mostly colored with stamps in the reserve process ( patola ).
Further excavations were carried out in 1980, this time in the so-called Fusṭāṭ-C area. The textiles found could hardly be of Indian origin, but had to come from the Middle East and / or the Mediterranean , possibly from Egypt itself. Technical details provided information for this finding. Egyptian cotton was not produced in the exclusive " Z-twist " ( spinning method ), as is common in India, but also in "S-twist". Furthermore, flax fibers were found that were not used in India, which indicates that Indian cotton bales were processed in Egypt, because flax fibers were found in the hems and seams of the fragments.
Individual evidence
- ^ The Spinning World: A Global History of Cotton Textiles, 1200-1850, pp. 17 ff.
- ↑ On the early consumption of Indian cttans in Egypt, see Ruth Barnes, Indian Blocks - Printed Textiles in Egypt: The Newberry Egypt in the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford)
- ↑ The Gardens of Islam, p. 201 (see lit.)
- ↑ Marco Polo reported about 1294 about the traffic from Gujarat to Egypt: “Aden is the port that all ships from India call at with their merchandise ... In the port they load their goods onto other small ships that travel along a river for seven days sailing [meaning the Red Sea ]. Then they unload the goods and pack them on camels and transport them for about 30 days; after that they reach the river of Alexandria. On this river [meaning the Nile ] they can easily be brought to Alexandria "
- ↑ Around 1515 observed Tomé Pires in the port of Malacca that large quantities of textiles were herbeigeschifft from India: "Every year the ships twenty come from Gujarat on India's west coast, loaded with a value of fifteen and thirty thousand [cruzados], and of Cambay ran a ship in port valued from seventy to eighty thousand cruzados, full of thirty different kinds of cloths ”
- ↑ Tomé Pires wrote: "These people are [like] Italians in their knowledge of trade in goods ... Undoubtedly, [they] have the best connections ... Everywhere Gujaratis have settled"
- ^ Richard W. Bulliet, Pamela Kyle Crossley, Daniel R. Headrick, Lyman L. The Earth and Its People (p. 418 ff.)
literature
- Hermann Forkl, Johannes Kalter, Thomas Leisten, Margareta Pavaloi (eds.): The gardens of Islam. edition hansjörg mayer, Stuttgart, London in collaboration with the Lindenmuseum Stuttgart, 1993
- KD Vasava: Distribution pattern of cotton textiles in Gujarat. Sardar Patel University, 1980 - 295 pages