‘Allah’ Is Found on Viking Funeral Clothes<br />She had been trying to recreate textile patterns for the exhibits — by comparing motifs on the burial dress with a silk band<br />found around the head of a skeleton in a Viking grave at Birka, Sweden — when she discovered Kufic characters of Arabic.<br />Larsson said that The Quran says that silk is worn in paradise, which together with the inscriptions<br />on the ribbons can explain the widespread presence of silk in Viking graves,<br />Viking chronicled that Viking burial customs were very likely influenced by Islam and the idea of an eternal life in paradise.<br />But Dr. Larsson said that the silk and other artifacts found in the Viking graves suggested<br />not just trade or plundering — but a deeper cultural exchange and shared ideas.<br />Larsson said that She has been following me for years,<br />Dr. Larsson discovered the Arabic characters in February, as she was preparing<br />some of the items for an exhibition on Viking couture in Enkoping, Sweden.
