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-{"0283d533-1980-536d-937a-06e5a3d00c92":{"name":"Corbel.","description":"The sides of this corbel are painted with a simplified floral decoration of blue and yellow foliate scrolls ending in tri-lobed or four-lobed palm-leaf motifs on a bright red background. The edges of the corbel are decorated with yellow dots within blue circles. These floral motifs are perfectly typical of the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire of the AH 3rd and 4th century (AD 9th and 10th century). The front projection of the corbel is carved in the shape of a grasshopper's head with curved grooves. Although the Orient has not left to us any other comparable wooden corbels, Ifriqiyan architecture does feature similar stone models as early as the AH 3rd century (AD 9th century), for example at the Mosque of the Three Doors. This corbel was part of the wooden roof of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan and served to support one of the ceiling beams. It is probably derived from an ancient design. However, one is struck by the consummate skill of the woodcarver's simple, rough-hewn, linear treatment of the surfaces, so appropriate for the decoration of a protruding architectural element.","short_description":"This corbel was part of the wooden ceiling of the prayer room of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, acting as a joist for the ceiling beams. Its floral motifs belonged to the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire from the AH 3rd–5th / AD 9th–11th centuries.","type":"Woodwork, corbel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira, end of 3rd–beginning of 5th century / AH 9th–11th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 62 cm, width 16 cm, thickness 10 cm.","method_for_datation":"The motifs decorating this corbel are found on some carved panels of the *minbar* and on the painted wooden semi-dome of the *mihrab* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which dates to the middle of the 3rd / 9th century. These motifs are also found in the Umayyad art in Syria. All these allow us to date this corbel to the end of the 3rd / 9th century, certainly to the renovation work ordered and commissioned by the Aghlabid prince Ibrahim II (261-289 / 875-902).","method_for_provenance":"The motifs decorating this corbel are found on some carved panels of the *minbar* and on the painted wooden semi-dome of the *mihrab* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, between 1962 and 1972, some beams, boards and joists were taken out and completely refurbished. This piece was placed along with thousands of other fragments in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. It was selected for display when the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was extended.","bibliography":"*De Carthage a Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1982, p.207.  \n*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue), 1986, p.262.  \n*Tunisie, du Christianisme a l'Islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, p.191.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.175–6.","dynasty":"Aghlabid–Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","floral decoration","furnishing","sculpture"],"materials":["Carved and decorated cedarwood."]},"037e2e8a-4c21-57dd-b0a6-532274d43a0d":{"name":"Baalbec : engineers removing the Kaiser's commemoration stone from the Temple of Apollo","description":"British Royal Engineers at work on an ancient stone temple. Three engineers stand on the ground at the foot of a tall ladder, which leads up to a stone platform where three other engineers are removing a more recent German commemorative stone. They have attached a pulley to the top of the platform in readiness to move the stone. The composition is framed by two enormous pillars that are part of the temple.","type":"Artwork","holder":"IWM","owner":"IWM","initial_owner":"IWM","dates":"c.1917 - 1918","location":"London","dimensions":"Height: 41,9 cm; width: 30,4 cm","place_of_production":"Lebanon","method_for_datation":"All details are held in the War Artists Archive at IWM.","method_for_provenance":"All details are held in the War Artists Archive at IWM.","provenance":"Department of Information commission transferred to the Ministry of Information and then to the Imperial War Museum.","obtention":"Artist commission for the UK government's Department of Information, subsequently transferred to the Imperial War Museum.","bibliography":"*Shadows and Light: The Extraordinary Life of James McBey*, Soussi A., Scotland Street Press, 2022.  \n*Visions of War: Art of the Imperial War Museums*, IWM, 2023.  \n*The War Artists*, Harries M. and Harries S., Michael Joseph, 1983.","dynasty":"1914-1918","artist_birthdate":"1883","artist_birthplace":"Aberdeenshire, Scotland","artist_deathdate":"1959","author":"Claire Brenard","keywords":["architecture","First World War","landscape","Military engineering","military personnel"],"materials":["Watercolour and ink on paper"]},"060dee0a-fee6-55fb-aada-947a4da800d1":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"A limestone capital with boldly cut foliage and volutes resting on twin columns. Pine cones, resembling bunches of grapes, are dispersed amongst symmetrically arranged stylised acanthus leaves. The leaves are punctuated with drilled holes. This design recalls some of the Abbasid capitals which were in turn inspired by Late Antique styles. However, instead of one pine cone and naturalistic leaf forms this capital has a proliferation of pine cones with more abstract leaves. Therefore it is probably later in date, perhaps made during Saladin's renovations of Jerusalem following his victory over the Crusaders, in the late 12th century.","short_description":"High-relief carvings of leaves alternating with pinecones decorate this limestone capital. The design dates to the Abbasid period but ultimately derives from Late Antique models. This capital was found in the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem.","type":"Stonework, limestone","holder":"The British Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Height 32 cm, width 40 cm.","method_for_datation":"Saladin, the greatest Islamic hero of the Crusades, led the battle against the Crusaders and won back Jerusalem from them in 1187; this capital may have been made during Saladin's renovations of the city following his victory.","method_for_provenance":"The capital was found in the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem.","provenance":"Jerusalem.","obtention":"Donated to the British Museum by the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1903.","bibliography":"Wilkinson, J., Column Capitals in al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem, 1987.","dynasty":"Ayyubid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PA_EN_001","author":"Emily Shovelton","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["architectural decoration","columns","Stonework"],"materials":["Limestone."]},"07b66f0c-d994-5578-a3f4-0e6d135b8b59":{"name":"Ornamental panel.","description":"Decorative plate made from white limestone, the surface of which is currently in an advanced state of decay. Unlike other early medieval sculptures in Lisbon, this panel presents a deeper surface carving, enhancing the chiaroscuro effect and the liveliness of the design with small complementary touches made with a fine scalpel.The panel is decorated with three loops with garlands, standing on small twisted columns. The fourth column has disappeared owing to the chiselling the stone suffered on its left-hand side. The ornamental garlands are decorated with palmettes, with three and five points, arranged alternately. The internal border of the loops exhibits a decoration of spines, while the outer border takes the form of a corded pattern. A subtle plant motif fills the upper right-hand corner, in a manifestation of the *horror vacui* or fear of emptiness, which indeed characterises the whole design of the panel. The ornamentation on the left corner has now been largely lost because of the poor state of conservation of the piece. This also accounts for the difficulty in making out the fine cord that links the base of the loops horizontally and on which stand the three scallop shells that fill their interior. In each space between the columns and under the three scallop shells are figures of animals face to face, with two birds in the centre and a quadruped at either end. On the reverse of the piece a small plant cluster is sculpted, typical of certain Islamic compositions or of a certain bestiary inspired by the same tradition.From an iconographic point of view, this group represents a clear Christian meaning, similar, for example, to the meaning of some Coptic steles, with identical motifs, as a representation of Paradise. Examples of this are the stone dedicated to the memory of Marta, from Esna in the Cairo Museum (Egypt) and the so-called 'Paradise stele' of Brooklyn Museum (New York, USA).","short_description":"Decorative white limestone panel decorated with three festooned arches on small columns. From an iconographic point of view, the whole presents similarities with Coptic steles, suggesting that this bas-relief originally belonged to a Christian building erected during Islamic rule.","type":"Panel, stone","holder":"Lisbon Cathedral.","owner":"Metropolitan Chapter of the Patriarchal See of Lisbon.","dates":"Hegira 339–90 / AD second half of 10th century.","location":"Lisbon.","dimensions":"Height 61 cm, width 122cm, depth 32.5cm.","method_for_datation":"This bas-relief originally belonged to a Christian building built in the middle of the Islamic period. In the 12th century, the piece of stone was reused in one of the buttresses of the north façade of the Romanesque basilica. A few years ago, to protect it, the piece was removed from the outside and placed in the cloister, with a view to the monument being turned into a museum in the future.","method_for_provenance":"Until a few years ago the piece was incorporated into one of the buttresses of the north façade of the Cathedral. It may have belonged to a church older than the mosque which probably existed in the area, as is indicated by other ornamental stones found within the perimeter of the Cathedral. Archaeological excavations in the area of the cloister, directed by Alexandra Gaspar, revealed signs of major architectural and urban transformations during the 11th century, which indicates the presumed date of construction of the mosque to be just in the Taifas period.","provenance":"Lisbon.","obtention":"This bas-relief originally belonged to a Christian building built in the middle of the Islamic period. In the 12th century, the piece of stone was reused in one of the buttresses of the north façade of the Romanesque basilica. A few years ago, to protect it, the piece was removed from the outside and placed in the cloister, with a view to the monument being turned into a museum in the future.","bibliography":"Almeida, C. A. F. de, “Arte Islâmica em Portugal”, in *História da Arte em Portuga*l, Vol. 2: *Arte da Alta Idade Média*, Lisbon, 1986.  \nCaballero Zoreda, L., “¿Visigodo o Asturiano? Nuevos Hallazgos en Mérida y Otros Datos para un Nuevo 'Marco de Referencia' de la Arquitectura y la Escultura Altomedieval en el Norte y Oeste de la Península Ibérica”, in *XXXIX Corso de Cultura sull´Arte Ravennate e Bizantina*, Ravenna, 1992, pp.139–90.  \nFernandes, P. A., “O Sítio da Sé de Lisboa Antes da Reconquista”, *Artis. Revista do Instituto de Arte da Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa*, 1, 2002, pp.57–87.  \nReal, M. L., “Inovação e Resistência: Dados Recentes Sobre a Antiguidade Cristã no Ocidente Peninsular”, in *IV Reunió d'Arqueologia Cristiana Hispànica*, Barcelona, 1995, pp.17–68.  \nReal, M. L., “Portugal: Cultura Visigoda e Cultura Moçárabe”, in *Visigodos y Omeyas: un Debate Entre la Antigüedad Tardía y la Alta Edad Media (Mérida, 1999)*, eds. L. Caballero and P. Mateos, Madrid, 2000, pp.21–75.","dynasty":"Umayyad of Córdoba, Caliphate period","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Manuel Luís Real","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["animal decoration","arcading","bas-relief","bird","cathedral","cord","Cordoba","lamb","Limestone","Mozarabic","palmette","panel","Paradise","scallop shells, garland","zoomorphic imagery"],"materials":["bas-relief sculpture.","Limestone"]},"07b88e25-f692-5d02-ac12-ada9e9a1f219":{"name":"Centaur","short_description":"This quatrefoil shows a mythical centaur, half horse and half warrior. Its facial expression is rendered in a style reminiscent of figures in the Codex Manesse.","type":"Stained glass; church window","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"c. 1350","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 27.6cm","provenance":"Abbey Church of Königsfelden, Switzerland","obtention":"Purchased in 1913 from the estate of the art historian Johann Rudolf Rahn (1841–1912)","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"08fc2f57-a61c-58cb-a4a0-79aaa993eee4":{"name":"Decorative stone with stylised scrollwork and pomegranates.","description":"This rectangular block of stone displays decorative relief work on its front side. The decoration comprises two tendril stems growing out of a single stalk. The tendrils interweave with each other, sweeping across like waves, and branch out into pairs of scrolls, before turning into leaves or stylised pomegranates.  \nThe relief stone block came from a larger architectural complex, and was intended as a piece of ornamental decoration for the entrance area of the palace in Khirbat al-Minya. As the palace was never completed, it is not known what the entire complex would have been. The Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I ordered the building of a small palace in Khirbat al-Minya next to Tiberias on the northwestern banks of the Sea of Galilee between AH 86 and 96 (AD 705–15). The palace, which was never finished, was designed to have an extensively decorated entrance hall, but it was nevertheless exceptional for its splendid audience hall, complete with mosaic floors, as well as a mosque with a semi-circular prayer niche. The stone decoration in Khirbat al-Minya is completely at one with the traditions of Late Antiquity, although it also incorporates clear differences demonstrated by heavier stylisation that was characteristic of the Early Islamic period. The use of stylised pomegranates can principally be found in the architectural ornamentation of the Umayyad period in stone and stuccowork as well as on mosaics.  \nThe Berlin Museums participated in 1936–9 in the excavation in Khirbat al-Minya, which is why the Museum was allowed to have an important part of the discoveries. The other half of what was found remains in Jerusalem.","short_description":"This limestone block was excavated from the unfinished palace of Khirbat al-Minya near Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, built for the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I. The relief shows undulating stems ending in vine leaves and pomegranates. This design was to decorate part of the entrance into the palace.","type":"Scrollwork, pomegranate, stone","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Probably Caliph al-Walid I (r. AH 86–96 / AD 705–15).","dates":"Around Hegira 86–96 / AD 705–15.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 55 cm, width 28 cm.","method_for_datation":"The palace of Khirbat al-Minya has been dated to the reign of the Caliph al-Walid I from various characteristics. These include an inscription on the building and coins found there, the architectural design and distribution of rooms, and the form and appearance of the prayer niche.","method_for_provenance":"This stone was discovered along with others during the excavation of Khirbat al-Minya; they lay, displaced, in the entrance hall of the palace.","provenance":"Palace of Khirbat al-Minya on the Sea of Galilee, Israel.","obtention":"Acquired as an excavation piece following the division of the finds.","bibliography":"Creswell, K. A. C., *Early Muslim Architecture*, Oxford, 1969, Vol. I(2), pp.380–9, plates 64–9.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst*, Mainz, 2001, p.18.  \nPuttrich-Reignard, O., “Die Palastanlage von Chirbet el Minje”, *Palästina-Hefte des Deutschen Vereins vom Heiligen Lande* 17–20, 1939 (special number).","dynasty":"Umayyad, period of Caliph al-Walid I (r. *c*. AH 86–96 / AD 705–15)","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["decorative arts","relief decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Limestone, carved."]},"0b5ea864-f20c-51f8-b510-3ee37516c735":{"name":"Door lintel.","description":"A door lintel, decorated with a very deep, undercut floral pattern comprising a central rosette flanked by intertwined foliage, scrolls filled with palmettes, pines and grapes, all arranged in a panel surrounded by pearling.  \n  \nThis type of floral pattern was very common during the Umayyad period and is seen throughout the decorative arts. Similar carved patterns adorned the Qasr al-Mushatta (now at the Pergamon Museum, Berlin).  \n  \nThe function of this lintel is purely aesthetic; it would reside on the upper part of a decorated doorway.","short_description":"Door lintel from Qasr al-Tuba bearing a very deep, undercut floral pattern with a central rosette that was common during the Umayyad period and is seen throughout the decorative arts. Such elaborate lintels would have been positioned on the upper parts of decorated doorways.","type":"Door, stone","holder":"Jordan Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 2nd century / AD 8th century.","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height 44 cm, length 2.18 m, depth 42.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The lintel was a part of a building, dated approximately to the 2nd / 8th century; the date has also been established through historical inferences.","method_for_provenance":"The provenance is known because this door lintel was found on the site of Qasr al-Tuba.","provenance":"Qasr al-Tuba, Jordan.","obtention":"According to the Museum inventory number, the lintel was transferred from Qasr al-Tuba to the Museum during the 1950s by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.","bibliography":"Creswell, K. A. C., Early Muslim Architecture, Vol. I, Oxford, 1932, p.376, plate 80/A.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["architectural decoration","floral decoration","Stonework"],"materials":["Carved limestone."]},"0bf43e0a-1c8a-551e-b578-afed4b5312af":{"name":"Capital.","description":"This marble capital is one of the different models created by artists from the Marinid dynasty. Unlike the classical type, where there is a marked difference between the bell (lower cylindrical part) and the abacus (upper parallelepipedic part) both in terms of proportions and ornamentation, here the abacus does not overhang the bell too noticeably, and the ornamentation is continuous.  \nPlaced above an astragal with a cable-moulded torus, the bell is represented by a smooth curved acanthus meander on the top. Overlapping scales rising above a step motif fill the central vertical slots and the gaps in the meander. The space above the meander is filled with very finely executed plant decoration that links the two volumes of the capital: two double palms with acanthus leaves tumbling from above the gaps bear coiled lobes that join at the centre of the capital to form two adjacent snail shells. Above this there is a flat strip bearing a pious inscription, sculpted in relief, in cursive characters taken from the end of verse 64 of Sura 12 of the Qur'an, 'Joseph': 'Allah is the best protector and is the most Merciful of the Merciful'. On either side of the band, two symmetrical palms with acanthus leaves fill the corners of the abacus and surround a curved pinecone. A projecting rectangular bracket decorated with a floral motif stands at the top of the capital.  \nThis subtle and vigorous decoration characterises the capitals of Marinid mosques and *madrasas*.","short_description":"This is one of the types of finely executed capital with abundant plant decoration created by Marinid artists for mosques and *madrasas*. It has a flat band on the upper part with a pious cursive inscription sculpted in relief.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Museum of Archaeology.","dates":"Hegira 731–49 / AD 1331–48.","location":"Rabat.","dimensions":"Height 28 cm, bell diameter 20.6 cm, abacus diameter 40.2 cm.","method_for_datation":"Inside the ramparts of the Challa Necropolis, an architectonic element (frame of a monumental door) gives the start and end dates of the work: 731–49 / 1331–48.","method_for_provenance":"Archaeological object found *in situ*.","provenance":"Challa *zawiya*, Rabat.","obtention":"Object found at an archaeological site.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C. and Erbati, E., *6000 ans d'art au Maroc*, catalogue, Paris, 1990.  \nLévi-Provençal, É. and Basset, H., *Chellah, une nécropole mérinide*, Paris, 1923.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, pp.229–31.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphic decoration","geometric decoration","religious building","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted white marble."]},"0c359028-43e3-559c-a7ca-c955341c48c8":{"name":"Wood panels (walls and ceiling) of Syrian Room","short_description":"In the late 1970s, Doris Duke acquired a variety of components that were said to have come from a house owned by the Quwatlis, a prominent merchant family of Damascus. Combining historic elements with new pieces made in Hawai‘i by local craftsmen, Duke and her staff created an interior that conveys the spatial layout and multi-media, multi-sensory experience of the Syrian *qa‘a* (Arabic: hall), a reception room found in affluent courtyard homes of the late Ottoman period (in Syria: 1516–1918).","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; painting; architectural decoration","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Dated hegira 1271 / AD 1854-55","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Various","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","dynasty":"Ottoman","keywords":["architectural decoration","ceiling","Damascus","late Ottoman","panels","room","Syria","wood"],"materials":["Moulded, painted, and gilded wood"]},"0c65d4b9-48a7-5adf-ae5e-9204b97b00bd":{"name":"Panel","short_description":"Marble architectural panel featuring a fragmentary elaborate and mannered \"archaizing\" *kufic* inscription with \"the great, the noble,\" perhaps part of the foundation inscription of a religious school or a tomb.","type":"Architectural decoration","holder":"Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah","dates":"Hegira 5th–6th century / AD 11th–12th century","location":"Kuwait City","provenance":"East Iranian World","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","keywords":["calligraphy","engraving","epigraphy","inscription","kufic script"]},"10055861-fa02-5348-9d89-bbe6682bf4ef":{"name":"Tiles of the Buyan Kuli Khan","short_description":"These tile fragments are from the mausoleum of Buyan Qulï Khan in Bukhara. The turquoise glazed tile is decorated with an intricate vine pattern in white. The ornament is not painted, but cut as a relief into the clay using a complex technique.  \nThese tiles were a part of the decoration program of the mausoleum of Buyan Kuli Khan, who was murdered in 1358. He was the 25th successor of Genghis Khan (1155/62 / 67-1227) and ruled over the Chagatay Khanate empire. His tomb is situated in Bukhara, present-day Uzbekistan, and was covered with tiles both inside and out. The present fragment was initially installed on the outer facade. The Victoria and Albert Museum also possesses several tiles from the mausoleum.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 125cm x Width: 59cm","method_for_datation":"These tiles are from the mausoleum of King Buyan Kuli Khan. They were acquired in 1903 by Justus Brinckmann in Kabebdjan Galleries in Paris.","method_for_provenance":"Gift from Alfred Beit, London, through Ounik Kalebdjian, Paris.","provenance":"Uzbekistan, Fatahabad near Buxoro","obtention":"Endowment in 1908.","bibliography":"Haase, C.-P., \"Buyan Quli Chan—Baudekor,\" *Damaszener Mitteilungen*, 11 (1999): 205-225.","dynasty":"Chagatai Khanate","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Architectural decor","Buyan Kuli Khan","Mausoleum"],"materials":["Glazed ceramic"]},"102b5a7a-7eb3-5088-8d91-c9be0bc5c5fa":{"name":"Sitting lion.","description":"Made of grey marble in a parallelepiped form that is sculpted, this object features a lion sitting on its hind legs rendered flat against the surface of a lower part of a segment of arch. The head of the animal is far larger than its body. Its eyes are globular and wide open, and its fully opened mouth reveals tightly clenched teeth, giving the face a ferocious air.  \nThe left flank of the animal is more densely decorated than the right. Fur in the form of curls hang from the left flank, to which the tail is also attached. The front legs are missing. The right flank lacks any ornamentation, which suggests that it was this side that was encased in the masonry while the left side was on show.  \nThe rounded shape of this piece leads to the conjecture that it formed part of a segment of a poly-lobed arch that belonged to an entrance door of a Hammadid palace.","short_description":"This marble piece is a sculpture of a lion with a disproportionately large head and a wide open mouth that was probably part of a doorway arch. Its tail is flattened against its left-hand side and the carved curls represent its fur.","type":"Lion, marble","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Length 40.5 cm, width 24 cm, diameter 12 cm.","method_for_datation":"Archaeological repository (De Beylié excavations, 1908).","method_for_provenance":"The object was found on the site of the Qal'at Bani Hammad.","provenance":"Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Gift from L.Leschi.","bibliography":"Golvin, L., *Recherches archéologiques à la Qal'a des Banû Hammâd*, Paris, 1965.  \nMarçais, G., *Le musée Stéphane Gsell, musée des antiquités et d'art musulman d'Alger*, Algiers, 1950.  \nMarçais, G., “Sur un lion de marbre trouvé à la Kal'a des Beni Hammad”, *Revue africaine*, Algiers, 1939, pp.182–91.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Ali Benbella","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["animal decoration","architectural decoration","Figurative representation","Grey marble","Hammadid","lion","luxurious construction","marble","Palace","palatial architecture","rounded shape","segment of arch of an entrance door"],"materials":["Carved and sculpted grey marble."]},"10e26695-1660-57f4-b0af-2bbb52699f63":{"name":"Panel.","description":"This panel of carved marble is framed by a classical bevelled moulding, beneath which there are three horseshoe arches raised on twisted columns with volute capitals. Each arch surrounds a stem bearing different interpretations of the lotus flower, which could represent a *hom* or a tree of life. Flowers of this type also spring from within the arches themselves.  \nThe top mouldings of the capitals bear an inscription in *kufic* characters that reads 'Karim your servant', which is understood to refer to ‘Abd al-Karim, a well-known foreman of ‘Abd al-Rahman II.  \nThis decorative panel comes from the ancient Umayyad citadel of Córdoba, the home of the Umayyads until the construction of Madinat al-Zahra. The citadel, built on the site of an old Visigothic palace, covered a large enclosure containing various different structures. ‘Abd al-Rahman I expanded it, ‘Abd al-Rahman II embellished it with a watercourse and a number of his successors added new buildings.  \nAt the time of the Christian *Reconquista* by the troops of King Ferdinand III (later Saint) in AH 634 / AD 1236, the city of Córdoba still had its citadel, located at the site where the Episcopal Palace and Seminary of San Pelagio now stand.  \nAlmost nothing remains of the building that stood until midway through the AH 8th / AD 14th century.","short_description":"This fragment of marble wall covering from Córdoba, carved with an architectonic scheme of arches surrounding floral motifs, is of particular interest for the inscriptions in the mouldings that mention the sculptor, an artist working at the time of ‘Abd al-Rahman III and al-Hakam II.","type":"Panel, marble","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 207–38 / AD 822–52.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 48 cm, width 77 cm.","method_for_datation":"By the inscription, which is thought to refer to ‘Abd al-Karim, foreman of ‘Abd al-Rahman II (207–38 / 822–52). The piece also displays classical features that evoke the Eastern world but that derived from the independent Emirate of al-Andalus. It appears to fall into the category of Emirate art, but approaching the Caliphate style.","method_for_provenance":"The panel came from Seminary of San Pelagio, which stands on the site once occupied by the Umayyad citadel of Córdoba. Its deep, free carving style is characteristic of the city and distinguishes it from other wall decorations from the same period but that come from other areas.","provenance":"Seminary of San Pelagio, ancient Umayyad citadel of Córdoba, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 23 May 1968.","bibliography":"Revilla Vielva, R., *Catálogo de las Antigüedades que Se Conservan en el Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1932, p.16.  \nZozaya, J., “Antigüedades Andalusíes de los Siglos VIII al XV”, in *Guía General del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Vol. II, Madrid, 1991, p.63.","dynasty":"Umayyads of al-Andalus, Emirate of ‘Abd al-Rahman II (r. AH 207–38 / AD 822–52)","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["floral decoration","palatial architecture"],"materials":["Carved marble."]},"114c06c2-280f-51d2-a9f9-1733b739488a":{"name":"*Kuttab* (Qur'an school).","description":"A *kuttab* is an educational establishment where children are taught to memorise the Holy Qur'an, the rudiments of the Arabic language and arithmetic. The *kuttab,* seen here is made up of two sides (forming an L-shape) and a ceiling. One side (facing) is composed of a door decorated with geometric designs, and assembled in parts. Towards the left of it, are four storage areas or cupboards, two on each side, separated by a deep niche where the teacher would sit. The cupboard doors are ornamented with geometric designs composed of star-shaped medallions executed in the same manner as that used to embellish the door. On the two sides of the niche, and above it, are 29 small compartments framed within lobed arches which were used to store educational equipment. The lower area of this side of the *kuttab* is adorned with an assemblage of various decorations. Above this whole area, at the top, there is a rectangle with seven panels. Each is filled with various shapes of turned wooden elements and is separated from the neighbouring panels with balusters of turned wood. On the right-hand side of the *kuttab* there are two cupboards decorated in a similar fashion as the other storage areas. These two cupboards are surrounded by 12 small compartments with lobed niches; to the left of them there is a plain, undecorated door. The ceiling is ornamented with geometric designs made up of parts of star-like medallions executed by superimposing thin wooden bars. Below it is a frame composed of *muqarnas* pendentives. The *kuttab* also contains some recent decorative additions.","short_description":"A *kuttab* is an educational establishment for teaching children to memorise the Holy Qur'an, reading and writing. A *kuttab* was usually situated on the second floor of a *sabil* (water dispensary). This particular example was taken from a building in Rosetta, a city in the north of the Nile delta.","type":"Woodwork, wooden decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 340 cm, length 465 cm, width 215 cm.","method_for_datation":"The techniques of assemblage and superimposition of small wooden parts in the construction of wooden objects was widespread during the Ottoman period of the 16th and 17th centuries, and was used especially for the decoration of household objects and ceilings in the domestic context. Amongst the residences where this style of construction and decoration are utilised are the Bayt al-Suhaymi (1058 / 1648), and the residence of Waqf al-Sadat (1070 / 1659), both of which are in the city of Cairo. These techniques were also used in the construction of *minbars* (pulpits) and *dikkat al-muballigh* (recitation platforms) in mosques during the Ottoman era.","method_for_provenance":"Provenance is supported by information in the archives of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"The piece was transferred to the museum from the residence of al-Mazdini in Rashid, (Rosetta), Egypt, but the history of its transportation is not known.","bibliography":"Khalifa, Rabi' H., *Funun al-Qahira fi al-'ahd al-Othmani \\[Arts of Cairo during the Ottoman Era\\],* Cairo, 1985.  \nMustafa, M., *Dalil Mathaf al-fan al-Islami \\[Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art\\],* Cairo, 1978.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["architectural decoration","education","furnishing","geometric decoration","kuttab","religious schools","turned wood","wood"],"materials":["Ornamental wooden decoration using assemblage, interlocking and superimposition of wooden bars","turned woodwork."]},"1323c28f-86f5-5888-85f8-28a25c1be041":{"name":"Capital.","description":"Capital from the Aljafería Palace in Saragossa. Derived from Classical composite order, it has two rows of acanthus leaves, which serve as points of reference for organising the space and as receptacles for the vegetal ornamentation. The surface decoration of each leaf is based on various finely carved motifs. Each side of the echinus (moulding supporting the abacus) also bears a different type of floral decoration. The single-level abacus takes the form of a cross with rounded off arms. Apart from some marble capitals, the capitals of the Aljafería are made of alabaster and belong to the Corinthian and composite orders, which shows a clear departure from caliphal art, although in Saragossa they became longer and the size of the scrolls has been reduced to such an extent that they have almost completely disappeared. This capital in particular does not preserve direct caliphal influences. It emphasises the tendency towards the lengthening of the caliphal models and its elaborate and fanciful forms were fashionable in the Taifa kingdom of Saragossa. We know that the capital was part of what is assumed to have been the grand audience chamber of al-Muqtadir, the 'Marble Hall', also called the 'Golden Hall', on the north side of the palace. This large rectangular hall, with two side rooms, was decorated with marble flooring, alabaster plinths and carved plaster panels which covered the walls. This sumptuous decoration reflects the luxury and refinement of the court of al-Muqtadir, during whose reign the Aljafería Palace was constructed.","short_description":"Unlike marble capitals, this stylised capital, originally from the Throne Room in the Aljafería Palace, was carved profusely from alabaster with a double row of carved acanthus leaves in turn bearing minute plant motifs, as if it were a work in a precious metal.","type":"Capital","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 437–73 / AD 1046–81.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 43 cm, width 29 cm, diameter 19.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Aljafería Palace was constructed under the patronage of Abu-Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. 437–73 / 1046–81), the second monarch in the Banu Hud dynasty, which governed the Taifa of Saragossa during the years 432–503 / 1040–1110.","method_for_provenance":"This capital came from the 'Marble Hall' in the Aljafería Palace in Saragossa.","provenance":"Aljafería Palace, Saragossa, Spain.","obtention":"The capital was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.258. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain*, (ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nDominguez Perela, E., “Relaciones Entre los Capiteles de la Aljafería y los Cordobeses”, in *Actas del III Coloquio de Arte Aragonés*, Saragossa, 1983, pp.51–85.  \nGomez Moreno, M., *El Arte árabe Español Hasta los Almohades. Arte Mozárabe*. Ars Hispaniae, Vol. 3, Madrid, 1951, p.223.  \nMarinetto Sánchez, P., “El Capitel en el Periodo Taifa”, in *Coloquio Internacional de Capiteles Corintios Prerománicos e Islámicos (Siglos VI–XII)*. Madrid, 1990, pp.145–66.  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *Catálogo de las Antigüedades que se Conservan en el Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, 1932, p.180.*","dynasty":"Taifa kingdoms; Banu Hud dynasty, Abu Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. AH 437–73 / AD 1046–81)","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","capital","floral decoration","palatial architecture","patronage"],"materials":["Carved alabaster."]},"1551f405-e3e6-5970-8bcb-de56cf919879":{"name":"Tile","short_description":"The geometric pattern of this glazed tile is made from an elaborate pattern of white lines, intersecting in knot-like patterns to form various shapes, including stars. The colours in the shapes form an alternating pattern, with bands of green and manganese brown surrounding a yellow centre.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 880-905 / AD 1475-1500","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 16.5cm, Width: 18.3cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects e. g. Victoria and Albert Museum (see Ray 2000, p. 331).","method_for_provenance":"Unknown.","provenance":"Spain, Toledo","obtention":"Catalogued in 1974; accession unknown.","bibliography":"Ray, A., *Spanish Pottery 1248-1898. With a Catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum*, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2000.","dynasty":"Nasrid","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Spanish","tile"],"materials":["Glazed tile with a plaster backing"]},"19c131a2-1764-5332-adc2-8dd10e15a0f0":{"name":"Fragment of wooden ceiling.","description":"The ceiling, made of interlocking panels, is divided into geometric shapes by a frame with mouldings that intersect and intertwine with one another, creating squares or diamonds containing an eight-pointed star in their centre. The internal parts are carved richly and meticulously in arabesques, to form lace-like patterns. The decoration is made up of plant motifs and animals carved in full relief, including lions, gazelles, hares, birds of prey attacking their quarry and eagles with their wings outstretched. This type of decoration, with a highly worked background and the bands of the frame moulded with a simple geometric motif, is the same as is found in the more stylised stucco and plaster slabs from the medieval church of San Giuliano di Caltagirone, possibly used as decorative architectural dividers between the apse and the nave, or as an altar. The ceiling, which undoubtedly originated in a shared residence and may have come from the Royal Palace itself (suggested by the presence of figurative subjects as well as the traditional geometrical decorative motifs and arabesques) is an example of Fatimid ‘frozen realism’ (Scerrato 1979).","short_description":"Ceiling decorated with plant motifs and carved figures of common animals such as lions, gazelles and hares. Created by Fatimid craftsmen, this example almost certainly came from the Royal Palace.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicily, Abatellis Palace","dates":"Mid-12th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 134 cm, width 74 cm.","method_for_datation":"By comparison with the Carrand ivories from Florence and shaped wood at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo and see Bibliography.","method_for_provenance":"From historical documents and see Bibliography.","provenance":"Royal (Norman) Palace, Palermo.","obtention":"Deposit, previously held at the Royal Museum of Palermo.","bibliography":"Delogu R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Rome, 1977, pp.15, 59.  \nScerrato U., “Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia* (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, pp.524–5 and fig. 196.","dynasty":"Norman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman","carpentry","ceiling","Fatimid architecture","figurative decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"1cc24be1-3e5f-5a9b-babb-1317370820d2":{"name":"Walls and ceiling of the Damascus Room","short_description":"The Damascus Room consists of eighteenth-century *‘ajami* wood panelling (four walls and a ceiling), which would have originally decorated a reception room (typically known as a *qa‘a*) of an affluent courtyard home in Syria. It is a quintessential example of late-Ottoman Syrian architectural decoration reconstituted to meet the needs of a twentieth-century environment and collector.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; painting; architectural decoration; panel","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1163–1215 / AD 1750–1800, with some panels added in hegira 1372–1374 / AD 1953–54","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Various","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","dynasty":"Late Ottoman","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","architectural decoration","ceiling","Damascus room","interior ornament","late Ottoman","painted wooden wall paneling","Syria","Syrian craft","wood","wood paneling"],"materials":["painted, gilded, with metal leaf and translucent glazes ('ajami technique)","Wood"]},"1e282c8c-3fed-5331-b88b-4c2782ff7968":{"name":"Fragment of a painted wooden panel.","description":"In Palace B in the Raqqa region, we find a group of applied ornamental techniques executed in various materials. These include the use of plaster frames for doors and windows as well as wooden panels to cover walls and ceilings of formal imperial halls. Similar forms and techniques existed in the Umayyad period and may be found in Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi. This indicates a continuation of this type of palatial decoration between the Umayyad and Abbasid periods.  \nThis rectangular fragment from a painted wooden panel is decorated with stylised floral and vegetal motifs bracketed by geometric designs. The decoration is executed in black, red, yellow and brown applied in gradual shades to make the drawings seem three-dimensional.","short_description":"A painted wooden panel that once decorated the reception hall of an 'Abbasid palace in Raqqa reveals a high degree of expertise in three-dimensional shading of floral motifs.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"Caliph al-Mu'tasim Billah (r. AH 218–27 / AD 833–42).","dates":"Hegira 218–27 / AD 833–42.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Length 52.2 cm, width 11.1 cm.","method_for_datation":"The object was found in Palace B in the Raqqa region. An inscription on plaster was found on one of the walls of the palace associating it with the Abbasid Caliph al-Mu'tasim Billah (r. 218–27/ 833–42). The palace is thought to have been built in around 220 (835).","method_for_provenance":"This piece of architectural ornamentation was found in palace B in the Raqqa region and was probably made *in situ*.","provenance":"Raqqa region, Syria.","obtention":"The object was recovered during archaeological excavations carried out in 1952 by the Syrian General Directorate of Antiquities under the direction of Nasib Salibi.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,*  \nDamascus, 1969, p.158.  \nAndalucia, J., de- (ed), *El esplendor de los Omeyas cordobeses*, exhibition  \ncatalogue, Granada, 2001.  \nDaiber, V., and Becker A., *Raqqa III*, Mainz, 2004.  \nKohlmeyer, K. (ed), *Land des Baal,* Mainz, 1982.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Nasib Salibi","Raqqa","wood"],"materials":["Painted wood."]},"1fb2f6df-1383-5523-b767-c9a42193803e":{"name":"Stucco-covered wooden side-rib.","description":"A wooden side-rib belonging to a collection of pieces comprising wood covered with carved, painted and gilded stucco. The carvings of vegetal and geometric motifs and pseudo calligraphic script are gilded and painted using a palette of blue, red, green and white against a background of various colours but predominantly black.  \nThe side-rib once formed part of the decoration of the interior dome of al-Aqsa Mosque, whose damaged parts were replaced in 1938 after gradual deterioration caused by moisture and water infiltration. The importance of this piece lies in its being practically the sole witness to the Fatimid restoration of the dome of al-Aqsa Mosque during the period of the Fatimid caliph al-Zahir bi- Amrillah (r. AH 411–27 / AD 1021–36). It is worth mentioning that other similar parts were lost as a result of a fire which broke out in the mosque in 1969; this led to the destruction of most of the parts of the wooden dome in addition to other sections of al-Aqsa Mosque.  \nThe domes were typically composed, of an inner and outer shell. The inner shell consisted of a wooden skeleton, plated on the inside with circular wooden panels. Palm fibres were affixed to the wooden panels by means of wooden nails. The fibres were then covered with a layer of plaster (stucco) several centimetres thick. After that, the stucco was carved to form the requisite decorations which were painted with different colours and gilded. The outer shell consists of a wooden skeleton which is covered on the outside with metal plates. Lead is normally used, as noted in the dome of al-Aqsa Mosque today, but copper is sometimes employed as can be seen to this day in the Dome of the Rock. The dome of the Dome of the Rock is, however, no different from the dome of al-Aqsa Mosque in terms of its construction.","short_description":"This rib from the interior dome of al-Aqsa Mosque features vegetal and geometric decoration and a gilded inscription against a coloured background.  It is almost the sole witness to the restoration of the dome in the Fatimid period during the reign of Caliph al-Zahir. Other pieces of evidence were lost in the arson attack on the mosque in 1969.","type":"Woodwork, rib, woodm stucco","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem.","dates":"Probably about hegira 424 / AD 1033.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 152 cm, width 140 cm, depth 4 cm.","method_for_datation":"The piece was dated by comparison with the remaining parts from the same period still on site.","method_for_provenance":"Jerusalem was narrowed down as the place of production because typically architectural pieces were made and decorated *in situ*.","provenance":"Jerusalem.","obtention":"The piece was transferred from al-Aqsa Mosque to the Museum during the restoration work carried out in 1938.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.","dynasty":"Probably Fatimid","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Carved stucco","Fatimid woodwork","gilded wood","Plasterwork","pseudo-inscription","woodwork"],"materials":["Wood covered with carved, painted and gilded stucco."]},"232d8890-0876-5479-966e-ac44c41896b0":{"name":"Frieze panels.","description":"Two panels made of pine, each carved with an inscription in deep relief and background decoration in lower relief. Both levels of carving are decorated with plaster and with green, red, and white paint. The inscriptions, done in a style of calligraphy known as foliated *kufic*, consist of verses from the Qur'an: the first panel has part of *sura* 2, verse 164, while the second has part of *sura* 3, verse 191. Clearly these panels were part of a much larger ensemble, one which probably decorated the upper level of a building intended for religious use, such as a *madrasa* or a mosque. Friezes of Qur'anic quotations were common in such settings in many parts of the Islamic world; one such frieze in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo was originally over 2 km long.  \n  \nThe style of the panels suggests an origin in Spain or North Africa under the Almohads. The Almohads are known to have had fairly ascetic views on art, yet it is worth noting that for them, a Berber dynasty with origins in the Sahara desert, wood would have been considered a luxury material.","short_description":"Two panels of pinewood carved in relief with inscriptions and (originally) decorated with paint and plaster. The inscriptions are Qur’anic verses, and the panels were probably once part of a frieze in a mosque. Wood was considered a luxury material in a desert environment like that of North Africa.","type":"Woodwork, carved, painted","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th or early AH 7th / AD 13th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"378B–1907: Height 16.8cm, width 101.4cm, depth 1.8cm; 378C–1907: Height 16.7cm, width 103cm, depth 2cm.","method_for_datation":"Both the style of calligraphy and the arabesque scrolls forming the background, are typical of Spanish and North African architectural decoration under the Almoravids (448–551 / 1056–1147) and Almohads (524–667 / 1130–1269).","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic comparisons.","provenance":"Spain or North Africa.","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1907.","bibliography":"Stanley, T., with Rosser-Owen, M. and Vernoit, S., *Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East*, London, 2004, p.27.","dynasty":"Almohad","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","foliated","inscription","kufic"],"materials":["Carved, plastered and painted wood."]},"246cffbc-9030-5777-959b-8b4967743c39":{"name":"Capital.","description":"Composite capital, with the basket occupied by two asymmetrical rows of single smooth acanthus leaves with curved tips, with a plant and lace decoration running around them. Interlaced decorations are prominent on the abacus, and around the echinus on the four faces between the volutes runs a votive inscription in cursive script in relief, which reads: 'In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! God bless our lord Muhammad / and his family and grant (them) perfect peace / God deliver me from Satan the damned'.","short_description":"Capital dating to the mid AH 6th / AD 12th century. The text, which reads ‘In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, God bless our lord Muhammad / and his family and give (them) absolute peace / God deliver me from Satan the Damned’, suggests a religious use.","holder":"Santarém Municipal Museum.","dates":"From the final years of Arab domination, or very probably after the Christian conquest in Hegira 541 / AD 1147.","location":"Santarém.","dimensions":"Height 34 cm, width 28 cm, depth 28 cm.","method_for_datation":"Although dated to the caliphal period for many years, a more recent analysis, in particular of the lettering in Nasrid cursive script, requires its date to be corrected to AH 6th century / AD 12th century.","method_for_provenance":"Documented in 1882 by the former curators of the District Museum of Santarém de S. João de Alporão (today the Santarém Municipal Museum) and Zeferino Brandão, as having been found in 1880 in the district of Alporão.","provenance":"Santarém, Portugal.","obtention":"A gift to the Museum in 1882 from António Fernandes Melício, then owner of the former Palace of the Counts of óbidos, a 16th-century building, where it was found in a barn.","bibliography":"Brandão, Z., “Vestígios Árabes em Santarém”, *O Occidente*, no. 5, Lisbon, 1882, pp.190–2.  \nCustódio, J. S., “Capitel”, *Portugal Islâmico*, Lisbon, 1999, pp.76–7.  \nLabarta, A. and Barceló, C., “Inscripciones Árabes Portuguesas: Situación Actual”, *Al-Qantara*, vol. 8, 1987, pp.395–420.  \nNykl, A. R., “Arabic Inscriptions in Portugal”, *Ars Islamica*, 11–12, 1946, pp.167–83.  \nNykl, A. R., “Inscrições Árabes Existentes no Museo Arqueológico do Carmo”, *Trabalhos da Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses*, 5, 1941, pp.11–12.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Artur Goulart de Melo Borges","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","materials":["Sculpted marble."]},"25fd225a-8425-5648-a345-5ebb03d005da":{"name":"Gate of ash-Shibak Fort","short_description":"This magnificent gate once guarded the entrance to ash-Shibak Fort. Also known as *al-Bait al-Kabir* (literally “the Big House”), ash-Shibak Fort was built by Sheikh Ahmad bin Rabia’a al-Ismaili al-Himyari, a leading figure of the Yaruba Imamate under the rule of Imam Sultan bin Saif II al-Yarubi.  \nThe gate carvings features calligraphic, floral and animal motifs including the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom and an Arabic inscription that reads:  \n  \n*To the Great Lord \\[al-Sayyid\\] Made in Surat  \nAhmad al-Ismaili In Muharram  \nal-Himyari \\[may he\\] consolidate Islam in the year 1126*  \n  \nToday, the gate stands as a unique example of defensive artistry and bears witness to the strong commercial and political ties that existed between Oman and India during the time of the al-Yaruba Imams, the Mughal Empire and the British East India Company.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 1126 / AD 1714","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 283.5cm, Length: 218.5cm, Width: 31cm","provenance":"Surat, Mughal Empire, India","dynasty":"Al-Yarubi","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood and brass"]},"2629b350-95bd-5146-a57b-012dc58189ed":{"name":"Niche from a Samaritan house.","description":"The Samaritan niche consists of an opening recessed into the wall, which is crowned by a *muqarnas* (stalactite) vault and thus replicates all the elements that form part of a *mihrab* (prayer niche). Small columns featuring bases and capitals frame the sides of the niche. They finish off flush with the wall. The niche’s wall configuration is composed of a lower part, painted in wide alternating coloured stripes, which continue upward to form a pointed arch. The upper part is subdivided by a continuous distinct zigzag band, which is drawn out over the wall and the niche. Two round medallions framed in squares occupy the back wall, flanked by small squares with multifoil filling. Samaritan inscriptions can be found within both the red-coloured spandrels of the arches as well as within the rosettes: they allude to the ensemble belonging to a house built by Samaritans. Furthermore, inscription panels that were originally attached beside the niche have also been preserved. The inscriptions contain foreshortened words and only sections of them can be read as full texts. The text is extracted from the Old Testament (Moses, II, 23, Verses 25/26). The inscriptions within the right-hand-side arch spandrel conform to the Samaritan Pentateuch in detail. The Samaritans were a Jewish sect that had resided in Syria since late antiquity. According to tradition, those Samaritans who lived in Damascus had to leave the city in 1625.  \nThe niche was originally located in a private Damascene house and over the centuries has undergone a variety of alterations in colour. The colourful stripes and the details of the *muqarnas* testify that it was created during the Mamluk period. When M. Sobernheim first visited the house in 1900, he was still able to see something of its splendid interior. He salvaged the Samaritan inscriptions that he found there. These were brought to Berlin in 1907 and the niche was later installed as part of an exhibition in the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, after which it was transferred to the Pergamon Museum in 1932.","short_description":"This stalactite niche, resembling a prayer niche, from an old Damascene house built in the Mamluk style, was saved from destruction because insets in the spandrels and roundels contain Samaritan inscriptions from the Old Testament. The Samaritans were expelled from Damascus in the 17th century.","type":"Architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Sheikh Muhammad al-Kurabi, owner of the house in which the niche was located. He was, however, only the last owner of the house, which today no longer exists.","dates":"Hegira 10th century / AD 16th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 302 cm, width 215 cm, depth approx. 70 cm.","method_for_datation":"Every decorative element is indicative of the Mamluk period in Syria. Because the Samaritans had to flee Damascus at the start of the 11th / 17th century, it is likely that this niche dates from before this period.","method_for_provenance":"M. Sobernheim salvaged stones that formed part of a niche with Samaritan inscriptions from a house in Damascus, some time after 1900.","provenance":"Damascus, Syria; private house in the town quarter of al-Zahir Baybars.","obtention":"Bought in Damascus in 1907.","bibliography":"Keenan, B., *Damascus: Hidden Treasures of the Old City*, London, 2000.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst Berlin*, Mainz, 2001, pp.88–9.  \nSobernheim, M., “Samaritanische Inschriften aus Damaskus”, *Mittheilungen und Nachrichten des Deutschen Palaestina-Vereins* 5, 1902, pp.70–80.  \nTropper, J., “Die Samaritanischen Inschriften des Pergamonmuseums”, *Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins* 111, 1995/2, pp.118–33.","dynasty":"Mamluk and Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PA_EN_001","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","Jewish","muqarnas","Pentateuch"],"materials":["Marble and varieties of limestone, mosaic work, supplementary material."]},"2f8de84c-6136-535a-a12d-f37d60e59baa":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"A stone column capital, one of 18 capitals that belong to the water reservoir at the Umayyad palace at al-Muwaqqar, with an inscription that reveals that the reservoir was built by order of the Caliph Yazid II (r. AH 101–5 / AD 720–24). It was found in May 1943 in a yard belonging to a private house located within a few hundred meters of the ruins of the palace. It was broken into two pieces which fit together neatly.  \n  \nThree sides of the capital are decorated with a row of acanthus leaves separated by paired volutes. One side contains a ten-line Arabic inscription that stands out in relief from a plain background. This inscription reads: 'In the name of the most merciful God. Has ordered the building of this pool the servant of God, Yazid Commander of the Faithful, may God favour him and prolong his life and happiness and bestow upon him blessings and bounties in this world and the next. It has been built by the care of ‘Abdallah the son of Sulaym.' Between the eighth and ninth line of the inscription three words are incised in smaller characters, they read: 'Khamsat Ashara dhira' (15 cubits). The drums of the column, upon which this capital once sat, would have been immersed in the pool; each drum with other incised words indicating the number of cubits; thus forming a water gauge. The highest measurement is on the capital itself, being 15 cubits.  \n  \nA second inscription in relief runs around the abacus of the three decorated sides, it is interrupted in the middle of each by a circular boss with an inscribed trefoil which reads: 'Allahma salli Ala Abdka Rasul Allah' ('O God bless your servant and messenger Muhammad').","short_description":"Limestone capital from al-Muwaqqar with a ten-line Arabic inscription in relief mentioning the building of a pool ordered by Yazid II (r. AH 101–5 / AD 720–4). The capital and its drum formed a water gauge and incised words indicate measurements. The last was 15 cubits, recorded within the inscription.","type":"Column capital, stone","holder":"Jordan Archaeological Museum","owner":"Now on display at Jordan Museum","initial_owner":"Caliph Yazid II (r. AH 101–5 / AD 720–24).","dates":"Hegira 101–5 / AD 720–24.","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height 60 cm, width 41 cm.","method_for_datation":"The capital is datable by the inscription which bears the name of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid II (r. 101–5 / 720–24).","method_for_provenance":"Literary sources indicate that the palatial residence at al-Muwaqqar belonged to the Umayyad Caliph Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik (Yazid II) who reigned from 103–4 / 722–3. Furthermore the capital was found only a few hundred meters from the palace at al-Muwaqqar.","provenance":"Al-Muwaqqar, the water reservoir, Jordan.","obtention":"The Museum obtained the capital directly from the owner of the house in which it was found.","bibliography":"العابدي. محمود، الآثار الإسلامية في فلسطين والأردن، عمان، 1973.  \n  \nHamilton, R. W., 'An Eighth-Century Water Gauge at al-Muwaqqar', *Quarterly of the Department of Antiquities in Palestine* X11, 1946, pp.63–9.  \n  \nZabern, P., *Der Königs Weg: 9000 Jahre Kunst und Kultur in Jordanien und Palästina*, exhibition catalogue, Mainz, 1987, p.351.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["column capital","inscription","palace (qasr)"],"materials":["Inscribed stone."]},"305f4585-8d17-53d5-a7d9-3ce3b3fa0f2c":{"name":"Cupola from Torrijos.","description":"Nailed-board, octagonal cupola ceiling supported on smooth walls covered with tapestries or silks with ornamental drawings. Above the level of these fabrics, in the four corners, sit the squinches, decorated with honeycomb work, that give the ceiling its circular shape from the octagonal base section, where the noble coats of arms of the owners can be seen. A second, lower band bears chequered strips on all four sides, alongside others decorated with Gothic plasterwork, and in their centre large pilgrim shells and the heraldic 'S's of Don Gutierre de Cárdenas, who played an important role in the celebration of the marriage of the Catholic Kings. These two are alluded to in the inscription 'D Ferdinandus I D Isabel' that can be read on a frieze also from the Cardenas Palace, which is held at the National Archaeological Museum. The ceiling sections converge radially on the centre and are delicately decorated with knotwork based on a twelve-star or *sinos* pattern that develops around structures of various different forms known as *almendrillas*, *azafates*, *candilejos* and *costadillos*. The plasterwork is decorated in relief with palmettes, apexes and engravings. The cupola originally covered the room in the northeast corner of the palace of the Torrijos and the Dukes of Maqueda. This ceiling, like the other ones from the palace, currently outside Spain, were commissioned from the decorative painters García del Barco and Juan Rodríguez.","short_description":"An example of Mudéjar excellence in carpentry and the adoption of Muslim models by the Christian aristocracy in their search for luxurious and welcoming spaces. The huge number of separate parts in this hemispherical cupola overlap and interlink to form a great geometric design.","type":"Woodwork, cupola, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 800 cm, diameter 550 cm.","method_for_datation":"From documentation of the Cardenas, friends of the Catholic Kings.","method_for_provenance":"Through historical documentation.","provenance":"Cardenas Palace, Torrijos, Toledo, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological Museum from Adela and Elisa Páramo on 15 June 1969.","bibliography":"Franco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1992, p.96.  \nLongobardo Carrillo, J. and Peña Carbonero, J. de la, *Los Palacios de Torrijos*, Torrijos, 2001.  \nRepullés y Vargas, E., *El Palacio de Torrijos*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1894.  \nSánchez de Rivera, G., *Don Gutierre de Cárdenas, Señor de Torrijos (materiales para una biografía)*, Toledo, 1984.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carving","Cupola","gilding","modelled","Mudéjar","plaster","Torrijos","wood"],"materials":["moulding, carving, gilding.","Wood, plaster"]},"33a6c84f-b10f-5856-b654-7f8c5f9a715b":{"name":"Rectangular piece of wood.","description":"A rectangular piece of wood decorated with low-relief carvings, which was probably once part of a high frieze. The decorations are arranged along two narrow bands, which hem-in a wider band lying in between them. Both of the narrow bands are embellished with vegetal decorative motifs, such as branches, surrounded by tri-lobed rosettes and fan-leaf palmettes. The central band is embellished with scenes of naturalistic human and animal activity, such as a hunting scene; a bird with a human face is also present. The scene is played out against a background of vegetal decoration, and surrounded by geometric compositions. The decorative components were originally painted which would have highlighted the detail. Symmetry and alternation were the twin dynamics that helped harmonise and defuse the decorative components.  \nThis panel was unearthed together with some other rectangular wooden pieces in the tomb of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, and in the Bimaristan (hospital) Qalawun where they were used to cover the upper frieze. The decorative mode of this panel bears no relationship to the Mamluk period, but is exclusively in the Fatimid style. It is likely, therefore, that this wooden panel once graced a Fatimid palace, specifically the Fatimid Western Palace, which was built by Caliph al-Aziz bi-Allah and completed by al-Mustansir bi-Allah. However, it was on the ruins of the Fatimid Western Palace that the Bimaristan Qalawun was later built and it is, therefore, likely that these wooden frieze components were later re-used to embellish the hospital walls.  \nThese decorative panels are considered an important source for the study of Fatimid painting for they include scenes of hunting, music, entertainment, battle and excursions, as well as depictions of birds and other animals and reveal the life of opulence led by the Fatimid elite.","short_description":"This item is an example of carving on wood from the Fatimid period, influenced by Abbasid styles from Samarra that spread all over the Islamic world. Decoration is based on hunting scenes and animal shapes on a background of vegetation.","type":"Woodwork, low-relief carving, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 370 cm, width 30 cm.","method_for_datation":"This piece was dated through study of the decorative components that appear on it, the style of representation, and by comparison with other analogous decorative pieces.","method_for_provenance":"In view of the fact that the panel was almost certainly made for the Fatimid Western Palace, it is likely that it was made by craftsmen employed in the atelier of Caliph al-Aziz bi-Allah and produced especially to furnish the palace.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"The object was transferred from the Mausoleum of Qalawun in the *Nahassien* (coppersmith's) district, and received by the Museum in 1909.","bibliography":"Abu Sadira, al-Said T., *Al-Hiraf wa al-Sana'at fi Masr al-Islamiyya \\[Handicrafts and Manufacture in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1991.  \nAl-Pasha, H., et al, *Al-Qāhira, tārikhuha, fūnunuha, Āthāruha \\[Cairo, Its History, Arts and Monuments\\],* Cairo, 1970.  \nAl-Maqrizi, *Al-mawā'iz wa'l-i'tibār bi-dhikr al-khiţaţ wa'l-āthār \\[Exhortations and Contemplation of the Recollection of Plans and Monuments\\],* 2 Vols, Cairo, 1853.  \n  \nHassan, M. Z., *Kunuz al-Fatimiyyin \\[Treasures of the Fatimids\\],* Cairo, 1938.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["figurative decoration","geometric decoration.","Low-relief","vegetal decoration","wood"],"materials":["decorated with low-relief carving.","Wood"]},"37eeebe2-30b7-5a11-b819-7445bc61c961":{"name":"Tile","description":"Large rectangular ceramic plaque in a vertical arrangement. Its outer surface is completely covered with a symmetrical decoration based on scrolls twisted around themselves, from which different types of leaves emerge. The coat of arms of the Banda, characteristic of the Nasrid monarchy, is also found throughout the composition, flanked on all occasions by a pair of wading birds. The upper part and the right-hand side are framed by a gold herringbone motif, and the fact that the left-hand and lower sides do not have this border suggests that it was part of a larger ensemble. All the decoration on the tile is in blue, yellow and gold on a white background, although due to a manufacturing defect, the blue has run on part of the surface.  \n  \nWithin this cultural context, water plays a prominent role in Andalusian architecture, often serving as a common thread. Present in numerous texts of Islamic sacred literature, it is presented as a symbol of life itself, thus reflecting the architectural design of the palace. We see it in ponds, fountains and irrigation channels with a practical, symbolic and aesthetic function, intertwining with the vegetation and evoking paradise. In this case, we are looking at a tile that was possibly used for a door jamb or a window frame, in which water is present indirectly, but its evocation is still clear: wading birds, vegetation and bluish tones contribute to an iconographic programme that revolves around this element.","type":"Architectural ceramic","holder":"National Archaeological Museum","owner":"Spanish State","initial_owner":"Private collection","dates":"AH 9th / AD 15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 114cm, width: 57cm, depth: 4.8cm","place_of_production":"Al-Andalus","method_for_datation":"Comparative study with other similar pieces and iconographic analysis.","method_for_provenance":"Formal parallels, historical-artistic study.","provenance":"Jaén","obtention":"Acquired in 1949 by Alejandro Navarro.","bibliography":"BERMÚDEZ LÓPEZ, J., ‘El marco histórico del Emirato Nazarí’, en *Cerámica Nazarí. Contextos y proyección*, Granada: Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, 2024: 34, fig.5, 291.  \n  \nFRANCO MATA, A. ‘Azulejo’, en *Los jarrones de la Alhambra: simbología y poder*, Granada: Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, 2006: 208-209.  \n  \nGALVÁN, Mª L., ‘Azulejo hispanoárabe’, *Memorias de los Museos Provinciales*, Vol. XV: 60-62, Lam. XXXVI-XXXVII (1954).","workshop":"Unknown","dynasty":"Nasrid Kingdom of Granada  \nReign of Yusuf III (AH 811 - 820 / AH 1408 – 1417)","author":"Paula Pagés Alonso","translator":"Dept. of Medieval Antiquities of the MAN, Ruth Checa","translation_copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["Cerámica arquitectónica, azulejo, Escudo de la Banda."],"materials":["Tin-glazed pottery decorated with metallic sheen and cobalt blue"]},"3b3c5a47-4329-5629-bd23-31d6ccb2b1dd":{"name":"Guild panel, butchers' guild of St. Gallen, Switzerland","short_description":"The central image depicts a butcher wielding his axe towards a bull's head while his wife brings a bowl to catch its blood. The donor names appear above the coats of arms.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1564","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 35.5cm","provenance":"Probably St. Gallen","obtention":"Purchased in 1891 from the Vincent Collection Constance, Germany","artist_birthdate":"June 1527","artist_birthplace":"St. Gallen, Switzerland","artist_deathdate":"6 January 1577","artist_deathplace":"St. Gallen, Switzerland","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"3c8378b6-b15a-5c21-874e-d7a334e3dab5":{"name":"Frescoed architectural fragment from a bathhouse.","description":"A frescoed architectural fragment that once formed part of a bathhouse, consisting of a niche with a pointed arch. The imagery within the niche portrays a figure, executed in black and red watercolours against a white background, executed in the fresco technique. The subject is a seated youth – who might have been a prince – and who holds a cup in his hand. He is wearing a loose robe-like garment, which is decorated with red vegetal motifs. His upper arms are encircled by two bands, and his head is covered by a pleated turban. A complete circular halo appears around the youth's head, perhaps to emphasise his status. He wears a scarf placed around his back, the two ends emerging from under his armpits and then left hanging down, suspended in mid-air. Two parts of the youth's hair can be seen beneath the turban, one in the front and the other at the back.  \nThe niche is framed by an arch composed of bead-like roundels. The fresco itself resembles paintings found in Samarra, Iraq in terms of both the figures; the shape of the heads and the circular halo, for instance, as well as in the repetitive decorative motifs; the frame in the form of an arch, for example. In addition the implementation of style is far from realistic, and leans more towards the decorative, with clear Persian influences. The Fatimid frescoes are not too different in form, style, or thematic content from depictions executed on metallic lustre ceramics, which were being produced in Egypt during this period. It is possible to study the pictorial representation on this architectural fragment by comparing it to similar Fatimid-period examples executed on various media: ceramics, some wooden pieces and on many textiles. Furthermore it is interesting to consider the role of painting itself as a distinctive decorative component of the applied arts during the Fatimid period.","short_description":"Baths were buildings of importance in the Islamic world due to their role in purification and hygiene. The walls of bathhouses were commonly decorated with frescoes, like the example we see here.","type":"Fresco, bathhouse","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 24.5 cm, width 60 cm.","method_for_datation":"Painting on all the applied arts is a distinctive feature of the Fatimid period, it also makes comparison with other paintings of the period a useful means of dating an object.","method_for_provenance":"Fustat was narrowed-down as the place of production for this architectural fragment as the piece was discovered *in situ* in a Fatimid bathhouse.","provenance":"Fustat, Egypt.","obtention":"Archaeological excavations undertaken by the Centre of Arab Antiquities in 1932 revealed the presence of a Fatimid bathhouse in the region of Fustat. Some of its constituent parts, including this architectural fragment, were transferred and registered as acquisitions of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo in 1934.","bibliography":"Al-Pasha, H., *Al-Taswir al-Islami fi al-Usur al-Wusta \\[Islamic Painting During the Middle Ages\\]*, Cairo, 1959.  \n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_, **Trésors fatimides* du Caire*, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 1998.  \nGrübe, E., *Cobalt and Lustre: The First Centuries of Islamic Pottery,* London, 1994.  \nHassan, Z. M.,“Tuhaf Jadida min al-Khazaf al-Fatimi dhi al-Bareeq al-Ma'dani \\[New Pieces from Fatimid Metallic Lustre Ceramics\\]”, *Majalat Kuliyat al-Adab \\[of the Faculty of Arts\\],* December, 1951.  \nHassan, Zaki M., *Kunuz al-Fatimiyyin \\[Treasures of the Fatimids\\],* Beirut, 1981.  \nPhilon, H., *Early Islamic Ceramics: Ninth to Twelfth Centuries,* Athens, Vol. 1, London, 1980.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Al-Sayyed Muhammad Khalifa Hammad","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["bathhouse","Figurative representation","Fresco","stucco"],"materials":["Fresco: stucco-painted with watercolour in red and black."]},"3cc3cd1b-6a98-54f3-8299-5ed61c1d3d3d":{"name":"Window.","description":"A window made of stucco, which contains pierced decoration filled with coloured glass. The decorations of the window are placed in two rectangular sections: one, larger, at the bottom and the other, smaller, at the top. The decoration in the lower section is composed of a pointed arch, within which are vegetal motifs including cypress trees, and decorative architectural components such as domes and minarets, which bear a strong Ottoman imprint. The upper section is composed of an inscription in *naskhi* script, which reads: 'Oh Muhammad'.This inscription is written against a background of geometric decoration and stylised-coloured flowers distinguished by their simplicity.  \nStucco windows appeared in buildings in the early Islamic era and were used in Amr ibn al-'As Mosque and in al-Azhar Mosque, during the Fatimid period. In the Mamluk and Ottoman periods stucco coloured-glass windows were used more generally. The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo has a number of stucco coloured-glass windows in the collection that are embellished with a variety of decorations, which invests in them a special beauty particularly when the sun shines through them or when they are exposed to artificial light. Among the most beautiful is that with the registry number 9886.","short_description":"Stucco windows were known in different Islamic periods and were used in different buildings to filter the sunshine and soften its glare. When their pierced patterns were covered with coloured glass, the aesthetic effect was exquisite.","type":"Stucco, glassware","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 10th century / AD 16th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 131 cm, width 65 cm.","method_for_datation":"The window is dated based on the decorative architectural components, which have a definite Ottoman stamp. The window is also associated with construction of the Sariyat al-Jabal (Mosque of Suleyman Pasha) which was built in 935 / 1528.","method_for_provenance":"This window is associated with the Mosque of Suleyman Pasha, built in 935 / 1528 in the Citadel of Cairo and was probably made in Cairo, Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"This object was transferred to the museum from the Mosque of Sariyat al-Jabal (Mosque of Suleyman Pasha).","bibliography":"Al-Pasha, H., *Fan al-Taswir fi Masr al-Islamiya \\[The Art of Pictorial Depiction in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1966.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Muslim Art in Fouad I University,* Vol. 1, Cairo, 1950.  \nNaguib, Ezz El Din, et al, “Light Screens”, Cairo, 1997.  \nShiha, M., “Islamic Architecture in Egypt”, *Prisma, Magazine of the Ministry of Culture,* Cairo, 2001.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Coloured glass","glass","naskhi script","stucco"],"materials":["Stucco, pierced and fitted with coloured glass."]},"3fcb079f-6a10-569e-97e4-f341d5df2eca":{"name":"Ceiling, custom-made for Shangri La's living room","short_description":"The living room ceiling at Shangri La was custom-made by Moroccan artisans working under the supervision of the Rabat-based firm S.A.L.A.M. René Martin. It is carved, painted, and gilded throughout. The central field features recessed octagrams in interlocking, knotted niches, predominantly orange and brown in tone. The bottommost border consists of a moulded plaster frieze of floral motifs in an arcade repeated throughout.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; woodwork; painting; architectural decoration","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1355 / AD 1937","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 1437 x 726.4 cm","provenance":"Morocco","dynasty":"French Protectorate","keywords":["architectural decoration","ceiling","floral decoration","French Protectorate","geometric motifs","gilded","Morocco","painted","wood","workshop"],"materials":["painted, gilded, varnished","Wood (cedar)"]},"41b66680-5678-5938-9b4d-b08f12206eb9":{"name":"Postcard of the Hejaz Railway Station","description":"Postcard; printed; real photograph; monochrome photograph showing the Hejaz railway station in Damascus with several people and carriages at the entrance.","type":"Photograph","holder":"The British Museum","owner":"The British Museum","dates":"1920s-1930s (circa)","location":"London, United Kingdom","dimensions":"Height: 8,80 cm; width: 13,9 cm","place_of_production":"Damascus, Syria","obtention":"Bequeathed by Frank Hall Jr in 2013.","catalogue_holding_link":"https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_EPH-ME-2063","keywords":["architecture","Railway","station","Syria","Transportation"],"materials":["Paper"]},"42921209-bf16-5ad2-9981-5d7b63ee02d1":{"name":"Architectural element, column fragment","short_description":"The column fragment features an epigraphic cartouche in its upper portion and three bands with plant and epigraphic motifs that alternate and develop helicoidally in its lower portion. The Arabic inscriptions have auspicious content and are all rendered in foliate *kufic* letters, presented in relief with traces of colour from the original polychromy.","type":"Column","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira early 6th century / AD Early 12th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 39.5cm, Width: 30cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation finding","provenance":"Palace in Ghazni associated with Mas'ud III (1099-1115), Afghanistan","obtention":"Deposit IsIAO, excavation IsMEO","bibliography":"Artusi S., MNAO Archive file, code nr. 1201064870, 2011.  \nDi Flumeri, G., *Tesori invisibili*, exhibition catalogue, Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo (1 May - 26 July 2009), Rome, 2009: 142.","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","author":"Michael Jung","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["carving, painting","Terracotta, mortar"]},"45a31a2f-a589-5ebe-9521-9d4fb116c2ab":{"name":"Tile","short_description":"This square tile is decorated with a black star-like shaped framed by decorative white lines. A star-like shape with yellow in the middle bears resemblance to a flower. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds identical tiles which were made in Toledo.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 9cm x Width: 9cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects e. g. Victoria and Albert Museum (see Ray 2000, p. 331).","method_for_provenance":"Purchased from J. Krauth, Frankfurt.","provenance":"Spain, Toledo","obtention":"Purchased in 1884.","bibliography":"Ray, A., *Spanish Pottery 1248-1898. With a Catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum*, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2000.","dynasty":"Nasrid","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Spanish","tile"],"materials":["Glazed ceramic"]},"468d72e0-71b1-5e62-aa9c-e37d8f31588f":{"name":"Lintel.","description":"Piece of grey marble whose form evokes that of a poly-lobed arch. Its face is bordered by a relief of sculpted double curvilinear lines that meet and interlace in the middle of the base, generating a concave decorative feature at the centre in the shape of shells or flower petals.  \nArchitectural elements of this kind were used to decorate the façades of palatial buildings.","short_description":"The shape of this lintel is reminiscent of a poly-lobed arch. The front is edged with two curved lines carved in relief that intertwine to create a central, sunken element in the shape of a shell or petalled flower. Such architectural elements were used to decorate the façades of palaces.","type":"Lintel, marble","holder":"Museum of M’sila (National Agency of Archaeology)","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"M’sila","dimensions":"Height 31 cm, length 60 cm, width 36 cm, thickness 15 cm.","method_for_datation":"The piece was found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / 11th–12th centuries).","method_for_provenance":"Found *in situ* in the Qasr al-Manar.","provenance":"Qasr al-Manar, Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (Bourouiba excavations, 1971).","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R., *Cités disparues: Tahert, Sédrata, Achir, Kalaâ des Beni Hammad*, Algiers, 1982.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les H'ammadites*, Algiers, 1984.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Ali Benbella","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","floral decoration","Hammadid","lintel","Palace","palatial architecture","Qasr al-Manar","sculpture"],"materials":["Sculpted grey marble."]},"47f199fd-3322-5ab8-b00e-f35c60fd72f6":{"name":"Niche.","description":"Rectangular-shaped niche with a rounded back in the form of a shell, ornamented with fillets that end in roll mouldings. The façade of the bay, which is sculpted in bas-relief, is decorated with festoons, lozenges and circles, whereas the cornerstones are adorned with rosettes framed on either side with stylised leaves.  \nThe bay fits within a double frame: the first formed by a lozenge trellis, the second by a narrow fret band.  \nThe decoration of this panel evokes that sculpted by the Romans and the Byzantines from North Africa on shrines that were made of earth, as well as on architectural pieces, altars, etc., all of which attests to the continuity of the ornamental repertory.  \nThe sculpture was executed with a metal blade, worked on the *timchent* while it was still soft. According to H. Saladin (see Bibliography) this local type of plaster made from the region's limestone was 'applied to walls made of cobblestones or rubble'.  \nThe niche was built in the corner of a room at a certain height above ground-level. The upper part has undergone restoration work.","short_description":"Niche with a rounded back and a half-dome whose façade bears *naqsh-hadida* (sculpted plaster) decoration with simple geometric or floral rosette motifs in *timchent* plaster. Placed in the corner of a large room, it would have been used as a cupboard and also to help support the ceiling.","type":"Niche, plaster","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 296–467 / AD 909–1074.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 77 cm, width 73 cm, depth 41 cm.","method_for_datation":"After the fall of the Rustamid dynasty, the Ibadids of Tahert escaped southward and founded a new town, Sedrata (296–467 / 909–1074). This fragment comes from a palace in that town. Alternatively, a fragment of frieze that was created for the same palace can be dated to the 5th / 11th century, as, according to Marçais, the *kufic* characters that feature could be from the '11th century and resemble those of Kairouan'.","method_for_provenance":"Report published in the *Comptes rendus de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres* in 1952.","provenance":"Sedrata, Algeria.","obtention":"From an archaeological repository (excavations by Van Berchem, 1952).","bibliography":"Bermúdez Pareja, J., “Crónica arqueológica de la España musulmana”, *Al-Andalus*, Vol. XX, 1955, pp. 407–52.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nSaladin, H*., Manuel d'art musulman. L'architecture*, Paris, 1907.  \nVan Berchem, M., “Deux campagnes de fouilles à Sédrata en Algérie”, *Comptes rendus de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres*, 1952, pp.242–6.  \nVan Berchem, M., “Deux campagnes de fouilles à Sédrata (1951–1952)”, *Travaux de l'Institut de recherches sahariennes*, Vol. X, 1953, pp.123–38.","dynasty":"Rustamid of Sedrata","author":"Houria Cherid","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Construction","geometric adornment","geometric decoration","local plaster","monument","niche","palatial architecture","plaster","rectangular case","Rosette","Rustamid","sculpture","Sedrata","Shell","timchent"],"materials":["Local type of plaster (timchent), sculpted."]},"4c9b3c73-f021-537b-b1bc-a5a3c53c31bf":{"name":"Frieze.","description":"The upper part of this long panel is decorated with a traditional Marinid ribbon of eight-petal rosettes between two fillets. The main section sits below this band and is divided into two decorative areas.  \nThe lower area consists of plant motifs in low relief: noduled foliage and smooth double palms.  \nThe upper area consists of alternating high-relief arcatures in two different sizes. They consist of two superposed arches separated by a groove: the upper arch is undulated and the lower arch consists of double-palm lobes and is rendered in *cavetto*.  \nThe large arcatures are crowned with fleurons that cut into the rosette band. They contain an inscription in twisted pseudo-*kufic* characters with floral upstrokes and bear a mirror image of the word '*yumn*' (prosperity), similar to the motifs used in Marinid architectural decoration.  \nThe smaller ones are stamped with a ribbed six-lobe palmette and crowned with plant decoration surrounded by two bound lobes and flanked by adventitious floral upstrokes that extend beyond the sides of the large arcatures.  \nThe movement of the floral motifs, which is harmoniously adapted to the shape of the epigraphic decoration, and the spacing of the spandrels of the arches, as well as their large and rigorous rendering, make this well-made Marinid piece particularly interesting.","short_description":"The decorative elements of this panel (rosette frame, arches, pseudo-epigraphic inscriptions, palmette and floral motifs) along with their layout and execution are reminiscent of the decorated friezes found at the top of gallery walls in Fez's Marinid *madrasas*.","type":"Woodwork, frieze, wood","holder":"Kasbah Museum.","owner":"Batha Museum, Fez.","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century.","location":"Tangiers.","dimensions":"Height 31.5 cm, length 244.5 cm, depth 5 cm.","method_for_datation":"From comparative analysis. The decorative elements of this panel, rosette frame, arches, pseudo-epigraphic inscription, palmettes and floral motifs, as well as their layout and execution are reminiscent of the ornamentation found on friezes on top of the walls in the galleries of Marinid *madrasas* in Fez, in particular the Buinaniya.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nTerrasse, Ch., *Médersas du Maroc*, Paris, 1927.  \nTerrasse, H. and Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted and vanished cedarwood."]},"4ccac71e-541b-5e6c-b28b-e5ec2a3359e3":{"name":"Angel as a shield holder with municipal panel of Winterthur, Switzerland","short_description":"An angel in a blue-grey alb and purple cape kneels in a Late Gothic portal. Using both hands, he presents the coat of arms of the city of Winterthur, Switzerland.","type":"Stained glass; church window","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"c. 1493","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 77cm","place_of_production":"Probably Zurich","provenance":"Parish church of St. Anna, Veltheim, Switzerland","obtention":"Purchased in 1900 from the parish church of St. Anna, Veltheim","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"4da4dffd-186e-54fb-aa72-d606f46820ba":{"name":"Screen in passageway of the Paço dos Infantes.","description":"The arrangement in the museum today was based on a design made in 1894, with the screen still *in situ*, by the artist Rosa Mendes Junior, the original of which is in the museum.  \nThis screen came from the south wall of the passageway which linked the ducal palace of Beja to the monastery of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, above the Viela dos Infantes alleyway,and has been reconstructed with great accuracy, although only some of the materials are original. Great care was taken in the reconstruction to rebuild one of the sections (the one furthest to the left of the onlooker) entirely using original pieces.  \nThe whole piece is made up of six small pillars made of brick, octagonal in section, which have grooves on two of their faces into which the pieces of terracotta are fitted. These pieces, three in each of four sections and seven in the other, are framed to give the whole screen a sense of consistency and to ensure less visibility and greater seclusion to any person in the passageway, with compact bricks in the lower part and upper part up to the ogee arches at the top which join the pillars to one another. Above these arches, the cornice is decorated with a scheme of arches grouped in threes (with greater emphasis given to the central one) and linked by a small dentil, imitating a Lombardy frieze. The overhang of the double pitched roof which covered the passageway is reconstructed above the cornice.  \nTwo of the sets of terracotta panels have quatrefoils, with the foils spiralling out from a central eye (like the sgraffito work of the S. Brás chapel at Évora, dating from around 1485), and in one of these groups, the one in the central section, the eye and the plant designs form openings to provide the interior of the passageway with natural light. The same happens with all the panels of the other three sections: two are ornamented with very stylised plant motifs and one (the one furthest to the onlooker's right) with seven sections on top of one another decorated with intersecting pointed arches.","short_description":"This screen is all that remains of the palace that the Duke of Beja (future King Manuel I) commissioned around AH 890 / AD 1485. It consists of six small octagonal pillars made of brick and fitted with terracotta pieces. The passageway was demolished in 1895 and restored in 1927.","type":"Screen, brick, terracotta","holder":"Queen Leonor Regional Museum.","initial_owner":"Duke and Duchess of Beja, Dom Fernando and Dona Brites, (infante and infanta). The screen gave the duchess direct yet secluded access to the upper choir of the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Conceição.","dates":"End of the 15th century.","location":"Beja.","dimensions":"Height 322 cm, length 363 cm, depth 22.8 cm.","method_for_datation":"As the nuns were relocated to this monastery in 1475, the passageway cannot predate that year. Master builder João de Arruda was working at the palace in 1485, which means that it is possible that his campaign of work included the building of the passageway. When the palace was demolished in 1895, architectural pieces were salvaged which match this screen in stylistic terms. The infanta, Dona Brites, died in 1506, and it is unlikely that she would have commissioned the building of the passageway near the time of her death.","method_for_provenance":"There is a photograph and drawing of the passageway *in situ*. There are records of the dismantling and conservation of the materials which were salvaged from the passageway itself, some of which were used for the fairly rigorous reconstruction – the decorated bricks of the panels, clay bricks of the flooring, cyma mouldings \\[type of cornice mouldings\\], shafts, etc.","obtention":"The passageway was demolished in 1895 and some of its materials were collected in the former Town Hall. The screen was reconstructed in 1927 in the museum, where it is housed today, which is the former monastery of Nossa Senhora da Conceição.","bibliography":"Dias, P., “Arquitectura Mudéjar Portuguesa: Tentativa de Sistematização”, *Mare Liberum*, 8, Lisbon, 1994, pp.49–89.  \nEspanca, T., *Inventário Artístico de Portugal: Distrito de Beja*, Vol. I, Lisbon, 1992.  \nViana, A., “Mosteiro da Conceição e Palácio dos Infantes”, *Arquivo de Beja*, 2, 1945, pp.423–31.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_PT_001","author":"Manuel J. C. Branco","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["duke and duchess of Beja","geometric decoration","João de Arruda","Mudéjar","openwork screen","palatial architecture","plant motif decoration"],"materials":["Brick (in the supporting and opaque areas)","terracotta (in the sections with ornamentation and openwork)."]},"530f0310-0111-5a9b-bcd8-d43868876a42":{"name":"Panel with abstract decoration","short_description":"This carved panel comes from Egypt, where wood, on account of its rarity and cost, was decorated with care and used in contexts generally reserved for luxury materials. Although it is impossible to say how this wood panel was used originally, it is possible to assign it to the late 3rd/late 9th century on the basis of its distinctive decoration. Decorated in the bevelled style, the panel depicts highly stylised leaves that have been transformed into abstract motifs. As is typical of this style, it is impossible to distinguish between background and foreground or between natural and abstract forms. The bevelled style may have first been developed at Samarra, in northern Iraq, which replaced Baghdad as the Abbasid capital, from Hegira 221–279 / AD 836 to 892. This style was quickly adopted in other parts of the Islamic empire including Egypt, as exemplified by the decoration in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira late 3rd century / AD late 9th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"64.2 x 20.3cm","method_for_datation":"It is datable on the basis of its distinctive decoration in the so-called bevelled style as in the mosque of Ibn Tulun and can likewise be ascribed to Egypt.","method_for_provenance":"The style of the panel relates to the architectural decoration of the mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, completed in Hegira 265 / AD 879.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Rev. ed., Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 14, fig. 9.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo divino: Arte islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles*, Santiago, Chile: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 35, 207.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 87.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 176.","dynasty":"Tulunid","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Abbasids","Bevelled style","carving","Samarra","Tulunid","vegetal decoration","woodwork"],"materials":["Wood, carved"]},"53178417-31fa-543d-866e-9ede2d175694":{"name":"Door Panel","short_description":"Ivory inlays were frequently combined with wood in the production of furniture and architectural fittings in late medieval Egypt. This elaborate method of fabrication, which used costly ivory and rare woods like ebony, required that individual elements, often of minute size, be cut, carved with intricate motifs, and then carefully constructed like a mosaic to form a larger unit of generally geometric design. Accuracy in cutting and assembling was essential since every piece affects the whole. It is difficult to say exactly how the present door functioned, but most likely it was one of a pair, perhaps for a cupboard set into a wall of either a religious or a secular building.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira second half of 7th century / AD second half of the 13th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"91.4 x 27.3 x 3.8cm","method_for_datation":"The ornamentation and technique suggest a date in the early Mamluk period.","method_for_provenance":"The materials, techniques and design relate this panel to Mamluk Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Collection of Habib Anavian (1915-1995), New York, until June 1981 (sold to); Collection of Maan Z. Madina (1926-2013), New York, until 2002 (sold to); LACMA, The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 140-141.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 112-113.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 40.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 28-29.","dynasty":"Mamluk","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["architectural element","carved decoration","carving","Door","ebony","geometric design","inlay","ivory","Mamluk","marquetry","panel","wood"],"materials":["Wood, carved ivory, marquetry"]},"59a7e631-51cd-5c00-96df-73c23c2e673f":{"name":"Frieze with calligraphy.","description":"This frieze was set into the wall of the *qibla* of the central court of the Zawiya al-Gharianiya, above the outside *mihrab*. The large *kufic* characters stand out in strong relief from the background. Thin grooves outline their contours. The letters are designed to look monumental but have richly ornamented motifs attached to them.  \nThe *kufic* writing on this frieze is extremely sophisticated. The shaping of the letters shows a concern for composition and the overall design is skilfully worked out to fill the whole space harmoniously. Particularly remarkable is a highly complex foliated scroll, which emerges from the letter *nun* and terminates in a three-lobed fleuron touching the preceding letter. This scroll motif contains a stylised five-lobed leaf of a type found in the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire from the AH 3rd / AD 9th century. The carver's skill in choosing this elaborate decoration has resolved the problem of the letter *mim* falling between two letters with tall uprights (*lam* and *nun*). Notice also the heart-shaped motif suspended from the letter 'as- S*alam*' (peace), the symbol of love and affection.  \nThe inscription is unfinished and says: 'Enter into here in peace, into the shelter from all fear and …'","short_description":"Set in the *qibla* wall of the central courtyard of the Zawiya al-Gharianiya above the external *mihrab*, this frieze has an incomplete inscription in *kufic* script of great palaeographic value. Its style and decoration have marked similarities with dozens of Kairouanese funerary steles.","type":"Frieze, marble","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira, first half of the 5th century / AD 11th century","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 141 cm; height (total) 37 cm, (carved strip) 32 cm, (letters) 31 cm; thickness 0.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The calligraphy in this frieze is very similar in style and decoration to dozens of Kairouanese funerary stelae which date from the first half of the 4th / 10th century. Furthermore, similar types of lettering have been found at Kairouan dating from the same era; for example, the lettering carved in wood on the frieze at the *maqsura* of the Great Mosque and the inscription on the two piers re-used as uprights in the Bab Tunis itself (437 / 1046).","method_for_provenance":"All the evidence suggests that this frieze was taken from the site at Sabra al-Mansuriyya. This view is corroborated by the presence of various pieces of material such as capitols, columns, with inscriptions, and crossbeams used in the construction of the monument in the 8th / 14th century and which date from the Fatimid–Zirid era.  \nIn fact, the Sabra site was used as a quarry by the Kairouanese during the reconstruction of their town after the Hilalian invasion, and is the only one with such an abundance of these materials.","provenance":"Kairouan or Sabra al-Mansuriyya.","obtention":"During the restoration work on the Sidi Abid al-Ghariani Mausoleum this frieze was acquired by the National Institute of the Patrimony of Tunis. It has been on display since 1986 at the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada.","bibliography":"*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue)*,* Tunis*,* 1986, p.235.  \n*De Carthage à Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue)*,* Paris, 1982, p.216, cat. no. 286.  \nRoy, B. and Poinssot, P., *Inscriptions arabes de Kairouan,* Paris, 1950, vol. I, pp.77–8, cat. no. 37.  \n*Tunisie: du christianisme à l'islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, p.192.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.155–6.","dynasty":"Fatimid–Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","floral decoration","inscription"],"materials":["White marble carved with letters and decoration."]},"5bd0b400-e2a7-5040-8e6d-9c15256ea7f9":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"This long decorative panel, carved in low relief and with slightly damaged ends, consists of five well-balanced sections arranged symmetrically along a longitudinal axis. These sections and the panel sides are framed with grooved and cabled borders.  \nThe lower section is delimited with a lobed arcature containing an arch supported on floral capitals and twisted columns rendered in relief on a dense floral background. This consists of bouquets of palmettes and finely veined single and double palms on either side of ascending stems reminiscent of the tree of life theme.  \nThe second section is decorated with circular foliage bearing, at regular intervals, veined nodules, single veined calyx palms, double digitate palms and concave coil palms.  \nThe third section is decorated with geometric ornamentation: an octagonal braid in relief embellished with pearls crowns a composition of mixtilinear knotwork that radiates from an eight-pointed star. A longitudinal groove cuts across this strip.  \nThe fourth section is similar to the second. The fifth consists of grooved knotwork combining squares and four-lobed curvilinear stars. These polygonal figures created by the knotwork lines are filled at different levels with floral motifs that soften the geometric composition: veined symmetrical calyx palms inserted between two asymmetrical palms with intertwined stems and six-petal rosettes.  \nAll of these well ordered and finely executed decorative themes, inspired by flora, geometry and architecture, are found in different Almoravid buildings and objects.","short_description":"This long ornate panel, carved in low relief, is decorated with finely executed and hierarchically arranged plant, geometric and architectural motifs, as found in different Almoravid buildings and objects known today.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 95 cm, length 18.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through comparative study. Several of the motifs chosen to decorate this piece and their relief, ornamental composition and abundance are also found in other dated Almoravid pieces, such as the *minbar* of the Great Mosque of Algiers, the decoration on the domes of the Qarawiyyin and the Marrakesh *qubba*. This enables us to date this panel to the Almoravid period and specifically to the reign of 'Ali ibn Yusuf (500–37 / 1106–42).","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged along with other ancient wooden pieces.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., “La chaire de la Grande Mosquée d'Alger”, *Hespéris*, 1921, Vol. I, fasc. 4, pp.359–86.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nMeunié, J. et Terrasse, H., *Nouvelles recherches archéologiques à Marrakech*, Paris, 1957.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, p.104.","dynasty":"Almoravid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","geometric decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted cedarwood."]},"5e1d1ee8-7f7e-58a8-8402-1892185b69b8":{"name":"Door lintel.","description":"A lintel that once adorned the top of a doorway of an Umayyad palace at Umm al-Walid. Worked in shallow stucco relief, this rare object appears to be more one-dimensional like a painting, than a two-dimensional work in relief. The scene depicts a panther chasing a gazelle, a reminder of the wild animals that once roamed the countryside during the Umayyad period, creatures that were game to courtly hunts organised for amusement.","short_description":"A lintel that once adorned the top of a doorway of an Umayyad palace at Umm al-Walid. Worked in shallow stucco relief, the scene depicts a panther chasing a gazelle, a reminder of the wild animals that once roamed the countryside during the Umayyad period.","type":"Door, lintel, stone","holder":"Madaba Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 2nd century / AD 8th century.","location":"Madaba","dimensions":"Height 63 cm, Length 2.30 m.","method_for_datation":"The building is dated to the Umayyad period on archaeological grounds. The plan of the palace, together with the pottery and metal objects found on the site, indicate that the palace was built in the Umayyad period.","method_for_provenance":"The provenance is known because the lintel was uncovered on site during an archaeological excavation.","provenance":"Umm al-Walid, Jordan.","obtention":"The object was obtained in 1996 during archaeological excavations at Umm al-Walid, which lies 15 km south-east of Madaba, where a mosque was also uncovered.","bibliography":"Bujard, J., “Umm al-Walid et Khan Ez-Zabib : Cinq Qusur omeyyades et leur mosquée revisités”, *Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan*, XLI, 1997, pp.351–74.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["architectural decoration","court life","hunting","relief decoration","Stonework"],"materials":["Carved limestone."]},"5e68d23f-cf28-560b-a2ba-3eb4bc3170a3":{"name":"The Northumberland House Glass Drawing Room","short_description":"The use of coloured plate glass as one of the core components in the decorative scheme of the drawing room in Northumberland House is perhaps indicative of the status of glass in Britain in the mid-18th century. Designed by Robert Adam (1728-1792) for the fashionable 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, and completed in 1775, the glass drawing room provided the backdrop for the well-attended entertainments hosted at Northumberland House. The huge panels of glass are backed with red and green metal foils, and they were then overlaid in gilt metal ornament in the neo-classical style that Adam was so renowned for.","holder":"Victoria & Albert Museum","dates":"1773-74","location":"London","author":"Simon Spier"},"5eacbf30-4e9e-5c27-a757-04efcf633b45":{"name":"Wooden frieze.","description":"An almost complete frieze that would undoubtedly have come from a religious monument. Its surface is decorated with a flowery and twisted *kufic* inscription repeating the end of Qur'anic verse 73 of Sura 22 ('Pilgrimage'). The *kufic* characters are embellished with vegetal elements in the form of tri-lobed demi-fleurons and five-lobed fleurons that prolong the angle of the bevel.  \nThe text is carved on a plant background consisting of a dense floral composition with absolutely no empty spaces. This decorative element uses pinecones and palms carried by foliage or decorating the involutions: asymmetric smooth palms with calyxes and branches stretching into loops and veined double palms with acanthus leaves whose offshoot, which separates the veins into twos, assumes an oval shape reminiscent of a pinecone scale.  \nThis frieze, with its low-relief decoration covering the entire surface and where a taste for abundance and ornamental opulence has supplanted Almohad rigour and simplicity, well illustrates the aesthetic choices of Marinid art, which adopts some elements of Almoravid art.","short_description":"This incomplete frieze would almost certainly have come from a religious monument. It is decorated with a Qur'anic inscription in flowery, twisted *kufic* characters on an unbroken background of plant decoration in low relief, a good illustration of aesthetic choices in Marinid art.","type":"Woodwork, frieze, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 21.6 cm, length 107 cm, depth 3.