Indonesia has hundreds of textile traditions, from the court batik of Java to the ikat of Sumba. Here are fifteen of the best known, where they come from and what makes each one distinct.
Each illustration is drawn by Atlasana from the traditional designs. Real pieces vary from maker to maker, and every region has far more styles than we can show here.
Two of the oldest Javanese motifs. Parang's diagonal, blade-like waves were once restricted to the royal courts, and kawung's four ovals are said to come from the fruit of the aren palm. Court batik keeps to soga brown, indigo and white.
Small star-like flowers scattered across a dark ground. Tradition holds it was created by a queen of the Surakarta court, and it is worn by the parents of the bride and groom at Javanese weddings.
Layered clouds shaded from dark to light blue. A coastal motif that shows Chinese influence, and one of the most recognizable batiks in Indonesia.
Pekalongan's coastal batik is known for bright colors and floral bouquets, a style shaped by the Dutch, Chinese and Arab communities of the port city.
Batik from a historic Chinese-Javanese town, famous for a deep red often called getih pitik, chicken-blood red, and for motifs that blend Chinese and Javanese design.
Bold, high-contrast batik in strong reds, browns and blues, made in coastal villages on the island of Madura.
Banyuwangi's signature motif: a curling form often read as an elephant's trunk or a sea creature, set among flowers and leaves.
A hand-woven cloth central to Batak life, given at births, weddings and funerals. Usually red, black and white, with fine woven patterns.
Silk or cotton woven with gold or silver supplementary threads, once worn by the royalty of the Palembang sultanate and still worn at weddings and ceremonies.
A woven sarong decorated with embroidery in gold thread, worn by Lampung women on ceremonial occasions.
A Banjarese tie-dye. The cloth is stitched and pulled tight before dyeing, which leaves soft, wavy lines of color.
Bugis silk sarongs woven in Wajo, known for bright checks and a soft sheen. Sengkang is often called the silk city of Sulawesi.
Endek is a Balinese weft ikat worn every day and at temple ceremonies. In the village of Tenganan, weavers make gringsing, a rare double ikat in which both warp and weft are dyed before weaving.
Large warp-ikat cloths, traditionally worn by men, with bold rows of horses, birds and other figures in indigo and rust.
A newer batik tradition built on Papuan motifs such as the cenderawasih, the bird of paradise, and the tifa drum.
Rugs of Türkiye, Iran, the Caucasus and Central Asia
Silk Hereke, Persian city rugs from Tabriz to Kerman, bold Kazak medallions, Turkmen guls, suzani and Uzbek silk ikat.
Explore 16 rugs and weavings
Silks and weaves of South Asia
Banarasi brocade, Kanchipuram and Mysore silk, Patola double ikat, golden Muga from Assam, Kashmir pashmina and Dhaka Jamdani.
Explore 15 silks and weaves
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