Different regions, even different towns within the same region, specialized in distinctive textile products. Yemen was well known for a fabric with characteristic irregular stripes, known as ikat, which weavers in Egypt learned to imitate during the Fatimid period. This ikat textile, attributed to Egypt, bears bands of ornamental inscription flanking a central row of star‑shaped cartouches enclosing palmettes which alternate with ovoid cartouches containing griffins, all tapestry‑woven into the Yemeni‑style matrix.
