Textile production in the medieval Islamic worldrelied on a complex interplay of counting andmeasuring, which shaped not only the manufactureof cloth but also its regulation in trade. In what follows,I propose to examine how textiles, beyond conventionaldimensions such as length, width, and weight, wereassessed through such metrics as the size of the patternrepeat, fabric bolt dimensions, and even productiontime—itself measured, perhaps, by the audible rhythmof looms. Drawing on a variety of medieval textual sources, alongside material evidence, this essays highlights howartisans and merchants navigated diverse measurementsystems. While weaving was fundamentally a process ofcounting—determining the number of warp threads andtheir precise movement—measurement became relevantonly once the fabric was completed and entered thecommercial sphere. Considering a diverse range of textilemeasurements offers new insights into the knowledge oftextile workers, the technological capabilities of theirlooms, and the organization of medieval Islamic textileproduction.
Corinne Mühlemann (Sat,) studied this question.