The Textile Research Centre proudly presents its first exhibition in the new TRC home along the Boerhaavelaan in Leiden: Khayamiya: Egyptian appliqués from the Street of Tentmakers.

Khayamiya is a textile that is omnipresent in Egypt. The word itself is derived from the Arabic word for tent, namely khayma. Originally, this appliqué technique was mostly used for making hand-sewn tents. Nowadays, khayamiya can also be created using other techniques, such as machine-sewing or (digital) printing. In addition to, for example, tents in (religious) contexts such as weddings and funerals, khayamiya can be used in various shapes and variations. Especially before and during Ramadan, khayamiya tents and decorations are ubiquitous in Egyptian streets.

Khayamiya is an understudied subject, often simply framed as a traditional Egyptian textile form. What is generally left out is the lived experience. How are the khayamiya panels made, how do people appreciate them, how are they used? Moreover, khayamiya textiles are embedded in Islamic culture and often used as an atmosphere maker that creates an Islamic setting, although they can also be used by other (non-) religious groups.

This exhibition is co-curated by Christina de Korte. Her interdisciplinary approach used in her research touches upon three themes, namely material culture and Islam, popular culture and piety, and living heritage. By following the routes of various types of khayamiya through Cairo’s streets—focused on the contemporary usages before and during Ramadan—and taking courses in the Street of the Tentmakers, Christina de Korte analysed in which ways khayamiya panels are part of the Islamic world.

Christina de Korte is a visual artist and textile researcher. She learned how to make khayamiya in the Street of the Tentmakers in Cairo whilst doing her research on the technique and the contemporary khayamiya usages before and during Ramadan. Christina recently graduated from the research master’s program in Religious Studies at Utrecht University and holds bachelor’s degrees in Fine Art from the HKU University of Arts Utrecht and Language and Culture Studies from Utrecht University.

Programme:

• 15.30: Doors open.
• 16.00: Welcoming words from Dr. Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood.
• 16.15: Christina de Korte, co-curator, elaborates on her experience learning khayamiya in Cairo.
• 16.40: Opening of the exhibition by H.E. Mr. Emad Magdy Hanna Kamel
• 17.00: Refreshments and an opportunity to see the exhibition.
• 18.00: End of the event.

This event takes place at the Boerhaavelaan 6.

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