Silk in the Muslim Sartorial Code: The Making, Collaboration, and Separation of the Ulama and the Political Elites ca. 7th-10th Century

Abstract

Lavish silk textiles have drawn considerable attention of historians that have been dedicated to studying the Islamic sartorial code. How changes in the style of silk garments were able to illustrate political development in the Islamic empire, however, was a topic that academic scholars have rarely touched upon. This essay is dedicated to examining how the establishment and development of the Sunni Muslim silk sartorial code is as much the making of the Ulama as the making of the political elites.