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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 continues...
...with Diana Li
NEW YORK
When Maryam Omar first shared #CulturalxCollabs with me, it immediately hit home. Its mission — to celebrate the shared threads that unite us all — has long been my own north star.
There is a particular moment in travel that moves me most: when the world seems to still for a second and I am transported — across time, across distance — by something unexpectedly familiar.
One bite of a Georgian khinkali and I am a little girl again, holding my father’s Shanghainese xiaolongbao. One sip of Colombian aguardiente and I am suddenly in Istanbul, remembering a night of endless arak. A needlepoint lesson in a Mongolian family’s ger recalls the hooked aari embroidery of karigars on a rooftop in Rawalpindi. My fingers trace the coarse fibers of Bhutanese nettle and remember the impossible softness of Peruvian vicuña.
Across continents, cultures echo one another.
These are the moments I have dedicated my life to finding. A career in travel gave me the world as my classroom; studying cultural anthropology gave me a language for understanding what I was seeing. But it was these moments themselves — more than the monuments or the views — that taught me the most.
Moments of recognition. Of seeing ourselves in one another. Of remembering what we share.
They dissolve the borders between here and there, between then and now. They reveal an invisible thread, pulled taut across every distance.
Fragment #73 found me at perhaps the greatest inflection point of my life. I was emerging from the unexpected loss of my father and stepping into an entirely new chapter: leaving a career of more than a decade to pursue a dream I had carried quietly for years.
That dream is Akin, a heritage craft atelier built around a simple belief: an invisible thread connects us all. Akin makes it visible.
We bring together master artisans from different parts of the world whose traditions share a kindred craft language. Through creative dialogue, we co-create a single collectible artwork. Each artisan makes one half independently, in their own tradition; the two halves then interlock to become one.
Alone, each half tells a story. Interlocked, they tell a truth.
These objects speak to parallel creation, living tradition and craft as a universal language. We celebrate unity — what connects us — while protecting cultural diversity — what makes each tradition distinct. To hold an Akin artwork is to hold two worlds at once: heirlooms of tomorrow, made by the kindred artisans of today.
Our first cultural collaborations are taking shape across four craft traditions:
Marquetry: Lebanon × Japan
Mother-of-Pearl Inlay: Korea × Jordan
Backstrap-Loom Weaving: Guatemala × Bhutan
Resist-Dyeing: India × Japan
And so it feels fitting that Fragment #73 has been living in my Brooklyn apartment among the objects I have collected over the past twenty years — objects I can now see as seeds of Akin long before I knew what Akin would become. (Contact me at diana@akin.global if you’d like to learn more about our designs when we’re closer to launch!)
A Korean antique najeonchilgi lacquer box. A Sámi duodji guksi inlaid with reindeer bone. An chessboard from Rajasthan. A damascene box made by Turquoise Mountain in Jordan. A yosegi-zaiku puzzle box from Hakone. An antique Chinese card case found in Stockholm. An antique drum by Maison Tarazi in Lebanon. An Egyptian marquetry box discovered at a flea market in Helsinki. A cherry wood secret box made in America. And on and on.
These are the common threads that unite us.
VENICE
This September, Fragment #73 traveled with me to Venice for another chapter of its story.
I had the privilege of joining the inaugural Homo Faber Summit, a gathering of 150 makers and cultural leaders from 28 countries to imagine viable models of creation, production and exchange that place human skill at the heart of a flourishing future.
What stayed with me most was a reminder that craft has never been only about the object. It is the community around it: ancient wells of knowledge passed from hand to hand, generation to generation. It is process and savoir-faire. It is a rejection of the idea that everything must be optimized for scale and efficiency. And it is identity — each object rooted in a territory, a lineage, a reason for being.
From September 16–18, Fragment #73 joined these conversations in Venice, surrounded by 700+ contemporary craft objects by 500+ artisans at Homo Faber 2026: An Island of Light.
Together, we can weave the future we want to protect, rich with cultural diversity.
...and on we go...
...with Maryam Omar
I received the carpet in New York City and immediately felt part of something extraordinary — a project, and a community of people, I deeply want to remain connected with. I feel excited and full of ideas.
But first I introduced myself to the Fragment #73. Hello. My name is Maryam Omar and I design carpets. Welcome to my home.
Nowruz was celebrated in Manhattan, and Fragment #73 had to attend. It is important to keep our good traditions alive.
Keeping with the title Weaving the Future, I collaborated with a group of young carpet designers and graphers from Kabul and Bamiyan to design and graph new carpets inspired by Fragment #73. This project sparked new ideas and rich discussions during our online sessions around dragon carpets, the use of mythical creatures in regional carpet designs — especially those woven in Afghanistan. We explored colour palettes and the different dragon motifs found in Persian and Turkmen carpet styles.
These carpets are designed and graphed by Abdul Momen, Belqis, Hadya, Homa, Masihullah, Milad, Mudaser, Nazanin, Sabria, Ahmad Zubair and Zinat.
I thought it was appropriate to bring Fragment #73 with me to experience the new art installation, The Light That Shines Through the Universe, inspired by Salsal (the Buddha of Bamiyan), by Vietnamese-American artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen.
I felt they might recognise something in one another. Both are ancient and carry immense histories. Both were damaged by bombs. Yet despite this, both have continued to inspire artists and will go on inspiring again and again.
