Just when you thought the city had come to a heat-shocked standstill, the good folks over at Emirates Palace this morning announced the continuation of their highly successful exhibition, A Story of Islamic Embroidery in Nomadic and Urban Traditions. Produced in conjunction with TDIC, the beautiful exhibit – featuring 200 rare textile pieces from nomadic life over the past 300 years – will remain at the hotel’s Gallery One until September 25, having originally opened in April.
Nicely laid out, the exhibition leads you through 10 rooms dedicated to textiles and stitchings from the nomadic tribes of the Silk Road – far more wild and wonderful than you might imagine. Of note are the babies’ bibs in the first room; triangle displays of splendour cut to ward off evil. On our visit, our eyes were also caught by the camel covering on the opposite wall, finished with hair clippings from the family’s eldest son, bleached in the desert sun. The human touch is present throughout – in the penultimate room you’ll find vast pashminas, many stained with the sweat of their former owners. A beautifully presented exhibition, but the hardship that inspired it is unavoidable.
The exhibition is free of charge, open 10am-10pm, daily; ladies only Tuesdays, 10am-4pm
