Beyond the Tiraz: ninth to 13th centuries domestic textile production in al-Andalus

Abstract

This ar􀆟 cle explores domestic textile production in al-Andalus between the ninth and 13th centuries, with a focus on spinning tools and their archaeological contexts. While previous scholarship has prioritised elite textiles and state-sponsored workshops (ṭirāz (s.), ṭurūz (pl.)), this study highlights the material remains of non-elite, household-scale production. Drawing on data from over seventy sites, it documents technical changes in spinning tools – including ceramic and bone spindle whorls and metal spindle tips – and argues for a process of increasing standardisation and specialisation. These developments reflect broader economic transformations linked to the internal market, fiscal policy, and labour organisation under the Islamic state. By analysing these everyday artefacts, the study reconstructs patterns of production, exchange, and social reproduction, demonstrating the centrality of textiles to Andalusi material life. Textile production emerges as an important sector for approaching economic dynamics and social structures in the medieval western Islamic world.