This hanging made of different coloured velvet sections is decorated with gold-thread embroidery or couching. This is a technique where thread is laid down on the surface of the cloth and fastened with small stitches at regular intervals. It features the mystical Buraq, which is believed by Muslims to have taken the Prophet Muhammad on his night flight to the seven layers of heaven. The event is known as 'Israk Mi'raj' and is commemorated in many parts of the Islamic world.This hanging would have been hung around the 'pelaminan' (bed or throne) at weddings or circumcision ceremonies in Acehnese and Malay communities of coastal Sumatra.
