On the strips of cloth found in the 10th century Viking burials, invocations to Allah and mentions of Muslim saints are seen.
Experts from the University of Uppsala in Sweden found these inscriptions on elements of burial costumes exhibited at the Enköping Museum. Earlier it was believed that the embroidered text was dedicated to characters from Scandinavian mythology, reports the Daily Mail.
The Kufic script was found in two burials in the Scandinavian cities of the early Middle Ages - Birke and Uppsala. In addition to the appeal to Allah, there is an inscription on the pieces of cloth with a mention of Ali - a cousin, son-in-law and companion of the Prophet Muhammad. Ali is regarded by the Sunnis as the last of the four righteous caliphs, and the Shiites venerate him as the first imam and as a saint with a special bond of closeness associated with Muhammad.
An interesting detail - the word "Allah" is depicted in a mirror image. Presumably, the authors tried to write prayers for reading from left to right, reports the Independent.
Annika Larsson, a textile archeology researcher in the Department of Archeology and Ancient History at Uppsala University, calls it "mind-boggling" that the clothing and inscriptions were made west of the Muslim world. In her opinion, this suggests that the ancient Scandinavians were influenced by the ideas of Islam about eternal life in paradise after death.
“The Qur'an says that the inhabitants of paradise will wear silk clothing, which, together with the inscriptions, may explain the widespread appearance of silk in the Viking graves. This material is equally common in both male and female graves,”says the scientist.
It is believed that the fabric was made in ancient Persia and Central Asia.
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