The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 23, 2026

Rectangular silk belt divided into four quadrants, with tassels on either side, corresponding to the dominant colors of the quadrant they extend from. The left two quadrants feature red, orange, purple, green, and black stylized floral patterns, the upper quadrant over grass green and lower linen white. The right two quadrants feature patterns over orange, the upper blocks of a squared flower in red, and the lower purple circles with a spiked circle within.

Belt (Hizam)

1800s

Africa, North Africa, Morocco, Fes, Moroccan weaver

Silk, dye, metal
Overall: 396.8 x 38 cm (156 1/4 x 14 15/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1999.253
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Women sometimes added starch to stiffen these belts.

Description

Elaborate wedding sashes woven in Fez, Morocco, are distinctive for their multiple colors, designs, and uses. Folded lengthwise, they are wrapped around the waist so that the colors and designs coordinate with the attire worn during and after a wedding. Typically, the colors vary on each half although the designs are the same. Luxury textiles with elaborate patterns were woven on large looms called drawlooms that automatically repeated designs. The weaver operated the structure, inserting horizontal wefts, while the drawboy activated the programmed pattern. However, this wedding sash has ten programmed designs, which required considerable expertise.
  • Gebremedhen, Helina. “Arts of the Maghreb: North African Textiles and Jewelry – Curatorial Reflections.” Journal 18, Issue #19 (Spring 2025). www.journal18.org
    Paydar, Niloo Imami, and Ivo Grammet. The Fabric of Moroccan Life. Indianapolis, Ind: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2002. p. 110-117
    Alaoui, Rachida. Florilège de la broderie marocaine. [Milan]: Skira, 2011. p. 35-37
    Mackie, Louise W. Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century. Cleveland; New Haven: Cleveland Museum of Art; Yale University Press, 2015. Reproduced: P. 40-41, fig. 1.24; Mentioned: P. 40
    Windmuller-Luna, Kristen. "Textile stories from North Africa." HALI 224 (Summer 2025): 54-61. Mentioned: p. 58; Reproduced: p. 60-61, fig. 11
  • Arts of the Maghreb: North African Textiles and Jewelry. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 2024-October 12, 2025).
    Islamic art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 16, 2015-December 19, 2016).
  • {{cite web|title=Belt (Hizam)|url=false|author=|year=1800s|access-date=23 February 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1999.253