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damask

(Encyclopedia)damask dămˈəsk [key] [from Damascus], fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by the weaving; e.g., the ground may be in twill weave, and the contrasting des...

Sialkot

(Encyclopedia)Sialkot syälˈkōt [key], city (1998 pop. 417,597), near the Indian border, Pakistan. It is a rail junction and a major trade and processing center. Manufactures include sporting goods, processed foo...

Prato

(Encyclopedia)Prato ēn tōskäˈnä [key], city (1991 pop. 165,707), Tuscany, central Italy. It is a major textile-making center, known for its wool industry since the 13th cent. Weaving machinery, leather goods, ...

Nuristan

(Encyclopedia)Nuristan no͝orĭstănˈ [key] [Persian,=land of light or the enlightened], region on the southern slopes of the Hindu Kush, NE Afghanistan, bordered on the E by Pakistan. Formerly called Kafiristan [...

brocade

(Encyclopedia)brocade brōkādˈ [key], fabric, originally silk, generally reputed to have been developed to a high state of perfection in the 16th and 17th cent. in France, Italy, and Spain. In China the weaving o...

carpet

(Encyclopedia)carpet or rug, thick fabric, usually woolen (but often synthetic), commonly used today as a floor covering. In North America the Navajos and other tribes have for generations produced substantial ru...

Görlitz

(Encyclopedia)Görlitz görˈlĭts [key], city, Saxony, E Germany, on the Görlitzer Neisse River, at the P...

raffia

(Encyclopedia)raffia rāˈfēə [key], fiber obtained from the raffia palm of Madagascar, exported for various uses, such as tying up plants that require support, binding together vegetables to be marketed, and wea...

Yazd

(Encyclopedia)Yazd yäzd [key], city (1991 pop. 275,298), capital of Yazd prov., central Iran, in a desert region. The city is known for its elaborate silk products and remains a center for silk weaving. Grain, fru...

Penelope

(Encyclopedia)Penelope pənĕlˈəpē [key], in Greek mythology, wife of Odysseus and the mother of Telemachus. In Homer's Odyssey she is pictured as a chaste and faithful wife. When Odysseus was away, she was surr...