Maurice Lombard, in his work about the textile industry in the Islamic world, declared that the importanke of the textile se industry in slslamic world, the nities was so central that they might be described as 'textile societies". Some years later, Vincent Lagardère demonstrated that silk production was one of the features setting al-Andalus apart from the medieval West. The central role played by textile production in al-Andalus is, therefore, beyond doubt, and is reg- ularly mentioned, in generic terms, in all general histeries of al-Andalus.