Coptic textiles in Tehran: dye and fibre characterisation in four Coptic textiles preserved at the Moghadam Museum

Fibres and dyes in four Coptic textiles preserved at the Moghadam Museum in Tehran, Iran, were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector (HPLC–DAD) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS). The results showed that natural plant dyes including madder, indigo/woad and tannins were used to dye wool and linen fibres with different size and quality. Furthermore, the beige colour was identified to have been achieved by plants from a Rhamnus specie (Persian berries) rarely reported from Coptic textiles. Mixtures of the dyes were also identified in the textiles consistent with what we know from Coptic textiles. Both stylistic and technical studies suggest that these textiles have been woven some time between the fourth and the seventh century AD.