Keeping with the subject of Bamiyan, I would like to mention The Weaving Poems Collection. This exhibition started from Deign Doha, traveled to Sotheby’s London and now rests at home in Bamiyan Cultural Centre. This collection of 24 wool and silk handmade carpets inspired by The Bamiyan carpet weavers’ stories, poems and surrounding landscapes.
The journey begins...
...with Thalia Kennedy
Patterns of Faith: Living Traditions in Islamic Art – An exhibition of crafts masterpieces from across the Islamic world
This CulturalxCollabs story is about an exhibition, shown at Sotheby’s London in 2025, that displayed a series of Islamic art objects and architectural elements developed in partnership between artisan communities, the UK charity Turquoise Mountain, and the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
The exhibition was titled “Patterns of Faith: Living Traditions in Islamic Art”. Created by leading Afghan, Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian and Saudi Arabian master artisans working with Turquoise Mountain, each object displayed stands as testament to vibrant practice, design and innovation inspired by diverse heritage traditions and brought together by faith.
The exhibition showed a broad range of techniques and design traditions, from painted and inlaid woodwork, glass blowing and tile-making, to hand-woven carpets and calligraphy. Objects displayed included a fine marquetry minbar, Qur’an stands and Qur’anic manuscripts, stone ablution bowls, mosque carpets and floor tiles, a painted ‘ajami ceiling, glass mosque lamps, carved doors, decorative arcading and a fine fretwork panel.
Originally made for Ithra’s permanent collection, Patterns of Faith: Living Traditions in Islamic Art brought these objects to wider audiences in the United Kingdom.
Listen to master artisan Abdelrahman speaking about the making of the minbar.
A master artisan of Syrian wood mosaics, Abdelrahman left Syria due to the war and resettled in Jordan, where he built a business around the traditional Syrian craft he’s perfected since the age of 13.
A minbar is a sacred raised platform in a mosque where the imam delivers sermons, often adorned with intricate carvings and a staircase. This spectacular mosaic minbar is the first of its kind, crafted by Abdelrahman for the 2022 Ithra exhibition in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Creating this minbar was both a personal and spiritual journey for him. The piece also represents one of his most complex works to date, a testament to the patience and dedication required for this craft. Listen to his story....
Read reflections from the master artisans on their crafts practice and the objects features in Patterns of Faith.
“For me, carpet weaving means preserving a piece of who I am through this art.”
Zahra, Carpet Weaver, Afghanistan
“Carpet weaving represents our culture, art, and skills as Afghan women. We want our country to be known for our work, not war.”
Shukuria, Carpet Weaver, Afghanistan
“Carpet weaving makes us feel valued, and when you feel valued, it encourages you to work better and brings positive energy.”
Farida, Carpet Weaver, Afghanistan
“I am inspired by the material of stone, by working by hand, and looking back to historic artefacts found in Makkah Sharif and Madinah – and along the pilgrimage routes between - as an inspiration.”
Helwa Al-Atawi, Stone Carver, Saudi Arabia
“There’s a relationship of love between this craft and the people who practise it. If we want to pass this craft on to the next generation, the first thing we must do is encourage them to love it.”
Moataz Hammoush, Woodworker, Syrian living in Jordan
“We only use the best materials, because in the end, the piece is taking part of your body and your soul. It speaks to you. That’s why we give a piece the best, so that we can see the best possible.”
Moataz Hammoush, Woodworker, Syrian living in Jordan
“I have dedicated myself wholeheartedly to this craft, but I also believe that my patience and calmness—gifts from God—have played a crucial role in excelling at this art. The more patience one has, the greater their creativity and precision, which brings out the true beauty of the craft.”
Abdul Rahman Sha’aban, Woodworker, Syrian living in Jordan
“Knowing that so many people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, have seen and admired this minbar fills me with immense pride and joy. I believe it has been appreciated by people of all faiths, offering them insight into the beauty of this craft.”
Abdul Rahman Sha’aban, Woodworker, Syrian living in Jordan
“In any work, if there’s no passion, there’ll be neither skill nor craft. We have an expression that says our craft is a sea – there’s always more to learn. If you give it your soul, if you work with it, and show interest in it, it will look after you. Wood has a soul, after all.”
Abu Nidal, Woodcarver, Syrian living in Jordan
“When I came to Murad Khani, I visited some of the old houses […] When I saw this house and the things inside, I realised what a history – what a civilisation – Afghanistan had. How strong it was artistically. I realised that we really had something in the past that we must continue and develop.”
Naseer Yasna Mansouri, Woodcarver, Afghanistan
“These techniques are deeply rooted in Afghanistan’s history and are a longstanding traditional art form. They must continue and I am proud to be a part of the keeping the craft alive.”
Mansour Armaghan, Woodcarver, Afghanistan
“I lose myself in my craft — in its formations and reformations. For me, glass-blowing is a spiritual process and sharing it with future generations is vital to its very existence.”
Mohammad Twam, Glass-blower, Palestine
“Tile-making is part of our heritage. Preserving it is our duty — mine, my family’s, and our community’s. Nabulsi tiles tell the story of Palestinian aesthetics.”
Anan Aslan, Tile-maker, Palestine
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.
Creating a carpet
A 17th-century Caucasian carpet, burned by an incendiary bomb during the Second World War, serves as the model for a replica, woven in 2022 by a family in Rajasthan, India. Over 2.3 million knots later, it is being sent out into the world in 100 fragments. This is the story of how it came to be.
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?
