The Jewish house in the lands of Islam during the high middle ages (10 th -13 th centuries) was void of any heavy wooden furniture of the kind known in Christian Europe. It was textiles of all kinds, measures and forms which furnished the house. Curtains, rugs, mats, cushions, and mattresses substituted for chairs, tables and beds. This was part of the bon ton in furnishing Jewish, as well as the Muslim and Christian homes. Spaciousness was the desirable look of a home and it was achieved by this roominess. The Fatimid textiles were known for their high quality and unique artistic design. Many of them are mentioned in wedding lists from the Cairo Geniza as part of the bride`s trousseau, which will furnish her future home.

In the picture is a typical piece of Fatimid textile kept at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. It is linen, embroidered with colored silk. It depicts two bands of birds set into arches. Note the vivid colors of the birds that vary between red, blue, and yellow. A varied spectrum of colors is similarly used to describe the variegated textiles mentioned in trousseaux lists from the Cairo Geniza.