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic analysis. The rendering of the letters and the floral forms, which can also be seen in the decoration of the Bab Mrissa gateway in Salé dating from the second half of the 7th / 13th century, as well as its decoration suggests the style of the beginning of the Marinid era.","method_for_provenance":"Information taken from the inventory register.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["epigraphy","floral decoration","Religion","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Raised and sculpted cedarwood."]},"62d53464-3fcf-57c1-a694-32079c419d33":{"name":"Rose window","description":"St George's Chapel, also known as the Queen's Chapel, was erected on the south side of the Santa Isabel courtyard of the Aljafería Palace. This is a rose window with a central circle whose decoration shows an Islamic influence in its interlinked arches, which form an eight-pointed star. This central circle is surrounded by eight smaller mouldings in a Gothic style each with a four-leafed clover. This rose window is the only surviving material trace of what would have been a small, single-nave chapel with a simple, rough brick ribbed vault, the ribs resting on emblazoned corbels with a large bead moulding running around the entire wall at the height of the springing line of the vault. It is generally accepted that it was built during the times of King Peter IV the Ceremonious (r. 1336–87).  \nThe rose window stands out for its artistic value and uniqueness, as it is the only surviving part of one of the few Mudéjar religious monuments built as a royal commission in Aragon. There is little information about the chapel because, as with everything Mudéjar, it was not of interest to the illustrious travellers who left descriptions of the places they visited. When describing the Aljafería, both Jerónimo Münzer in the late 15th century, Cock, who accompanied Philip II in 1585, Cosme de Médicis in 1668 and Antonio Ponz in the 18th century concentrate almost exclusively on the royal quarters.","short_description":"Gothic forms such as four-leafed clovers have been combined in this rose window with Andalusian interlacing patterns developing from the central star. This piece of plasterwork adorned the façade of the San Jorge Chapel, one of the Mudéjar buildings erected in the Aljafería by the Christian kings, now lost.","type":"Window, plaster","holder":"National Archaeological Museum","dates":"1350–70","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Diameter 126 cm","method_for_datation":"From its characteristic features based on tracery typical of the 14th century.","method_for_provenance":"It remained in its original location until 1866, two years before it came to the National Archaeological Museum.","provenance":"St George’s Chapel in the Aljafería Palace, Saragossa, Spain.","obtention":"The rose window was donated to the National Archaeological Museum by the Comandancia de Ingenieros de Zaragoza through Paulino Savirón in 1869.","bibliography":"Alquézar Yáñez, E., Arias Sánchez, I. and Franco Mata, A., “Carpintería y Elementos Arquitectónicos Mudéjares en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional Procedentes de Aragón”, in *Actas del VI Simposio Internacional de Mudejarismo, Teruel, 16–18 September 1993*, Teruel, 1996, pp.872–3.  \nBorrás Gualís, G., *Arte Mudéjar Aragonés*, I, Saragossa, 1985, p.297.  \níñiguez Almech, F., *Así Fue la Aljafería*, Saragossa, 1952.  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1932, pp.82–3.  \nSavirón y Estevan, P., “Detalles del Palacio de la Aljafería de Zaragoza”, in *Museo Español de Antigüedades*, II, 1873, pp.507–12.  \n  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, p.89.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Aljafería","Mudéjar","plaster","Rose","Saragossa"],"materials":["Moulded plaster"]},"63864fbd-1f56-5956-a52d-f2de75cc09e2":{"name":"Wall panel","short_description":"The lower walls and floor of Shangri La’s master bathroom are covered with carved marble panels inlaid with stones (possibly semi-precious) in floral motifs. Larger panels with unique floral sprays may be flanked by thin panels with mirrored floral sprays. The floor has three octagonal panels with floral medallions set into plain white marble, with a scrolling floral vine frame on three sides. The panels are of varying colours, including blue, orange, green, and yellow.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; marble panel","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1353–1357 / AD 1935–1938","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 76.2 x 74.9 cm","provenance":"India, Delhi and Agra","keywords":["architectural decoration","floral decoration","India","marble","semiprecious stones"],"materials":["Marble","semiprecious stones"]},"644221f4-0a72-56c2-92af-e6764a6d257a":{"name":"Very large column shaft with Arabic inscription in *kufic* characters.","description":"Very large marble shaft, probably reworked from a Roman piece, broken at the top and missing about one third of its original height. There are a variety of abrasions on its surface. The lower part of the shaft has been chiselled. A scroll 20 cm wide placed at a height of 160 cm up the shaft contains a *kufic* inscription in relief. The text of the inscription is as follows (translation by M. Amari – see Bibliography): ‘And (I wish for) no favour but from God’. The height of the reworked column, originally Roman or Byzantine, can be calculated to around 296 cm. On the basis of the style of the *kufic* characters, it is possible to attribute the inscription to the AH end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century / AD end of 10th or beginning of the 11th century. The use of marble suggests a prestigious location, such as a mosque or a palace.","short_description":"This column may have originally been part of a mosque or similarly important building, and is probably a reworked piece from Roman times. It has a religious inscription in *kufic* characters in relief.","type":"Column, inscription, marble","holder":"Agostino Pepoli Regional Museum","initial_owner":"Cavaliere Pietro Emanuele, Trapani (*c*. 1825)","dates":"9th-10th centuries.","location":"Trapani","dimensions":"Max. height 215 cm, lower diameter 36 cm.","method_for_provenance":"Reused in the palace of Pietro Emanuele in Trapani, located in the ‘Casalicchio’ district, which some local traditions claim was the centre of the town during the Arabic period.","provenance":"Arab Quarter, Trapani.","obtention":"Transfer from the Fardelliana Library in Trapani.","bibliography":"Amari, M., *Epigrafi Arabiche di Sicilia I: Iscrizioni Edili*, Palermo, 1875, 83, no. XXIII, tab. X.3.  \nBarresi, P., “Le Colonne Arabe di Trapani”, *Sicilia Archeologica* (forthcoming).  \nDi Ferro, G. M., *Guida per gli Stranieri in Trapani*, Trapani, 1825 (reprinted 1977), pp.164, 212, note 130.  \nGregorio, R., *Rerum Arabicarum Quae ad Historiam Siculam Spectant*, Panormi (Palermo), 1790, p.141.  \nGabrieli, F. and Scerrato, U., *Gli Arabi in Italia*, Milan, 1979, fig. 261.","dynasty":"Norman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Paolo Barresi","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["inscription","kufic"],"materials":["inscription in relief.","Marble with whitish background and wavy green veining (known as cipollin) from the quarries of Karystos in Evia"]},"649c683b-d1f3-512e-8170-458ed534da19":{"name":"Welcome panel with alliance coat of arms","short_description":"Hans Dietlin and his wife Anna Prücker are poised to shake hands. Behind them is a majestic blossoming tree around which a ribbon bears the inscription *Nach Leid komt Fröd* (After sorrow comes joy).","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1534","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 43.5cm","obtention":"Purchased in Paris, France in 1899","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"66e51f17-108b-5591-b6b7-54ea9b37a8c1":{"name":"Tile","short_description":"This tile depicts geometric motifs on a white background. In each corner there are green fan-shaped leaf-like patterns, divided by a circle of geometric brown and black shapes. In the centre is a black leaf-like pattern around a green circle, forming a flower or star shape.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 880-905 / AD 1475-1500","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 15cm, Width: 15cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects e. g. Victoria and Albert Museum (see Ray 2000, p. 331).","method_for_provenance":"Gift from Dr. O. Jürgens, Altona","provenance":"Spain, Toledo","obtention":"Endowment.","bibliography":"Ray, A., *Spanish Pottery 1248-1898. With a Catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum*, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2000.","dynasty":"Mudéjar?","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Spanish","tile"],"materials":["Glazed ceramic"]},"69edabdc-3e28-5d73-b9dc-323cfd284a68":{"name":"Plaster window","short_description":"The four coloured windows are made of glass fragments in different colours, arranged within a plaster framework to depict carnations in a vase. The windows were made in 19th-century Cairo. During this period, the increasing influence of European fashions led to a decline in the production of such windows. Glazed windows of this type, both plain and decorative, are found in traditional buildings in Turkey and Arabian territories. They are usually set high up, above unglazed windows that are sometimes covered by shutters and screens. Such windows were used for centuries in the Middle East to adorn a variety of buildings, including palaces, mosques, houses, and tombs.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 45cm, Height: 125cm","method_for_datation":"The style is indicative of 19th-century Cairo.","method_for_provenance":"Gift of the Imperial envoy, Mr. von Rucker-Jenisch from Cairo.","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Endowment.","dynasty":"Khedival Egypt","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Egypt","window"],"materials":["Plaster, wood, glass, mortar"]},"6af7dc7f-b6a4-53d7-8220-0e470421058e":{"name":"Views of the  mosques of  Mecca and Medina","short_description":"These views of Mecca and Medina are intricately carved in wood and date from the early 20th century. The wood is likely linden wood, which is soft, lightly grained and easily worked, so it is ideal for elaborate carving. The background is made of a light-coloured satin.  \n  \nMecca is depicted with the Ottoman Ajyad fortress on the Jabal Ajyad range (sometimes known as Jabal Kuda, al-Qla or Bulbul) dominantly in the background. Around the Ka’ba are buildings which were once situated within the *haram*, the buildings and fortress no longer exist. Medina is depicted from the viewpoint of the courtyard, surrounded by a desert landscape, with occasional camels.  \n  \nAnother example is in the Konya Mevlana Museum, Turkey.","type":"Woodwork; textile; architectural sculpture","holder":"Khalili Family Trust – Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage Collection","dates":"19th century","location":"London","dimensions":"53.5x70cm; 52.5x69cm","method_for_datation":"Provenance and are based on stylistic grounds.","provenance":"Turkey","bibliography":"*Islam Faith Worship : July 22 - October 10 2009, Abu Dhabi*, Abu Dhabi Culture & Heritage - T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, 2009.","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"Qaisra Khan","keywords":["Hijaz","Holy place","Ka'ba","Mecca","Medina","Mosque","painting","Paper","pilgrimage","prayer","Prophet Muhammad","Religion","wood","wood carving"],"materials":["Carved wood, satin"]},"6db232a1-1948-537d-8bad-3c92a264c7c0":{"name":"Stucco panel","short_description":"\"Stucco\" is a term used to describe the vast majority of decorations in Islamic Arts. White stucco, made from plaster stones, was used for column capitals, arcs, as well as sloped constructions such as roofs, as it is an incredibly supple, yet strong, adherent, durable and light material. Muslim artisans made countless constructions decorated with stucco. The 18th and 19th centuries, however, saw many constructions in carved golden plaster - both palaces and houses were elaborately decorated in this way. Floral motifs, closer to the Ottoman and Italian styles, soon overtook the geometric designs of previous centuries.","type":"Stucco; plaster","holder":"Musée National du Bardo","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","dimensions":"H. 53 cm, Ø 26 cm","provenance":"Palais du Bardo","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Carved plaster","capitals","palaces","Ottoman style","Italian-esque style"],"materials":["Terracotta"]},"6ef65a75-a6f9-5d0d-8c90-492c934302b3":{"name":"Window frame.","description":"A twisted strip and a carved band decorated with a braid of eight-pointed stars runs around the outside of this quadrangular window frame. It consists of three sections: an upper frieze, a balustrade and the gemelled arcature of the opening. All of the wood is covered with a red base and painted in two shades of brown, yellow ochre, ivory white and some green.  \nThe frieze and the balustrade consist of *mashrabiyya* latticework arranged in a chequered or a diamond pattern. Above this latticework, grooved strips on the balustrade form a knotwork pattern consisting of eight-pointed stars and, on the upper frieze, poly-lobed arches and eight-pointed stars on each side frame a square central medallion bearing the votive inscription 'Mohammed's blessing' in rectangular *kufic* characters.  \nThe opening, surrounded by two frames, the first in turned wood and the second carved into eight-pointed star knotwork, consists of two gemeled horseshoe arches. These arches are supported on a small column and two small engaged demi-columns in turned wood that are fluted at the base and have simulated capitals. All of the components of this last section are decorated with polychrome plant motifs borrowed both from the Moroccan–Andalusian repertoire and the Ottoman repertoire: foliage, single and double palms, fleurons and carnations.  \nWith its harmonious polychromy, this external window frame, which looked over the courtyard of a wealthy residence of the 13th / 19th century is a good example of the careful work of the Meknès carpenters who gained renown in this art when their town became the capital of the 'Alawid kingdom under the reign of Mulay Isma'il (AH 1083–1140 / AD 1672–1727).","short_description":"The outer frame of a window overlooking the courtyard of an expensive house is an example of turned, painted wood from Meknès, an art form that flourished in the imperial city from the beginning of the 'Alawid era. The plant decoration is borrowed from Hispano-Maghrebic and Ottoman repertoires.","type":"Woodwork, frame, window, wood","holder":"Dar Jamai Museum.","dates":"Hegira 12th-13th centuries / AD 18th-19th centuries.","location":"Meknès.","dimensions":"Height 177 cm, length 112 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic and comparative analysis. This type of carpentry, which gives pre-eminence to polychromy and can be found in other museum examples, was first seen in the late 11th / 17th century and became particularly widespread in the 13th / 19th century when middle-class residences, where this sort of work can still be seen, were built in increasing numbers.","method_for_provenance":"From the place it was purchased and its style, which is typical of Meknès.","provenance":"Meknès.","obtention":"Purchased in 1963.","bibliography":"Barrucand, M., *L'architecture de la qasba de Moulay Ismaïl à Meknès*, Casablanca, 1978.  \nMarçais, G., *L'Architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nPaccard, A., *Le Maroc et l'artisanat traditionnel islamique dans l'architecture*, Vol. 2, Paris, 1979.  \nTerrasse, H. and Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","dynasty":"'Alawid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["civic architecture","epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration","religious epigraphy"],"materials":["Sculpted, decorated, turned and painted wood."]},"6fb6ea4d-c7c1-56d9-a527-f3139df0a217":{"name":"Section of a marble frieze.","description":"A section of a marble frieze that was once located along the interior octagonal of the Dome of the Rock. Part of the frieze is still *in situ*, while sections of it are in the Islamic Museum. In its entirety, the frieze consisted of marble panels, each about 98 cm long and 61 cm wide. The frieze included two decorative themes of tiny swirling palm trees and intertwining grapevines.  \nThe frieze is punctuated with a number of Umayyad *kufic* epigraphic inscriptions. The decorations are carved to a depth of around 2 cm in order to emphasise the decoration. The background of the marble is painted, while the decoration in relief is gilded. It is probable that the panel under discussion was transferred to the Museum, along with a number of other pieces, during renovation works at the Dome of the Rock in around 1960.  \nThe piece under discussion is a marble panel, at the centre of which is an arch framed with decorative vegetal motifs, which repeat in most of the arches of the frieze. The arch is supported by two pillars on top of which are two capitals. On each side of the arch there are two other arches which are incomplete here, but which continue on neighbouring marble end-panels, used to terminate the frieze. Some of these panels are at the Islamic Museum in Jerusalem.  \nThese panels reflect the Umayyad decorative programme seen also on the woodwork in al-Aqsa Mosque, or on the stucco work in Khirbat al-Mafjar (Hisham's Palace) in Jericho, or even in the decorations which were discovered in the Umayyad Palace on the northwestern coast of Lake Tiberias in the Galilee (Qasr al-Minya).","short_description":"This decorated and gilded marble frieze once wrapped round the octagonal interior of the Dome of the Rock. A section is still *in situ*. During the restoration of the Dome of the Rock, some 50 years ago, some of the pieces were transferred to the Islamic Museum. The pieces are rare and represent different artistic sources of Umayyad art.","type":"Frieze, marble","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Caliph 'Abd al-Malik bin Marwan (r. AH 65–86 / AD 685–705).","dates":"About hegira 72 / AD 691.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 98 cm, width: 61 cm, depth 3 cm.","method_for_datation":"The date for the panel was established by comparison with similar decorative motifs in the Umayyad palaces of al-Minya and Khirbat al-Mafjar, and with some other Umayyad wooden decorative pieces in the collection at the Islamic Museum in Jerusalem.","method_for_provenance":"Whether this panel was carved in Jerusalem, or imported from Greece or some other locality where finished marble was available, is not known. It is also possible that it was carved in Jerusalem, and that repairs and consolidation of the entire frieze were done in a workshop on site at the Dome of the Rock.","provenance":"Possibly Jerusalem.","obtention":"The panel was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Islamic Museum in around 1960.","bibliography":"Abu Khalaf, M., “The Carved and Gilded Marble Friezes of the Umayyad Period in the Dome of the Rock”, in A, Bakhit (ed), *Fourth International Conference on History of Bilad al-Sahm During the Umayyad Period,* Amman, 1989.  \nRosen-Ayalon, M., “Note on a Particular Technique of Architectural Decoration”, *Israel Exploration Journal*, No. 24, 1974.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","epigraphy","frieze","inscription","kufic","marble","marble decoration","relief decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Marble (Carrara) carved in high relief."]},"6fdbe124-1e12-5bc3-a524-5bbe4a6ae42f":{"name":"Painted wooden board.","description":"This cedarwood board comes from the ceilings of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, where the roof structure is composed of lintels resting on columns and on the walls, following the north–south direction of the nave. The tie-beams, perpendicular to these elements, are supported at each end by carved and painted corbels.  \nThe oldest part of the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan dates from the AH 3rd / AD 9th century. It is decorated with foliate scrolls and fleurons.  \nThe panel has a red background and is composed of four squares with concave sides. Painted green and blue in each of the squares are two intertwining stylised flowers with four petals. They form a sort of octagonal star enclosing a blue or green circle.  \nEach petal ends in a bud surrounded by two flared foliate scrolls. Straight out of the Middle Ages, the painted ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan represent an unique collection in Muslim art, which renders any attempt at research into the origin of their decoration quite difficult. In fact, decorated ceilings covered the central nave of the Great Mosque at Córdoba, but the *ante quem* limit of their dating hardly goes back beyond the AH 4th / AD 10th century, and the magnificent ceilings of the Palatine Chapel at Palermo date from the AH 6th / AD 12th century.","short_description":"Originally part of the ceilings of the prayer room in the Great Mosque of Kairouan, this piece is beautifully decorated with foliage and fleurons on a red background. The painted ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan constitute the only collection of its type in Islamic art.","type":"Woodwork, board, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 135 cm, width 27.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The board's decorative motifs can be found in some of the panels of the carved *minbar* and in the painted wood half-dome of the *mihrab* niche of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which date from the middle of the 3rd / 9th century. They are certified as being Syrian Umayyad art.  \nThese indications, as well as comparison with the different types and models of painted wood forming the ceilings collection from the Great Mosque of Kairouan, date this board from the end of the 3rd / 9th century, probably from the time of the restoration work on the doors and ceilings of the prayer hall ordered and funded by the Aghlabid prince, Ibrahim II (r. 261–89 / 875–902). The dating of this panel from the 5th / 11th century is refutable, since the models, boards and beams of this period are not comparable.","method_for_provenance":"These decorative motifs appear in some of the carved panels of the *minbar* and in the painted wood half-dome of the *mihrab* niche of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, between 1962 and 1972, some beams, boards and joists were taken out and completely replaced. This piece was placed along with thousands of other fragments in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. It was selected for display when the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was extended.","bibliography":"*De Carthage a Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1982, p.207.  \n*Les Andalousies* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 2000, pp.194–5.  \n*The Arts of Islam* (exhibition catalogue), London, 1976, p.284, cat. no. 440.  \n*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue), 1986, p.262.  \nMarçais G., *Coupoles et plafonds de la grande Mosquee de Kairouan*, Tunis and Paris, 1925.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.175–6.","dynasty":"Aghlabid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Wood, painted decoration."]},"702385a6-59dd-5149-9e14-fc7215434a3d":{"name":"Door Lintel.","description":"A lintel that belonged to the entrance of the *khan* found in the region of the Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi complex, which included a market (*suq*), a bathhouse (*hammam*), a garden, a dam, a storage area and, most importantly a palace (*qasr*). The lintel is not extensively ornamented, but it is important inasmuch as scholars have used it to approximate the date the palace was constructed. The inscriptions specify that Caliph Hisham bin Abd al-Malik was patron of the *khan*; Thabit bin Abi Thabit was supervisor during its construction; and the month of Rajab in the year AH 109 / AD 727 was when the *khan* was completed.  \nThis inscription represents a continuation and adaptation of a long-used tradition in the region – that of monumental inscriptions – into an Arabic-language context. The text is written in *kufic* script, an early calligraphic style often used in inscriptions from this period. The technique used to inscribe the marble lintel is, however, unusual as it is done by piercing and drilling holes.  \nThe Arabic text may be translated as follows: “In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. There is no God except the One and Only God he by himself who has no partner. The making of this work was ordered by the servant of Allah Hisham, Commander of the Faithful, may God ensure his reward. \\[This work was\\] carried out by the hand of Thabit bin Abi Thabit in Rajab of the year 109 \\[21st October 727\\].","short_description":"This door lintel displays important inscriptions that helped to establish the dating of the completion of the urban architectural structure constructed by the Umayyad Caliph Hisham bin 'Abd al-Malik in the year AH 109 / AD 727.","type":"Door, marble","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"Caliph Hisham bin Abd al-Malik (r. 105-25 / 724–43).","dates":"Hegira 109 / AD 727.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Height (above the ground) 3.86 m, width 3.83 m, depth 0.57 m.","method_for_datation":"The object is inscribed with the date the *khan* was completed.","method_for_provenance":"The object was found at and was probably carved *in situ* at Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi.","provenance":"Syrian Desert; 80 km southwest of Palmyra.","obtention":"The lintel was obtained as a result of the 1936 French archaeological expedition directed by Daniel Schlumberger, which was carried out at Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi. This large lintel, which once topped the entrance of the *khan*, was transferred to the National Museum of Damascus in the 1940s.","bibliography":"Schlumberger, D., *Qasr el-Heir el-Gharbi*, Paris, 1986, plate 49.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Daniel Schlumberger","desert palace","inscription","khan","lintel","marble","Qasr","Umayyad"],"materials":["Carved marble."]},"709ed3e5-6450-5388-9dba-59deb41dfe2c":{"name":"Architectural element, transenna","short_description":"The transenna has a decorative, geometric openwork motif. The object (along with another of the same size and shape that is preserved in Ghazni), was found in the north-west corner of the central courtyard near the entrance to the prayer room. The morphology of the transenna and the position of the inscription along the four sides of one face and on one flank suggest that it was situated on a path through one of the most important rooms of the palace, perhaps the prayer room. The inscription, mostly abraded in cursive script, likely informs us about the time when the works in this area of the palace were completed and the name of the person who conducted them.","type":"Transenna","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira early 6th century / AD Early 12th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 21cm, Width: 30cm, Thickness: 11cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation finding","provenance":"Palace in Ghazni, Afghanistan","obtention":"Deposit IsIAO, excavation IsMEO","bibliography":"Bombaci, A., \"Summary report on the Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan. Introduction to the Excavations at Ghazni\", *East and West*, 10 (1959): 3-22.  \nDi Flumeri Vatielli, G., \"Islamic Archaeology in Afghanistan - Ghazni\", in P. Torre, G. Di Flumeri Vatielli and M. Jung (eds), *Arte dell'Islam, catalogue Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale*, Rome: Artemide, 2010: 65-72, fig. 66.  \nGiunta, R., \"New epigraphic data from the excavations of the ghaznavid palace of Mas'ud III at Ghazni (Afghanistan)\", in P. Callieri and L. Colliva (eds), *South Asian Archaeology 2007*, vol. II, Ravenna: Archaeopress, 2010: 123-131.  \nRugiadi, M., *Architectural decoration in marble from Ġaznī (Afghanistan)*, Doctoral Thesis, Bologna 2012: 1107-9, 1234.","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","author":"Michael Jung","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["carving, open work","Marble"]},"72cc9bba-ac66-5c38-9182-60aa70e5cc53":{"name":"Betrothal of Mary (after Albrecht Dürer)","short_description":"This stained glass panel was produced at the Kellner Workshop in Nuremberg, German in 1838 and is one of the earliest 19th century glass paintings. The composition is based on a copperplate engraving by Albrecht Dürer.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1838","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 42.5cm","provenance":"Nuremberg, Germany","obtention":"Collection of the Empress Frederick (1840–1901), Friedrichshof Castle (Germany); gift from the Empress Frederick to the Swiss architect Hermann Ritter (1851–1918) in c. 1900. Purchased in 2009 from the descenants of Hermann Ritter.","artist_birthdate":"1788","artist_birthplace":"Nuremberg, Germany","artist_deathdate":"1873","artist_deathplace":"Nuremberg (?), Germany","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"736574db-9cd1-5e72-95d5-f1860d3596ad":{"name":"*Mashrabiyya*","short_description":"The *mashrabiyya* is a decorative architectural element characteristic of residences in the Arab world. It was generally used on windows or balconies on the second floor or above. As well as being a natural ventilation device, the *mashrabiyya* served the purpose of shielding the occupant from the vision of passers' by, whilst still allowing natural light to pass through the gaps. This particular piece is square shaped and made of limestone, sculpted in floral patterns.","type":"Architectural sculpture; stonework","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"`Ayn Najm","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Floral decoration","floral art","Architecture"],"materials":["Limestone; engraving"]},"76f2b2fe-3a46-55c5-9ef0-fc7350403192":{"name":"Pair of Doors with Design of Ten-Pointed Stars and Geometric Motifs","short_description":"Double doors of hollow-core construction. Posterns are centered in the lower section of each door. Decorated overall with elaborate marquetry of small inlaid wood pieces (lazo-work). Each piece is decorated with an arabesque in white and black, painted on an overall red ground in a ten-pointed star motif with an infinite geometric design. The doors and each postern are secured with a iron throw-bolt lock. Each throw-bolt is made of three iron eyelets connected to a hanging lever. The main throw-bolt is large and elaborate, forged with a twisted spiral lever joined at a square panel with a carved crest on the surface. The postern bolts are smaller and plain. Studded iron rivets fasten wide iron strapwork that reinforces the doors horizontally. Some traces of gilding remain on the iron rivets.","type":"Architectural Element; Sculpture","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Mid 9th to early 11th century / AD 15th–16th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Height: 455cm x Width: 269.2cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","provenance":"Toledo, Spain, Europe","obtention":"Museum Purchase, 1937","dynasty":"Mudéjar","keywords":["architecture","Door","Europe","gilding","Mudéjar","Paint","sculpture","Spain","Toledo","wood"],"materials":["gilding","Painted wood, iron"]},"78426513-4220-51b8-99aa-4f7ba05f6c3a":{"name":"*Muqarnas* decoration","short_description":"Developed in Iran, the *cuerda seca* technique was designed to produce multicoloured glazed tile decoration quickly, efficiently and cheaply. It was introduced to western Anatolia in the Hegira early 9th century / AD 15th century, probably by a group of Iranian master artists, whose work decorates the Ottoman royal mosque complex in Bursa known as the Green Mosque. An important example of *cuerda seca* tilework, possibly from the same building complex, is this ceramic revetment moulded in the form of *muqarnas* (stalactite- or honeycomb-like elements used as decoration in Islamic architecture). It is painted in a typical colour scheme of dark blue, turquoise, white and yellow. *Muqarnas* elements such as this one were produced in modular units and later set into place on building façades.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 9th century / AD 15th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"Height: 34cm","method_for_datation":"The color scheme and cuerda seca technique relate this *muqarnas* element to the tile decoration of the Green Mosque Complex, Bursa, built between 822-827 Hegira / AD 1419–1424.","method_for_provenance":"The glazing technique and colors are comparable with the tile decoration in the so-called Green Mosque Complex in Bursa.","provenance":"Turkey, Bursa","obtention":"Possibly from the Green Mosque complex in Bursa, Turkey.  \nJoseph Soustiel (1939 - 1999), until 1973 (sale, private sale, Paris, August, 1973, sold to); Edwin Binney, 3rd (1866-1934), Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd, Portland, ME, until 1985 (gifted to); LACMA, The Edwin Binney, 3rd, Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.","bibliography":"Binney, Edwin, 3rd and Denny, Walter B., *Turkish Treasures from the Collection of Edward Binney, 3rd*, Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1979: 204.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Rev. ed., Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 37, fig. 33.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo divino: Arte islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles*, Santiago, Chile: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 95.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 164-165.","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["architectural decoration","cuerda seca","earthenware","Iranian influence","tilework"],"materials":["Earthernware, cuerda seca technique"]},"78a0a931-9669-5643-bd59-4f57da550407":{"name":"Relief","description":"Cereals and olive oil were the bases of the local diet, wealth and trade. Their production expanded in al-Andalus thanks to technical innovations such as hydraulic and irrigation systems. Their implementation facilitated the control of agricultural cycles and changed working methods. Farming expanded into arid lands, increasing and diversifying harvests. The diversity of cultivated grains –wheat, rye, etc.– made it possible to develop multiple recipes for bread, an essential food shared by the whole of society.","type":"Relief","holder":"National Archaeological Museum","initial_owner":"Unknown","dates":"Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height: 30cm, Width: 22.2cm, Thickness: 7.5cm","place_of_production":"Madinat al-Zahra","method_for_datation":"The piece came from archaeological excavations at Madinat al-Zahra.","method_for_provenance":"The piece came from archaeological excavations at Madinat al-Zahra.","provenance":"Córdoba, Spain","obtention":"The fragment was given to the National Archaeological Museum by the Comisión Provincial de Monumentos of Córdoba on 18 April 1901.","bibliography":"Hidalgo López, R. et al., “Elaboración de pan según indicaciones documentales hispanas de fines de la Edad Media”, *Meridies. Estudios de Historia y Patrimonio de la Edad Media*, 14, 2023: 7-33.  \n  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *El Patio arabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*. Descriptive catalogue, Madrid: Imprenta de Estanislao Maestre, 1932: 19, fig. 17.","workshop":"Madinat al-Zahra workshops","dynasty":"Umayyads of al-Andalus","author":"Helena Lahoz Kopiske","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","keywords":["agriculture","diet","Technical innovation","trade"],"materials":["carved, bevelled","Limestone"]},"7964e3a8-783a-51ab-9860-eeac7d68256b":{"name":"Capital","short_description":"This capital probably came from the splendid palace city of Madinat al-Zahra, which the Umayyad caliph ‘Abd al Rahman III founded in 936 near Córdoba. Consisting of administrative buildings, reception halls, residential quarters, courtyards, pavilions, mosques, and markets, its architecture featured row after row of horse shoe arches on slender columns with exquisitely carved and drilled capitals such as this one, abstracted from classical Corinthian forms. A boss at one side of this capital bears the inscription “Made by Khabara[?]”.","type":"Architectural sculpture","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira late 3rd–4th century / AD 10th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 36.8cm, W: 34.3cm, D: 34.3cm, Wt: 140lbs.,63.5kg","provenance":"Probably Córdoba, Spain","obtention":"Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915  \nFormer owner: Theodore M. Davis, New York (by 1914–d. 1915; bequeathed to MMA)","bibliography":"Dimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 106, ill. fig. 60 (b/w).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Sheila R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 72, no. 40, ill. 72 (colour).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam and Moore, Claire (ed), *Art of the Islamic World. A Resource for Educators*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 116–17, ill. pl. 21 (colour).","dynasty":"Spanish Umayyad","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915","keywords":["acanthus","acanthus leaves","architectural decoration","architectural element","capital","carved decoration","carving","column capital","Cordoba","Corinthian","Madinat al-Zahra","marble","plant decoration","Spain","Umayyad of Cordoba","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["carved","Marble"]},"79d94344-032b-525f-b128-8fb188be3ce6":{"name":"Red sandstone panel","short_description":"This panel – one of two in the collections – originally formed part of an inscription frieze giving verses 21 and 22 of *sura Al-Hashr* from the Holy Qur’an. This fragment shows part of the last sentence of verse 21 and the first phrase of verse 22: \"\\[Such are the parables which We put forward to\\] Mankind that they may reflect. He is Allah…\".","type":"Stonework","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation","dates":"Hegira 8th – 9th century / AD 14th – 15th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"India, Delhi","dynasty":"Delhi Sultanate","keywords":["calligraphy","inscription","kufic","panel","Qur'an","sandstone"]},"7bf56987-b874-51e5-91e1-bf19f3afba07":{"name":"*Tabica* (small board).","description":"The splendid collar-beam framework of Teruel Cathedral, which has been erroneously described as a coffered ceiling, is one of the examples of Mudéjar carpentry most studied by art critics for several reasons, including its extraordinary iconographic and iconological complexity and its significance in the social context, and the interest generated by its style and dating, which has been helped by analysis of the wood. Among other items, the National Archaeological Museum holds two *tabicas* (small wooden boards) from the gables or planking, one of which shows a male figure and the other, the one examined here, a female figure.  \nThe woman is from the working class, a water bearer dressed in a long-sleeved, corded tunic or dress tied at the waist. The decorative horizontal lines give her a characteristic air. Her hair is short and her head appears to be uncovered, uncommon in figures on ceilings. She is carrying a two-handled jar. The flat colours are dominated by reds, whites and black outlines.  \nIt is possible to determine the *tabica*'s original position in the eighth section on the left, in the very place where a bomb fell during the war in 1936","short_description":"This *tabica* (small wooden board) decorated the planks in the roof of Teruel Cathedral, showing the different classes of Mediaeval society. The figure is a water bearer dressed in contemporary costume: a long-sleeved dress tied around the waist.","type":"Woodwork, board, tabica, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 13th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 36 cm, width 23.8 cm, depth 1.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"From its style and from dendrochronological analysis of the wood.","method_for_provenance":"When giving this and three other pieces to the National Archaeological Museum, the donor, Pablo Gil y Gil, a professor at the University of Saragossa in 1869, reported that they came from the roof.","provenance":"Cathedral of Santa Maria de Mediavilla, Teruel, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"Alquézar Yáñez, E., Arias Sánchez, I. and Franco Mata, A., “Carpintería y Elementos Arquitectónicos Mudéjares en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional Procedentes de Aragón”, in *Actas del VI Simposio Internacional de Mudejarismo, Teruel, 16–18 September 1993*, Teruel, 1996, p.874.  \nRabanaque, E., Novella, A., Sebastián, S. and Yarza, J*., El Artesonado de la Catedral de Teruel*, Saragossa, 1981.  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, pp.82 and 107–10.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["collar-beam roof","Mudéjar","polichromy","Tabica","Teruel","wood"],"materials":["polychromy.","Wood"]},"7c3a4cbc-d305-5a96-aabc-cbcebe9d6397":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"After Jerusalem was restored to the Muslims under the leadership of Salah al-Din Ayyubi (Saladin) in AH 583 / AD 1187, he quickly tried to restore the Islamic character of Jerusalem generally, and that of the Haram al-Sharif specifically. The Muslims undertook the destruction and removal of Crusader additions to buildings, icons and decorations within the holy areas, until what remained was likely to be found only in the secular buildings. This operation provided a large quantity of building materials, especially invaluable marble and decorative stone fragments, most of which were re-used in the Ayyubid architectural projects in Jerusalem and outside. Some of these edifices are still standing and may still be seen today.  \nThis column capital is a good example of the process of the effacement of Christian representational iconography. Despite the preservation of most of the constituents of the capital, which clearly manifest its origins and epoch, the animated features on it have largely been obliterated. The process of effacement may have taken place hurriedly, or it may have been a symbolic act, since clear traces of the birds' features remain in addition to vegetal decoration.","short_description":"With the fall of Jerusalem under Salah al-Din Ayyubi (Saladin), many Crusader additions were removed from al-Haram al-Sharif. This left behind many building materials including this carved marble capital. It was adorned with many vegetal, animal and human motifs and demonstrates the iconoclastic process in sacred Islamic sites.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 32 cm, horizontal cross-section 20 cm x 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"The capital was dated by comparison of its carving and decorative themes with other Crusader pieces in Palestine.","method_for_provenance":"Similar capitals remain in different areas of the Haram al-Sharif and Jerusalem. Some of these capitals remain *in situ*, while others were re-used in other buildings. Only some capitals were defaced, while others were largely untouched. It is probable that this capital was produced in Jerusalem.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"This column capital was probably transferred from the Haram al-Sharif to the Islamic Museum during restorations, a process that is still underway. The Museum owns other Crusader column capitals that were exposed to iconoclastic acts.","bibliography":"Hunt, L. A., “Crusader Sculpture and the so-called Templar Workshop: A Reassessment of Two Carved Panels from the Dome of the Rock in al-Haram al-Sharif Museum in Jerusalem”, in *Palestine Exploration Quarterly*, No. 132, 2000.  \nJacoby, Z., “The Workshop of the Temple Area in Jerusalem in the Twelfth Century: Its Origin, Evolution, and Impact”, *Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte*,No. 45, 1982.  \nJacoby, Z., “The Provencial Impact on Crusader Sculpture in Jerusalem: More Evidences on the Temple Area Atelier”, in *Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte*, No. 48, 1985.","dynasty":"Crusader","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carved decoration","carved marble, iconoclasm","column capital","Crusader","Figurative representation"],"materials":["Hewn marble."]},"7e932bea-47e5-5386-9498-0e48388f3e95":{"name":"Fountain","short_description":"Water fountains such as these were common in Ottoman government buildings in Lebanon, and were turned on whenever there was a meeting to prevent outsiders overhearing or eavesdropping. This marble fountain is octagonal in shape and is decorated with embossed semi-cylinders on each side. The exterior of the structure is decorated with a mosaic of black, white, beige and brown marble organised in geometric designs. A second, circular level of the fountain rests on this first octagonal structure.","type":"Stonework","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Geometric decoration","Mosaic","Marble"],"materials":["Marble; mosaic"]},"81acb278-b50c-55e2-a7e9-2609f1bc2386":{"name":"Marble frieze.","description":"A section from an ash-grey marble frieze, the provenance of which is uncertain but which might have been one of a number of marble pieces crafted in a workshop within the Haram al-Sharif in around AH 555 / AD 1160, during the Crusader period (AH 492–583 / AD 1099–1187), when the workshop became renowned for its marble carving. The frieze is classified as an example of Romanesque art. It was probably used as a lintel for an entrance to one of the buildings at the Haram al-Sharif or the area around it. It continued to be used as a lintel for the southern portals of the Dome of the Rock for an unspecified period, which led to it being disfigured with cement. The frieze was damaged further by obliteration of the facial features of some of the carved figures, and it is possible that the partial removal of the figurative motifs was done in order to use the work within the Dome of the Rock. The remaining animal forms survived intact, thereby enabling easy identification.  \nThe decorative themes include human forms likely to be of religious personalities, but the defacement has made identification difficult. There are also animal forms such as hunting dogs, dragons and birds such as ducks, and a mythical bird-like character that resembles a turkey. The Vegetal decoration assumes the form of a laurel wreath which wraps itself around the other motifs, entering into their spheres.  \nThis piece consists of a number of decorative units, each of which contains a complete decorative theme. For example one theme appears to show men and boys hunting animals and birds, each theme is connected to the next by means of the laurel wreath. The piece ingeniously appears, therefore, as one work; a collection within a single decorative panel, while a spiral-patterned frame in high relief marks the borders. The high level of skill in the Haram al-Sharif workshop is manifest in the skilful carving of this work, affirming that the frieze was produced to decorate the entrance of an important building, perhaps a religious one.  \nA break may be observed which divides it into two unequal parts.","short_description":"This is a grey marble frieze with carved decoration in the Romansque style. It was probably made during the Crusader period in al-Haram al-Sharif. Its decorative themes represent human and animal forms such as hunting dogs, dragons and birds. It also contains vegetal motifs forming a laurel wreath that wraps around the other forms.","type":"Frieze, marble","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 258 cm, width 37 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"Dating of this marble piece was possible by comparison of decorative themes and carving techniques with other pieces, particularly those present at the Holy Sepulchre Church (*Kanisat al-Qiyama*) and the Church of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem.","method_for_provenance":"It is likely that the piece was produced in the workshop at the Haram al-Sharif, known to have been operational at the period.","provenance":"Possibly Jerusalem.","obtention":"The piece was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Islamic Museum in around 1959.","bibliography":"Hunt, L. A., “Crusader Sculpture and the So-Called Templar Workshop: A Reassessment of Two Carved Panels from the Dome of the Rock in al-Haram al-Sharif Museum in Jerusalem”, *Palestine Exploration Quarterly,* No. 132, 2000.  \nJacoby, Z., “The Provincial Impact on Crusader Sculpture in Jerusalem: More Evidence on the Temple Area Atelier”, *Zeitschirft für Kunstgeschichte,* No. 48, 1985.  \n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_, “The Workshop of the Temple Area in Jerusalem in the Twelfth Century: Its Origin, Evolution and Impact”, *Zeitschirft für Kunstgeschichte*, No. 45, 1982.","dynasty":"Crusader","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carved marble","Crusader","figurative decoration","frieze","Romanesque"],"materials":["Hewn and carved marble."]},"845d1c41-c319-5cf8-a8a3-2a59a0cbc517":{"name":"Capital.","description":"The shape of this capital suggests that it might have been used to crown the top of a half-column. Its surface is decorated with three ornamental bands. The topmost band reflects the ancient abacus: at its top it bears a half-palmette tendril covered in blossoms. This tendril is framed above and below by two smoothly finished but well-defined lines. The middle section is decorated with stylised interconnecting half-palmette tendrils that cover its entire area. These tendrils curl out into volutes at the corners, thus echoing the acanthus decoration of the capitals of Antiquity. However, while Antique ones were modelled three-dimensionally, the foliage here is completely two-dimensional. A simple astragal delineates the lower border of this principal motif. Beneath it is a thinner band with a further half-palmette tendril that decorates the lower end of the capital. Given its overall design, this capital is in the tradition of Byzantine examples that borrowed and abstracted from Antique representations. This tendency to borrow and abstract led, within the evolution of Islamic Art, towards an arabesque form. This capital, with others that are decorated in a very similar way, must have been used for a monumental building, of which little is known, located in the short-lived Abbasid residence of Raqqa.  \nThe acanthus plant is a type of thistle still frequently found around the Mediterranean. It was first employed in Greek art from as early as the 5th century BC, as a decorative element for burial stelae. It was later adopted in Roman art, and then evolved in Islamic art into a versatile half-palmette form, which was used as a basic motif for decoration in art and architecture.  \nAlabaster is a naturally sourced type of plaster that is pure white and very fine-grained. It is easy to work with and has therefore been used since Antiquity for architectural ornamentation, panelling and sculpture.","short_description":"This alabaster capital, produced for an early Abbasid palace in Raqqa, Syria, shows a design of undulating stems with half-palmettes. It thus demonstrates a stage of the typical Islamic decorative repertoire before it developed into more abstract patterns such as the arabesque.","type":"Capital, alabaster","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 27 cm, width 29 cm, depth 29 cm.","method_for_datation":"According to information given by F. Sarre and E. Herzfeld, the capital originated from the town of Raqqa, which was only temporarily inhabited, and where the Caliph al-Rashid built palaces *c.* 185 / 800. It is possible that the capital comes from a Caliphate building from this period, which would date it to the beginning of the 2nd / 9th century.","method_for_provenance":"As this capital, according to the information offered by Sarre and Herzfeld, originates from the temporarily inhabited residential town of Raqqa, it is probable that it is part of the ruins of a Caliphate building.","provenance":"Raqqa, Syria.","obtention":"Bought from Friedrich Sarre via an art dealer in Aleppo.","bibliography":"Dimand, M. S., “Studies in Islamic Ornament I: Some Aspects of Omaiyad and Early ‘Abbasid Ornament”, *Ars Islamica* 4, 1937, pp.293–337.  \nHillenbrand, R., *Islamic Art and Architecture*, London, 1999, pp.38–61.  \nKautzsch, R., *Kapitellstudien*, Berlin; Leipzig, 1936.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst*, Catalogue, Mainz, 2001, p.28.  \nSarre, F. and Herzfeld, E., *Archäologische Reise im Euphrat- und Tigris-Gebiet*, Berlin, 1911–20, Vol. 2, p.352, ill. 321; Vol. 4, plate 140, 1.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["acanthus","alabaster","antique","Byzantine","capital","half-palmette.","stylised"],"materials":["Alabaster, relief-cut, engraved."]},"85acf1b7-5e53-59d4-aaea-ce86103574d8":{"name":"Painted wooden board.","description":"Painted on this board in *kufic* script is part of the eighteenth verse of *sura* 3. The vertical lines of the letters have a chamfered effect and some are finished off with a bi-lobed fleuron. The background is punched into a simple floral design.  \nThe angles of the letters *waw* and *mim* develop into scrolls which fill the empty space between them. The characters are carefully designed, precisely drawn, and finished with a chamfered effect. The yellow-ochre outside edging makes the letters stand out from the background. This technique, which substitutes for carving letters in relief, is known to have been used in the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan since the AH 3rd / AD 9th century.","short_description":"This board bears a *kufic* inscription consisting of part of a Qur'anic verse from the *sura* Al-Imran. The inscribed field is decorated with floral motifs. This technique replaced the inscriptions carved in wood in relief and can be seen in the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","type":"Woodwork, board, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","initial_owner":"Ordered on behalf of the Zirid prince, al-Mu‘izz ibn Badis by his minister, Muhammad ibn Abi al-Arab.","dates":"Hegira 413–14 / AD 1022–3.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 141 cm, width 16 cm, thickness 4 cm.","method_for_datation":"A still intact section of the painted ceiling of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan with the same decorative and calligraphic characteristics as this board is part of the work ordered by the minister, al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Arab (period of office 413–14 / 1022–3) on behalf of the Zirid prince, al-Mu'izz ibn Badis. The lettering and the motifs used date this board from the end of the 4th to the beginning of the 5th century (10th–11th century).","method_for_provenance":"A still intact section of the painted ceiling of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan has the same decorative and calligraphic characteristics as this board.