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This fragment is part of the "CulturalxCollabs - Weaving the Future" carpet.
Through the fragment we trace the journey of the fragment owners and their collabs as they explore, experiment and creatively advance socially relevant themes. Here is the fragment as we are sending it on this three and a half-year journey.
Follow this story to observe the transformations the fragment undergoes over the course of these years...
The journey begins...
...with Abdurrahman Kulac
Today I arrived in a green and sunny district of Berlin. My new owner immediately took me to his garden, to the fresh air, back to nature. That's where I come from too. After days in a dark and cramped wooden box, I really needed it. Many let their carpets gather dust indoors. But we also need contact with a fresh breeze. I am looking forward to my time with my new host. I was cut. Cut into a hundred pieces. It was tedious.
Now I embark on a journey. Let's see where it takes me.
My first trip: Syrian Heritage Archive Project
Today, I am going to the museum. A very special event is taking place: the 10th anniversary of an extraordinary project: The Syrian Heritage Archive Project. An online archive to preserve the architectural treasures of Damascus and Aleppo. Much has been destroyed in the Syrian war. Contrary to the many sad stories from the war, this project brings hope for a time after the war, when everything will be rebuilt. Inspiring artists and many moving moments.
Thanks to everyone who, in difficult times, upholds and honors art alongside humanity. Do you notice how faces light up when people touch or see me? That's called (dragon) magic.
Vienna
A weekend trip to Vienna is coming up. I am excited to see what awaits me.
The imperial coronation mantle with Arabic inscriptions
This mantle has a long and interesting history.
It is adorned with Arabic inscriptions and was made for King Roger II in Sicily. It came to Germany through the Hohenstaufen dynasty. European emperors were only allowed to wear it on their coronation day from the 13th century onwards. It was that precious.
Would a European prince still wear a mantle with Arabic inscriptions at his coronation today? Very unlikely.
What does the information panel in the museum tell us?
"...the originally ancient oriental motifs are borrowed from Arabic art: two symmetrically arranged lions triumphing over a camel; between them stands a stylized palm tree in the manner of a Tree of Life. The lions symbolize the ruler who defeats his enemies. Due to the incredible preciousness of the mantle, the 'foreign' motifs were overlooked, and it has been used as the coronation mantle of the kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire since the 13th century. By the 14th century, it was already seen as the mantle of Charlemagne, which the sainted emperor and restorer of the Roman Empire would have won in battle against the Moors."
And the translation of the Kufi inscription reads as follows: "(This is) from what was made in the royal chamber (court workshop), (which) flourished with fortune and honor, with zeal and perfection, with power and merit, with (His) consent and (His) well-being, with generosity and grandeur, with glory and beauty, and the fulfillment of wishes and hopes, with happy days and nights without cease and without change, with honor and care, with preservation and protection, with success and safety, with triumph and proficiency. In the (capital) city of Sicily in the year 528."
...and the journey through Vienna continues
A Babylonian lion at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) in Vienna.
Does the lion look familiar to you?
Babylon, Ishtar Gate, Pergamon Museum?
Got it?
It doesn't scare me. We have many of them in Berlin.
Please don't slide down on me!
The grand staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. I wonder if I would fit inside the museum too?
The Armory in Dresden
After the European Turkish threat was overcome following the Second Siege of Vienna in 1689, a phase of intense cultural exchange with the Ottomans began. In Europe, there was a trend of dressing in Turkish style, which was highly fashionable at the time. At major events, Ottoman tents, like the magnificent three-mast tent in Dresden, were erected. This was probably because the Saxon royal court wanted to demonstrate to the imperial Habsburgs in Vienna that they did not necessarily want to orient themselves aesthetically towards them.
Berlin has become my home!
Where do I belong? In my new home. Berlin with all its beautiful aspects and landmarks.
On Museum Island with the Cathedral and the TV Tower.
My friends - the books about Islamic art
Those who want to understand Islamic art will have to read. Some of my companions in the last few months. How fortunate that someone came up with the idea of the book. How else could my unique story have been preserved over centuries? And is there a more valuable gift than a book?
Guest at Buddha in the Humboldt Forum
In the Humboldt Forum, there is a replica of the portal at the Great Buddha's tomb. Those who haven't seen the Asian exhibition there yet will miss out on something. Many paths that I and other art enthusiasts have traveled on the Silk Road can be traced here. What would Europe and Asia be without this connecting bridge of culture?
The dragon in Rumi
Rumi, who found his new home in the Anatolian city of Konya, composed this masterpiece of the Persian language nearly 700 years ago. The Mathnawi. The dragon recurs in his works. It symbolizes the ego, our inner demons to be tamed, our instinctual soul, or the Nafs, as it's called in Arabic. Rumi speaks of us carrying this dragon within us always. Either we get to know it better by learning to tame it and making it a compliant companion, or it will consume us until we burn inwardly. Joy and sorrow, encapsulated in the dragon.
The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim at the Berlin Philharmonie
An artistic idea and gesture of peace. The great maestro Daniel Barenboim once reached out his hand, and Edward Said accepted it. Together, they founded the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin. A place where young artists, regardless of their origins and cultures, could create a peaceful language of music and culture beyond international conflicts. At today's 25th-anniversary celebration, the President of Germany is also a guest. A magnificent concert with a wonderful idea behind it.
Front and back
About the project
The Museum for Islamic Art's project, #CulturalxCollabs - Weaving the future, celebrates the transformative power of cultural exchange and the shared threads that unite us all. All the things we love, have loved and will ever love come from cultural exchange, migration and diversity, or as we like to call it #CulturalxCollabs.
100 carpet fragments, cut from a replica of the iconic dragon carpet, will travel the world (delivered by DHL). The fragments will ignite #CulturalxCollabs with co-creators, inspiring human ingenuity, fostering community and ultimately demonstrating how cultural exchange enriches all our lives.
Follow #CulturalxCollabs on Instagram as the project unfolds...
...or learn more here
Weaving the Future
Join us on a journey with 100 carpet fragments as they travel around the world for three and a half years, finding temporary homes while bridging cultural boundaries, fostering worldwide community united by the power of human stories.
Fragment Journeys
100 carpet fragments part of the "CulturalxCollabs - Weaving the Future" project. Follow their journeys through the ever changing owners' over three and a half years.
Where is the Dragon?
The star of the "CulturalxCollabs - Weaving the Future" project is a so-called Caucasian dragon carpet from the 17th century. A dragon carpet - all well and good - but: where is the dragon?