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"During the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in the 1960s some beams and boards from the ceiling of the prayer hall, considered to be too old, were removed and conserved in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. When the second section of the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was refurbished in 1999 this board was selected for display there.","bibliography":"*Tunisie: du Christianisme a l'Islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, pp.191–2.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.159–62.","dynasty":"Fatimid–Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","floral decoration","furnishing","painted wood"],"materials":["Painted wood, floral design."]},"86141f73-f2d4-5de6-b66c-a5955dcb470a":{"name":"Public drinking fountain.","description":"This fountain was designed for the Mosque of Mustafa Lala Pasha. It resembles a bench and is made of fine marble decorated with calligraphic carving and geometric mosaics composed of coloured marble and mother-of-pearl. The upper section consists of a marble panel grandly engraved with two lines of Arabic inscriptions written in the busy and rhythmically over-lapping *diwani* script, a calligraphic type popular during the Ottoman era. A thin band of vegetal motifs divides the two lines of inscription. This central panel is flanked by a pair of curvilinear brackets that are also heavily ornamented with vegetal and calligraphic carvings.  \nThe inscription conveys that the fountain, referred to as a *rub*' (a unit of water measurement), was built and made available to the public in honour of Sultan Sulayman by the High Aristocrat Mustafa Pasha in AH 971 / AD 1564. The date seems to have been important as it is written numerically and alphabetically in three different locations within the inscription. This is the date upon which Mustafa Lala Pasha became the governor of Damascus and he would remain in this prominent position for the next five years. Of his *waqf* endowments to Damascus, he built a new mosque and a new *khan* with lavish water supplies. During the reign of Sultan Salim II (AH 973–81 / AD 1566–74) Mustafa Lala Pasha was assigned as the military commander to conquer Cyprus in AH 977 / AD 1570, one of the greatest victories of the Ottoman military.  \nThe inscription on this fountain translates as follows:  \n“The one who built this public *rub'*, may God make it the most useful, during the era of the most God-fearing sultan, the Sultan Sulayman Khan son of the Sultan Salim Khan, may God the Most Exalted raise him to the throne of the sultanate, is the High Aristocrat Mustafa Pasha, may God include him in the intercession of his mediator, the heir of the Ottoman kingdoms of the Sultan Salim Khan, the most God-fearing, may God light up his realm with his brilliant light, the utterance of this text was dictated and inscribed in the year nine hundred and seventy-one, 971 \\[1564\\].”","short_description":"An important marble fountain made in Damascus and dedicated to Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent by the powerful military aristocrat and governor of Damascus, Mustafa Lala Pasha.","type":"Marble, mosaic, public monument","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"The ruler of Damascus Mustafa Lala Pasha (r. AH 971–6 / AD 1563–9) in honour of Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent (r. AH 926–74 / AD 1520–66).","dates":"Hegira 971 / AD 1564.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Height 78.5 cm, width 1.50 m.","method_for_datation":"The inscription on the object includes the date of its completion in 971 (1564).","method_for_provenance":"The fountain is dated by the documentary records at the Museum.","provenance":"Mosque of Mustafa Lala Pasha, Damascus, Syria.","obtention":"The Mosque of Lala Mustafa Pasha in Damascus was demolished between 1928 and 1930 so that the Suq al-Hal could be built. However, this piece along with a number of other archaeologically valuable objects, were relocated to the Museum for preservation. This piece was registered at the Museum in 1931.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,* Damascus, 1969, p.183, p.244.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Damascus","marble","mosaics","Mustafa Lala Pasha","public fountain","Selim II","Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent"],"materials":["Carved marble inlaid with marble mosaic and mother-of-pearl mosaic at the base."]},"893326f6-9a4d-57db-bdf6-56796de6ef99":{"name":"Fragment from a carved wooden piece.","description":"In the Raqqa region one can find fragments of wood that once decorated the formal halls of its Abbasid royal palaces. It is possible to classify these fragments into three types according to their techniques of decoration. The first group is adorned with relatively realistic coloured and gilded carved ornamentation that includes floral and calligraphic motifs. The second group is carved in a slanted manner so that the edges of the carved objects appear curved and not sharp. The examples of this group are influenced by the Abbasid Samarra motifs identified as \"Samarra Style C\". The third group, to which this piece belongs, has decorative motifs carved in a vertical manner so that the panel appears to have an upper surface and a lower background. The decorative carving is flat with sharp edges and the groove to the background is deep, as can be seen in the small deep holes indicating the circular part of the calligraphic letters. The piece is decorated with Arabic *kufic* script that reads “Commander of the Faithful.” It seems to have been partially burned in a fire.","short_description":"This calligraphic wooden panel with its sharp vertically carved angles and deep circular grooves is one example of the many carving styles that were developed in the Abbasid period and spread throughout the region.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","dates":"Around hegira 4th–5th century / AD 10th–11th century.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Length 43 cm, width 13 cm.","method_for_datation":"The carving technique used on this wood fragment is distinctly Abbasid-Islamic and was developed during the Abbasid period in Iraq and Syria.","method_for_provenance":"The wooden piece was discovered in the vicinity of the Abbasid palaces in the Raqqa region, and therefore it is assumed that it was made *in situ*.","provenance":"Raqqa region, Syria.","obtention":"The piece was accidentally discovered by a resident of the Raqqa region during the early 1950s. He presented it to the archaeological expedition working there at that time.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,* Damascus, 1969, p.158.  \nAndalucia, J., de- (ed), *El esplendor de los Omeyas cordobeses*, exhibition catalogue, Granada, 2001.  \nDaiber, V., and Becker A., *Raqqa III*, Mainz, 2004.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carved","kufic script","Raqqa","Samarra","wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"8c014da5-017c-55b6-8f07-95eca4b0b551":{"name":"Stalactite element (*muqarbas*).","description":"*Muqarbas* are ornaments with an alveolate structure in the form of stalactites that are used to decorate domes or corbels, notably within Arab–Maghrebi architecture. The ceramic pieces in the shape of parallelepipeds that compose the whole consist of two parts: one plain, and the other formed by four vertical flutes. The cruciform base of each piece and the fluted part are covered by very light-coloured green enamel; traces of yellow appear on some of the sides. The pieces are assembled together as a pyramid, with cement on the plain parts whilst leaving the fluted parts visible.  \nThis type of stalactite was the first vestige that was brought to light in the Muslim West that can be attributed to the Hammadid Calif al-Mansur (r. AH 481–98 / AD 1089–1105).  \nThis *muqarbas* element was probably used to ornament the upper part of the exterior wall that looked onto the courtyard of the Dar al-Bahr; undoubtably, the decoration was applied.","short_description":"This *muqarbas* is an ornamental wall-covering in the form of a four-level parallelepiped made up of a number of ceramic pieces and divided into two parts: one full and the other fluted, with traces of green enamel. The pieces are bound to one another using cement.","type":"Muqarbas, ceramic","holder":"National Museum of Setif","dates":"Hegira 5th–6th centuries / AD 11th–12th centuries.","location":"Setif","dimensions":"Total height 41 cm, total length 21 cm, height of each piece 16 cm, dimension of each side of the pieces 5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Stalactite found in the Dar al-Bahr of the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / 11th–12th centuries), according to Kitab al-Istibsar: 'The Banu Hammad built some important constructions in the *qal'a*…including \\[the palace\\] known as Dar al-Bahr, at the centre of which was a vast basin'.","method_for_provenance":"From de Beylié documents, which indicate that these stalactites were recovered from the foot of the wall looking over the southern side of the Dar al-Bahr courtyard.","provenance":"Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (De Beylié excavations, 1908).","bibliography":"Beylié, général de, *La Kalaa des Beni Hammad, une capitale berbère de l'Afrique du Nord au XIe siècle*, Paris, 1909.  \nFernandez-Puertas, A., “Muqarnas”, *Encyclopédie de l'Islam*, Vol. VII, 1993, pp.501–2.  \nGolvin, L., *Recherches archéologiques à la Qal'a des Banû Hammâd*, Paris, 1965.  \nMarçais, G*., L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Houria Cherid","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","ceramic","Enamel","fluting","Hammadid","Muqarbas","palatial architecture","stalactite"],"materials":["Enamelled moulded ceramic."]},"8cc707f2-d298-51b9-8969-c697a25d982e":{"name":"Alliance coat of arms panel with the couple Johann Jakob Walter Baumann and Maria Müller, in Zurich, Switzerland","short_description":"Johann Jakob Walter Baumann, an important textile industrialist in Zurich from Horgen (Switzerland), and his wife Maria Müller from Mobile (United States) had themselves portrayed standing behind their coat of arms in Renaissance costumes and accompanied by their dogs.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1901","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 86cm","provenance":"Zurich, Switzerland","obtention":"Probably house of Johann Jakob Walter Baumann and Maria Müller, Zurich, Switzerland","artist_birthdate":"1864","artist_birthplace":"Ürikon-Hombrechtikon, Switzerland","artist_deathdate":"1906","artist_deathplace":"Zurich, Switzerland","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"8e03281b-5db8-5add-af17-03023a6e6b31":{"name":"Stucco window with coloured glass","description":"A carved stucco panel decorated with coloured glass. The composition consists of an arch on two columns enclosing two superimposed motifs a footed vase with flowers on top and two cypress trees below.","type":"Stucco; glass","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"17th - 18th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"Height: 117cm, Width: 36cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Donated by Phokion Tanos","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["Benaki Museum","carving, mounted","Egypt","Ottoman","stained glass","stucco","window"],"materials":["Stucco, coloured glass"]},"8f3fbed4-a26e-5d72-b28e-27517640d4e9":{"name":"Stucco Fragments with Inscription","short_description":"Bahla Grand Mosque, with a construction date attributed to the reign of Caliph Omar bin al-Khattab (13-24 AH / 634-644 AD) is located near Bahla Fort. The mosque has many cylinders connected with mud joints which act as pillars to support the ceiling in addition to their decorative function. The inscriptions on the cylinders and on the inner walls of the mosque have historic, cultural and social importance. They are considered historic registers as they document important events of Bahla and of Oman, including the dates of battles, the elections and deaths of local dignitaries and the names of imams, scientists and scholars who lived in the country, taught at the mosque or visited the town. The oldest written inscription revealed so far on one of the cylinders is marked with the date, 528 AH / 1133–34 AD.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"1000-1500 AD / Middle Islamic Period","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Length: 29cm, Width: 23cm","place_of_production":"Nabhani Kingdom","provenance":"Bahla Grand Mosque","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","materials":["Stucco and natural ink"]},"91030e4c-8b3a-5929-b2b4-2378b9d2d71e":{"name":"Element of architectural decoration","short_description":"The fragment of architectural decoration was originally placed above the marble plinth in the palace’s courtyard. There is a carved inscription in Arabic, auspicious and written in foliate *kufic* letters that were once painted, as evidenced by traces of remaining colour.","type":"Decoration","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira early 6th century / AD Early 12th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 52cm, Width: 47cm, Thickness: 15cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation finding","provenance":"Palace in Ghazni, Afghanistan","obtention":"Deposit IsIAO, excavation IsMEO","bibliography":"Artusi S., file MNAO Archive code nr. 1201064886, 2011.  \nBombaci, A., \"Summary report on the Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan. Introduction to the Excavations at Ghazni\", *East and West*, 10 (1959): 3-22.  \nDi Flumeri Vatielli, G., \"Islamic Archaeology in Afghanistan - Ghazni\" in P. Torre, G. Di Flumeri Vatielli and M. Jung (eds), *Arte dell'Islam, catalogue Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale*, Rome: Artemide, 2010: 65-72, fig. 68.  \nScerrato, U., \"Summery report on the Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan. The two first excavation campaigns at Ghazni\", *East and West*, 10 (1959): 23-55.","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","author":"Michael Jung","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["carving, mould, painting","Terracotta, stucco, mortar"]},"91ba81da-7434-5df8-aca2-80b5a5992ade":{"name":"Heraldic panel of Christoph Froschauer","short_description":"In 1530, famous Zurich printer Christoph Froschauer donated a heraldic panel depicting three scenes from the Tell legend of the Old Confederacy: Tell’s apple-shot, Wolfenschiessen in the bath and Gessler’s hat on the pole.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","initial_owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"c. 1530","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 35.5cm","provenance":"Probably Zurich","obtention":"Purchased in 1913 from the estate of the art historian Johann Rudolf Rahn (1841–1912)","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"960bfc1d-9402-5dd9-8ca8-b45d29502961":{"name":"Carved Stone Tablet From al-Hijrah Mosque","short_description":"This carved stone tablet from the four century old al-Hijrah mosque is comprised of circular shapes carved on one side and the construction date of the mosque (1070 AH / 1659-60 AD), the proclamation of Imam Sultan bin Saif bin Malik bin Abi Al-Arab al-Yarubi as successor to Imam Nasser bin Murshid al-Yarubi and the engraver\\`s name, Khamis bin Ali bin Nasser al-Ayni ar-Rustaqi, engraved on the opposite side.  \n  \nThe al-Hijrah mosque was built during the al-Yarubi Dynasty. Prior to its demolition and subsequent reconstruction it was designed as an open courtyard structure with a plaster niche beautifully crowned with the Islamic declaration of faith (*ash-shahadatan*). The mosque was roofed by *al-alalan* wood (Juniperus) supported by solid mounted marble columns and walls containing inscriptions that record local dates and historical events. These features interspersed with motifs and beautiful geometric ornaments emphasized the al-Hijrah mosque's magnificence and beauty.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"1070 AH / August - September 1660 AD","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Length: 32.5cm, Width: 16.6cm, Weight: 1255g","provenance":"Ayni, al-Rustaq, al-Batinah South Governorate","dynasty":"Al-Yarubi","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","materials":["Stone carving"]},"98ab5d11-187b-555d-a0a1-f233cb406b51":{"name":"Fragment of a commemorative plaque.","description":"A fragment of a large rectangular mural plaque originally composed of six blocks of different sizes. Only four remain. The incised surface carries a text of five lines carved in relief in a floral *kufic* style with grooves and chamfered ends.  \nThis inscription is one of the most beautiful epigraphic works of the Zirid era. Its lettering is perfectly balanced, outlined with grooves and surrounded with arabesques (spiral fleurons) and various kinds of palm-leaf motifs (plain or heart-shaped).  \nThe text is of great historic importance. The name of the town, Madinat Izz al-Islam (Town to the Glory of Islam), fortified on the order of al-Mu'izz ibn Badis, is a place-name appearing on the *dinar*s that the same prince minted as from AH 439 / AD 1048. It replaced the old Fatimid name of the town, Sabra al-Mansuriyya, which figured on earlier *dinar*s, and ushered in a new era of confrontation with the Fatimid *caliph*s of Cairo.  \nThe demonstrative *hadhi-hi* (this is) preceding the name of the town suggests that this plaque was originally fixed to the external façade of the ramparts or perhaps over one of the five city gates mentioned by the Andalusian geologist al-Bakri.","short_description":"Inscribed with a text in *kufic* script, this piece is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of epigraphic work from the Zirid period. The inscription tells of the existence of Madinat Izz al-Islam, a town fortified on the orders of al-Mu'izz ibn Badis and previously known as Sabra al-Mansuriyya.","type":"Plaque, marble","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira 437 / AD 1046.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 284 cm, height 110 cm, thickness 21 cm.","method_for_datation":"The date is mentioned in the part of the inscription referring to the completion date of the ramparts of Sabra al-Mansuriyya in 437 / 1046.","method_for_provenance":"The plaque was not actually found at Sabra al-Mansuriyya but the fortifications are mentioned in the text and so is the new town name, Madinat Izz al-Islam (Town to the Glory of Islam). The four blocks were re-used during the 18th century as piers in the side door of the Bab Tunis in Kairouan. In 1998 they were taken down and stored at the Raqqada Museum. Made from local stone, the plaque was probably carved *in situ* by Ifrqiyan masons in the service of the Zirid prince, al-Mu'izz ibn Badis.","provenance":"Sabra al-Mansuriyya.","obtention":"During the restoration work on the side door of the Bab Tunis in 1996 the four fragments of the commemorative plaque were acquired by the Raqqada Museum. After the extension of the museum this plaque was included among the objects chosen to create a room dedicated to Arab epigraphy.","bibliography":"Roy, B. and Poinssot, P., *Inscriptions arabes de Kairouan*, vol. II, fasc. 1, Paris, 1950, no. 42.","dynasty":"Fatimid-Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","epigraphy","floral decoration","inscription","Zirid"],"materials":["Carved and incised marble."]},"9b3c6ff0-65d5-57ce-9392-fed35ca7e770":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"A column capital made from local limestone cut from a quarry in the Jerusalem region. It appears that the carving of the capital into its complete form was never finished, or that it was carved in this manner with the aim of economising on time and cost. The style of this capital imitates the capitals in the Abbasid Corinthian style that were used in the restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque in the period of the Abbasid caliph, al-Mahdi (r. AH 158–69 / AD 775–85), following the earthquake that tore away large parts of the mosque. The Abbasid capitals in al-Aqsa Mosque are large, and in this way they resemble the capitals of the Greek period. The column capitals of the Umayyad period were smaller than those of the preceding era, the Byzantine period, and although they resembled the latter, they were not in fact produced during that period.  \nThe mosque was witness to another earthquake during the Fatimid period in AH 424 / AD 1033, which caused extensive damage. The restoration took place during the rule of the Fatimid caliph, al-Zahir bi-Amrillah (r. AH 411–27 / AD 1021–36). The damaged capitals were replaced by some that were made in the style of the earlier Abbasid ones, especially evident amongst those capitals of the pillars in the central colonnade of the mosque.  \nOnly some of the decoration on the capital is carved. Other parts were prepared and gilded ready to be dressed with acanthus leaves that were executed in stucco and mounted on to the capital. The hollows in the stone were, therefore, where the stucco decoration was fixed directly on to the stone. A great many stucco acanthus leaves were found on the site which had been mounted on the capitals using the same technique as described above.  \nThe Islamic Museum holds a number of pieces in this style, in addition to a large and varied collection of marble and limestone capitals of different sizes dating back to the Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid periods. The Museum also has a smaller group of capitals dating to the Crusader period.","short_description":"This limestone column capital imitates the Corinthian style used in the restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque at the time of Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi. Its carving appears not to have been completed. Only some decoration is carved; other parts were prepared and gilded ready to be covered with acanthus leaves executed in stucco and affixed to the capital.","type":"Capital, stone","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Al-Aqsa Mosque.","dates":"About hegira 424 / AD 1033.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 101 cm, top 148 cm x 148 cm, bottom: 96 cm x 96 cm.","method_for_datation":"The capital was dated based on a study of its production techniques and by comparison with similar pieces; this analysis is supported by historical sources.","method_for_provenance":"It is likely that the capital was made from local limestone and hewn and carved on site at a quarry in the Jerusalem region. There are still similar column capitals in the vicinity of the Haram al-Sharif.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"This capital was transferred – in addition to a number of other capitals dating to different periods – from al-Aqsa Mosque to the plaza of the Haram al-Sharif during a restoration program of the 1940s. The capital was transferred to the Islamic Museum in 1978.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.  \nWilkinson, J., *Column Capitals in al-Haram al-Sharif,* Jerusalem, 1987.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["acanthus","column capital","Fatimid architecture","stone capital","stucco decoration"],"materials":["Carved limestone, stucco, formed and mounted on stone."]},"9c700bb2-5d48-5ba0-9ba7-87bc128ebc4e":{"name":"Capital.","description":"The decoration on the acanthus capital clearly demonstrates that the capital is based on examples from Antiquity. It has two wreaths of leaves and four volutes that run diagonally. Over the volutes lies the abacus, the top slab of the capital. The volutes end in four-petalled blossoms. Acanthus leaves cover the protruding volutes. The leaves terminate under the abacus and appear to be holding it up. On top of the abacus one can see an architectural design that was obviously drawn using square and compasses. An inscription, encircling the abacus, refers to the capital’s artists, patron and builders.  \nThis explicit reference to the craftsmen and builders involved in the building is exceptional for buildings of this period. Abd al-Rahman III (AH 300–50 / AD 912–61) is referred to in the inscription: ‘In the name of God, a blessing from God for the leader of the believers. May God endow Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad with a long life’. Later it declares: ‘\\[This forms part of what\\] he commissioned to be executed under the direction of his slave Shunaif, made by Fath, the marble specialist’. Shunaif was the foreman, and Fath was identified for the first time in an inscription on a building in AH 318 / AD 930. He had originally been a slave in the court of the caliphs and was not of Arab descent. As is testified by numerous building inscriptions, Fath worked over decades on various Caliphate buildings in Andalusia. His name is also associated with the enlargement of the great mosque in Córdoba and the castle complex of Madinat al-Zahra. It is not possible to determine whether this capital comes from one of these architectural complexes. However, it has been determined that the foreman Shunaif worked on the Salon Rico, the reception hall of Madinat al-Zahra in AH 342–3 / AD 953–4. Abd al-Rahman had declared himself Caliph of the western Islamic world in AH 317 / AD 929.  \nAcanthus capitals were also symbols of wealth and of immortality, ever since their use from the 5th century BC in Ancient Greece. The acanthus thistle, with its opulent and thick, well-defined leaf margins was therefore a popular decorative form also employed in the Greek provinces such as Spain.","short_description":"Marble capitals with ornament influenced by the Classical period were used in the palaces of the Umayyad rulers in al-Andalus. Although some capitals have inscriptions it is exceptional to find the names of the patron, the overseer and the marble-worker who chiselled the capital out of a marble block.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Hegira mid-4th century / AD mid-10th century (AH 300–50 / AD 912–61).","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 33 cm, diameter of the abacus 31 cm.","method_for_datation":"The object has been dated to between 300 and 350 / 912 and 961 through the inscription dedicated to the Caliph Abd al-Rahman III and citing the name of Fath the craftsman.","method_for_provenance":"The provenance from the Caliphate of Córdoba, Spain has been securely established through the inscription citing to Caliph Abd al-Rahman III.","provenance":"Madinat al-Zahra, Córdoba, Spain.","obtention":"From a gallery in New York.","bibliography":"Barrucand, M. and Bednorz, A., *Maurische Architektur in Andalusien*, Cologne, 1991, pp.59–69, 71–9.  \nDodds, J., *Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain*,New York, 1992, pp.27–39, ill. 35–9.  \nGladiss, A. v., “Das Spanisch-Arabische Kapitell”, in *Schätze der Alhambra. Islamische Kunst aus Andalusien*,(ed. Haus der Kulturen der Welt), Berlin, 1992, pp.138–87, ill. 144–5.  \nKautzsch, R., *Kapitellstudien*, Berlin; Leipzig, 1936.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst*, Catalogue, Mainz, 2001, pp.91–2.","dynasty":"Andalusian Caliphate","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["abacus","acanthus","caliph","capital"],"materials":["Marble."]},"9cc9092e-917f-5963-aa95-2f593ab99290":{"name":"Wooden beam.","description":"A wooden beam taken from the Dome of the Rock during restoration works of the 1960s. The beam is made from cedarwood, likely to have been imported from Lebanon. It contains an epigraphic inscription written in Fatimid foliated *kufic* script. The inscription is placed inside a rectangular frame that begins and ends with a tapered niche, and which is adorned with decoration carved in relief. It includes the name of the craftsman who made it and participated in the restoration works in the Dome of the Rock during the Fatimid period in the reign of Caliph al-Zahir bi-Amrillah (r. AH 411–27 / AD 1021–36). It is likely that this craftsman undertook the decoration of other artefacts inside the Dome of the Rock. The inscription beginning with the *Basmala*, reads: “In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. The Work of 'Abd al-Baqi bin al-Hasan bin Ismai'l al-Dimashqi. May God support him”. Despite our lack of knowledge about this craftsman, the fact that his name contains the title “al-Dimashqi” indicates that there was a continual flow of craftsmen from Damascus into Jerusalem during the Fatimid period. Damascus was (and is still) famous for its wood-carving, and Jerusalem was supplied with a steady stream of skilled Damascene craftsmen to work on the construction of the Dome of the Rock at the end of the AH 1st /AD 7th century.  \nThe beam does not contain any other decoration. It has fortuitously preserved its splendour without damage, which confirms the skill of its workmanship in the treatment of the wood before it was mounted at the Dome of the Rock.","short_description":"This beam from the Dome of the Rock was made from cedarwood that was probably imported from Lebanon. The beam bears an inscription in Fatimid foliated *kufic* script within a rectangular frame that begins and ends with a tapered recess. It is decorated and the text is carved in relief. The piece records the carver who made it in the time of Caliph al-Zahir.","type":"Woodwork, beam, wood","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem.","dates":"About hegira 424 / AD 1033.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 183 cm, width 18.5 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"The beam was dated by way of reliable knowledge concerning the areas that underwent restoration in the Dome of the Rock during the Fatimid period. In addition, the Fatimid script used in the epigraphic inscription is a reliable distinguishing mark.","method_for_provenance":"It is not known whether this beam was crafted in Jerusalem or at another site. Usually, however, the piece would be carved and constructed on site. It is likely, therefore, that it was carved in Jerusalem, while the cedarwood was imported from Lebanon. The craftsman was probably from Damascus, as is evident from the inscription.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"According to the registers of the Islamic Museum, the piece was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Museum in 1960.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carving","cedar","kufic script","wood","wooden beam"],"materials":["Carved and finished wood."]},"9ce61178-e421-548d-99f8-805b537a5ef8":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"A marble column capital, which is typical of the capitals associated with the Mamluk period, especially the second half of it. This style of column capital endured for a long time during the Ottoman epoch in Palestine. The capital is elongated in form and consists of rows of *muqarnas* that diminish to the point of almost disappearing. In this way the capital makes the transition from one level to the next, and one extension to the other, in a flowing manner rather than in a sudden leap as in many other forms of capital. The capital exhibited here is characterised by its simplicity, elegance and the intricacy of its design, not to mention the technical difficulties its execution must have posed.  \nThe capital begins as a cylinder and is of the same diameter as the pillar on which it would rest. The cylindrical form narrows by degrees, facilitating the transition to a multi-sided column, and within which is an inscription in *naskhi* script. The inscription is difficult to read because it is damaged, as well as having a proliferation of gilding and colours, but perhaps it is a quote from the Qur'an. Each side forms the beginning of a *muqarnas*, diminished, simple and progressive. Each elevation of the *muqarnas* increases its size to end at the apex of the capital. The capital widens without any transitional decoration except with facets of marble that reach a square ledge above the capital. Traces of gilding remain on the capital, which may indicate to us that it was affixed to one of the *mihrab*s of the mosque, as many of the *mihrab*s were gilded.","short_description":"This elongated marble capital alludes to the prevailing style of capitals during the Mamluk period. It is decorated by a rows of muqarnas that diminish to the point of almost disappearing. This gives a beautiful fluency in the transition between levels and from one extent to the next without forcing a sudden leap. The capital contains inscriptions that are difficult to read.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","dates":"Hegira 8th–9th century / AD 14th–15th century.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 36 cm, base 33 cm x 33 cm.","method_for_datation":"Dating of the capital was possible by comparing it with similar ones; the manufacturing technique and form of *muqarnas* used bears a resemblance to capitals that are still *in situ* in a number of Mamluk buildings in Jerusalem.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"It is not known exactly how the Museum acquired this column capital, but it is likely that it was brought from a Mamluk building within the environs of the Haram al-Sharif.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.  \nWilkinson, J., *Column Capitals in al-Haram al-Sharif*, Jerusalem, 1987.","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["column capital","Mamluk capital","Marble capital","marble.","muqarnas"],"materials":["Hewn marble."]},"9d2deaea-eeb3-5b49-bc73-3dda66bf24ef":{"name":"Four basalt reliefs.","description":"Four Basalt reliefs that are fine illustrations of the 'minor arts' and which borrow their themes from the classical world prior to the Islamic conquest: a hunting dog; a griffon; a Pegasus and an amphora decorated with flowers. Such images find their parallels not only in earlier Byzantine mosaic church floors and in contemporary mosaics of the AH 1st–2nd / AD 7th–8th centuries, but earlier than that, in the periods from which they originate: the Greek, Roman and Sassanid. The skill used to make these carvings has given them a lively, even playful, appearance. It seems that these reliefs, along with others still *in situ* at Qasr al-Azraq, formed an arch over a viewing platform where spectators would sit to watch the water sports played out in the water reservoirs near Qasr al-Azraq.","short_description":"Four basalt reliefs from an arch over a viewing platform where spectators would watch the water sports played out in the water reservoirs near Qasr al-Azraq. Probably Umayyad, the images depicted have late Byzantine and Umayyad parallels but they originate in the Greek, Roman and Sassanid periods.","type":"Reief, stone","holder":"Museum of Jordanian Heritage, Yarmouk University.","owner":"Department of Antiquities, Jordan.","dates":"Thought to be hegira 2nd century / AD first half of the 8th century.","location":"Irbid","dimensions":"a: Height 13 cm, width 46 cm, depth 18 cm; b: Height 41.5 cm, width 47.5 cm, depth 19 cm; c: Height 34 cm, width 45 cm, depth 13 cm; d: Height 52 cm, width 58.5 cm, depth 17.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The date of production for these reliefs is uncertain, but stylistic analysis of the griffon identifies it as an image used decoratively in other Umayyad palaces: Khirbat al-Mafjar in Jericho, Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi in Syria, al-Mushatta and al-Hallabat in Jordan, and this may give vital clues to the accurate dating of these objects. The same thing could be said about the Pegasus which is a Sassanid decorative element but also represented in Umayyad palaces. Historical sources also mention that al-Walid ibn Yazid (or Walid II, d. 126/ 744) spent time at Qasr al-Azraq.","method_for_provenance":"The reliefs were found in a one of the water reservoirs near Qasr al-Azraq in 1983.","provenance":"Al-Azraq, Jordan.","obtention":"The reliefs were recovered in the course of reed clearance in the water reservoirs near Qasr al-Azraq in 1983. They were then put on loan to the Museum of Jordanian Heritage from the Department of Antiquities in 1988.","bibliography":"بيشة. غازي، \"ملاحظات متفرقة حول إكتشافات أثرية أموية حديثة\"، حولية دائرة الآثار العامة، المجلد 30، 1986، ص 12-14 ، اللوحات 11-أ ، 12-أ،ج.  \n  \n*Gesichter des Orients: 10,000 Jahre Kunst und Kultur aus Jordanien*, exhibition catalogue, Bonn, 2004, p.242, fig. 11.9.  \n  \nKennedy. D. L., 'Archaeological Explorations on the Roman Frontier in North-East Jordan', *BAR International Series* , 134, Oxford, 1982, pp.96–107, Plates XXIII-B, XXIX-B (for more information on the water reservoirs).","dynasty":"Thought to be Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["animal decoration","architectural decoration","griffon","imaginary animal","Pegasus","relief decoration","sport","zoomorphic imagery"],"materials":["Carved basalt."]},"a16a6766-7c75-5cbd-9606-e910423fd3b2":{"name":"Spandrel.","description":"This spandrel fragment, curved on the bottom right-hand side, is framed on the top by a ribbon of small and four-leaf rosettes and the fillet in the form of a thick strip sculpted in relief, and in the bottom right by an arch segment strip.  \nIts surface is decorated with compact floral decoration distributed over two areas in low relief. The lower area consists of floral motifs attached to interlaced foliage: smooth, simple or double palms with round lobes and three-leaf fleurons reminiscent of *fleurs-de-lys*. The upper part is filled with floral arcatures made up of palms, one of which, doubled, contains pseudo-*kufic* characters tracing the mirror image of a eulogy, *al-Mulk* (power of God) and ends in a pointed summit that crowns a fleuron and encroaches on the rosette ribbon. The other, which contains a floral composition, is topped with a crown. This spandrel fragment, originally from a Sa'did building in Fez, was part of the wooden facing of a peristyle arch.","short_description":"This spandrel fragment was part of the wooden panelling on a gallery arch. It is decorated with compact floral sculptures and floral arcatures containing pseudo-*kufic* characters presenting a mirror image of the word '*al-Mulk*' (power of God).","type":"Woodwork, spandrel, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 10th-11th centuries / AD 16th-17th centuries.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 47.5 cm, length 64.5 cm, thickness 4.6 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic analysis. The inventory register states that it belonged to a building from the Sa'did era, and this is confirmed by the choice of particular floral motifs and their composition, as well as the technique for carving in low relief.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged *in situ*.","provenance":"A house in Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged by the Historical Monuments Department and deposited with the museum in 1930.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nTerrasse, H. et Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","dynasty":"Sa'did","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["floral decoration","pseudo-inscription","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"a1ecccac-7c93-51a2-925d-06173dfe0ef5":{"name":"Merlon.","description":"This merlon, with its rectangular base prolonged on both sides by two projecting notches, is crowned by an element in the shape of a leaf whose concave surface has two perforations at its centre. The green-coloured enamel that covers the surface runs over the edge onto the lateral sides. Fragmented into two parts, the piece was restored with plaster on its posterior side.  \nThis merlon, along with other similar elements, constitutes one of the friezes that crowned the summit of the façades of Hammadid palaces.  \nThe holes that can be seen on the surface of the leaf might have been used to accommodate the fixing of bolts.","short_description":"Rectangular-base merlon topped with a leaf-shaped object, the concave surface of which has two holes for attaching it. It is coloured with a blue-green glaze that has disappeared in places. This merlon was part of a frieze used to adorn Hammadid palaces.","type":"Merlon, ceramic","holder":"National Museum of Setif","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"Setif","dimensions":"Height 64 cm, width 24 cm, depth 7.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Merlon was found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / AD 11th–12th centuries).","method_for_provenance":"The merlon was found by Golvin in the palace of Manar. Furthermore, these merlons have appeared in abundance in the palace of Manar, but have not appeared elsewhere.","provenance":"Qasr al-Manar, Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R, *Les H'ammadites*, Algiers, 1984.  \nGolvin, L., *Recherches archéologiques à la Qal'a des Banû Hammâd (Algérie*), Paris, 1965, pl. LXV.  \nInstitut du Monde Arabe, *L'Algérie en héritage*, *art et histoire*, catalogue, Paris, 2003.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","ceramic","façade","Glazed","Hammadid","merlon","Palace","palatial architecture"],"materials":["Enamelled ceramic."]},"a248d8b4-e492-5f6d-bdb7-ab94d668d922":{"name":"Aleppo Room.","description":"A prosperous broker and a Christian citizen of the town of Aleppo commissioned the painted panels of the walls of the entrance room in his house at the beginning of the 17th century. The paintings within the Aleppo room thus make up the oldest collection from a Syrian dwelling house from the Ottoman period. The Christian patron engaged craftsmen from the best workshops of the time in his desire for the entrance room, into which his guests would first arrive, to be painted in a variety of themes. These themes were based on contemporary Islamic book illustration, consisting of floral and geometric compositions, rendered in the best traditional Ottoman style. Christian themes from the Old and New Testaments, and the depiction of Mary with Child, sit alongside courtly scenes like those portrayed in Persian book illustration. The selection of encircling Psalms, Arabic proverbs and Persian principles further add to the impression of a peaceful community of different religious beliefs living together.  \nThe central panels are found in the back part of the main niche, to the left and right of a wall cupboard. Courtly themes are repeated on the left-side panel, including a ruler sitting on a throne, a hunt and a hunting party with a prince holding a falcon. In contrast, Christian themes are portrayed on the right-side panel, and include the Last Supper, Salome’s dance in front of King Herod and the sacrifice of Isaac. Other panels around the room have individual depictions from either courtly or Christian subject matters, such as the love story of Leila and Majnun of Nizami (1141–1202) from the Haft Paykar, or the Virgin Mary and Child or Saint George. Real and imaginary animals are depicted alongside. It is the variety of the themes of these paintings that make these earliest surviving wall panels such a comprehensive collection, a variety that could perhaps only have arisen in the Syrian trading town Aleppo.  \nThe name Halab Shah ibn Isa, one of the craftsmen, appears on the cornice.  \n  \nClick [here](https://youtu.be/4toX47mtAIE) to **watch a video presentation** of this artefact.","short_description":"The painted wooden panels belong to the audience room in a house of a Christian merchant in Aleppo, Syria, which is the only surviving example of a painted and dated room from the 17th century. Its ornamental and figural repertoire includes Christian themes as well as Arabic verses.","type":"Woodwork, painting, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Isa ibn Butrus (Jesus, son of Peter).","dates":"Hegira 1009 or 1012 / AD 1600–01 or 1603.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 260 cm, total length 35 metres.","method_for_datation":"Two dates are inscribed in different places in the Aleppo Room: 1009 (1600–01) and 1012 (1603).","method_for_provenance":"The Aleppo Room was obtained in 1912 by Friedrich Sarre in Aleppo. The deeds certify that the room was originally in House Wakil in Aleppo, where it was also photographed *in situ* prior to 1912.","provenance":"Aleppo, Syria.","obtention":"Acquired in Aleppo by Friedrich Sarre for the Museum of Islamic Art in 1912.","bibliography":"Duda, D., *Innenarchitektur Syrischer Stadthäuser des 16. bis 18. Jahrhunderts: Die Sammlung Henri Pharaon in Beiru*t, Beiruter Texte und Studien, 12, Wiesbaden, 1971.  \nGangler, A., *Ein Traditionelles Wohnviertel im Nordosten der Altstadt von Aleppo in Nordsyrien*, Tübingen, 1993.  \nGonella, J., *Ein Christlich-Orientalisches Wohnhaus des 17. Jahrhunderts aus Aleppo (Syrien)*,Mainz, 1996.  \nOtt, C., “Die Inschriften des Aleppozimmers im Berliner Pergamonmuseum”, *Le Muséon* 109(1–2), 1996, pp.185–226.  \nSarre, F., “Bemalte Wandverkleidung aus Aleppo”, *Berliner Museen, Berichte aus den Preußischen Kunstsammlungen* 41(4), 1919–20, pp.143–58.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","architectural decoration","ceiling","Damascus room","interior ornament","late Ottoman","painted wooden wall paneling","Syria","Syrian craft","wood","wood paneling"],"materials":["Wood, multi-layered painting using a variety of pigments and metal coatings."]},"a488d457-650b-5f4c-b27b-4e2bcbd9ff6d":{"name":"Tile Panel for a Spandrel","short_description":"Buildings in Isfahan, capital of the Safavid dynasty in the seventeenth century, were lavishly decorated with tilework. An innovation of this period, found in palaces and other secular structures, was the use of individually painted square tiles, which were combined to form a larger pictorial scene and employed the *cuerda seca* technique. First developed in Iran in the later 14th century, *cuerda seca* was designed to produce multicolored glazed tile decoration quickly, efficiently, and cheaply. To prevent the different glazes from running during the (single) firing process, the decorative motifs were outlined with a greasy pigment that burned off in the firing, leaving behind a dull, dark line. This tile panel is half of a pair of spandrels that was once set above an archway in a palatial pavilion known as the Hasht Bihisht, completed in Hegira 1080 / AD 1669-70. Here, amid a tranquil floral landscape filled with birds, a lion attacks a stag, a motif that can perhaps be interpreted as a visualization of a contemporary poetic metaphor for the arrival of spring. Other contemporaneous spandrels from the Hasht Bihisht on the eastern facade include animal combats, for example, a leopard and a gazelle and a tiger and a gazelle.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 1080 / AD 1669-1670","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"114.9 x 105.4cm","method_for_datation":"The tile panel is very closely related in terms of style, subject matter (animal combat), technique and dimensions to other spandrels still in situ at the Hasht Bihisht pavilion in Isfahan, which dates to Hegira 1080 / AD 1669-70. It may have come from the western façade of the structure.","method_for_provenance":"The technique, style, and dimensions are consonant with tilework from the Hasht Bihisht.","provenance":"Iran, probably Isfahan, Hasht Bihisht, West façade","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 191, 214.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 54, fig. 50.  \nLuschey-Schmeisser, Ingeborg, *The Pictorial Tile Cycle of Hašt Behešt in Isfahan and its Iconographic Tradition*, Rome: IsMEO, 1978: 211.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 64-65, cat. no. 117.","dynasty":"Safavid","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["animal decoration","bird","ceramics","cuerda seca","floral motifs","Fritware","Iran","lion","Safavid"],"materials":["Fritware, cuerda seca technique"]},"a89685ed-d6b6-5d4f-ba6b-53f166d90f5d":{"name":"Fragment of lintel (*izar*).","description":"This lintel, which has been slightly damaged on the lower right-hand side, is sculpted with an inscription interrupted by a section in an architectural style filled with vegetal motifs.  \nThe inscription reproduces a Qur'anic text, the beginning of verse 47 of Sura 11 'the Messenger', which suggests that this lintel was originally used in a religious building. The upstrokes of the angular *kufic* characters end in concave bevels. Only the upstrokes of *nun* and *ha* finish with a simple movement, mimicking the elegant appearance of a swan's neck. The low letters, such as *dal* and *waw*, are crowned with decorative motifs formed of joined concave and bevelled upstrokes. All of the letters sculpted in the round are surrounded by a raised line that amplifies their edges.  \nThe vegetal background behind the script seems to play a secondary role to the letters themselves. The movement of the stem, the number of floral motifs and their silhouettes are all made to fit the height, spacing and shape of the up strokes. This large and sober decoration, sculpted in champlevé, uses the thick stem and single palm in all of their forms: curved at the base into a ring, with triangular calyxes, and fanned. Smooth symmetrical palms with lower lobes with pointed edges, similar to fleurons, are also used. The outer edges of all of the lobes of these different types of flowers are decorated with small festoons that appear to be a simplification of the digits of acanthus leaves.  \nThe sobriety and elegance of the *kufic* characters and the rigour and simplification of the vegetal forms used in the decoration of this lintel are characteristic of Almohad aesthetics, to which this piece appears to be linked.","short_description":"The sobriety and elegance of the *kufic* characters used in the Qur'anic inscription, and the rigour and stylisation of the plant forms that decorate this lintel, originally from a religious building, are characteristic of Almohad aesthetics.","type":"Woodwork, lintel, izar, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira second half of the 6th century / AD second half of the 12th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 16 cm, length 106.5 cm, depth 7.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The elegance of the calligraphy characters and the understated plant decoration belong to an artistic style identifiable on dated Almohad monuments.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932","dynasty":"Almohad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural element","epigraphic decoration","floral decoration","Religion","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"aa67ee01-78e4-5518-9d67-9f76947805b3":{"name":"al-Bab as-Saghir (*ad-Dirwazah*)","short_description":"The precise origins of this gate are unknown. However, it appears on De Resende’s drawing of Muscat in a Portuguese manuscript by António Bocarro entitled *Livro do Estado da India Oriental* (Hegira 1041–42 / AD1632). Literally meaning “the Small Gate”, it provided entry from the south and led directly into *Suq Muscat* (or market area) and featured a walkway over the moat. It is assumed that this gate was originally the main entrance into town before the expansion of Bab at-Tuyan – later renamed *al-Bab al-Kabir* – in Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century. This is attested by the *Plan of the Port of Muscat* by Louis-François-Grégoire de Lafitte de Brassier, a French lieutenant engineer and geographer, dated Hegira 1191–92 / AD 1778.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 322cm, Length 120cm","dynasty":"Al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood and iron"]},"ab174424-adb1-5b57-8894-d4b10135d015":{"name":"Cornerstone of an arch.","description":"Cornerstone of an arch sculpted from grey marble. Its perimeter is decorated with a linear motif in the form of a granulated chain links. The corner of the cornerstone is ornamented with a six-petal rosette that is decorated on each side with foliage ending in a fleuron. The segment of arch below the rosette is emphasised by a design composed of interlacing foils.  \nThis archway cornerstone probably belonged to the entrance of a palace room.","short_description":"Sculpted spandrel of an arch that decorated the entrance of a palace room. Its perimeter is decorated with linear motifs in the form of granulated chain links. The corner of the spandrel is decorated with a six-petal rosette, the edges of which are decorated with foliage ending in a fleuron.","type":"Arch, marble","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 48 cm, length 48 cm, depth 7 cm.","method_for_datation":"By G. Marçais, who dates it from the 6th / 12th century.","method_for_provenance":"By G. Marçais, who attributes it to the town of Béjaia.","provenance":"Béjaia, Algeria.","bibliography":"Marçais, G., *Le musée Stéphane Gsell, musée des antiquités et d'art musulman d'Alger*, Alger, 1950.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["arch","architectural element","Béjaia","cornerstone","floral decoration","geometric decoration","Hammadid","marble","Palace","palatial architecture","sculpture"],"materials":["Grey marble, sculpted."]},"ab4c5d91-3eb6-5a81-9faa-2a5c739113b8":{"name":"Architectural element, plinth","short_description":"The slab was likely part of a carved marble plinth in one of the rooms surrounding the central courtyard of the palace. It was found in front of the XXI niche of the southern facade of the courtyard whose central *iwan* gave access to the throne room. The plinth is divided into three horizontal bands. The central band has an architectural decorative motif consisting of two mirrored trilobed arches that connect through segments of bilobed and trilobed palmettes. The bottom horizontal band features two interwoven vines with arabesque leaves, while the upper band contains superb calligraphy in foliated *kufic* script. The inscription of the panel is in Arabic and reports the basmalah: Bi-smi 'llahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahimi (بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْم = In the name of God, Clement, Merciful). In the past, this inscription was thought to have been part of the text, about 250m long, which unfolded along the four facades of the courtyard, with a poem in praise to the Ghaznavid sultans and to the magnificence of the palace itself. However the different dimensions of the slabs bearing the poem could cast doubt on this assumption.  \nUnfortunately, there the colour is no longer present on the slab with the rich polychromy that once completed the panel now lost. However, we know from the minute traces of colour left on portions of other marble slabs decorating the courtyard that the pigment used for the inscriptions was lapis lazuli, while the background surrounding the letters was carmine. According to Umberto Scerrato it was actually a red bole, which was used as a preparation prior to gilding, so as to appear as a manuscript illuminated with gold.","type":"Plith","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira early 6th century / AD Early 12th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 73cm, Width: 58cm, Thickness: 5.5cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation report","provenance":"Palace in Ghazni associated with Mas'ud III (1099-1115), Afghanistan","obtention":"Deposit IsIAO, excavation IsMEO","bibliography":"Bagnera, A., \"Ghaznavidi e Ghuridi\", s.v., *Encyclopedia of Medieval Art*, VI, Rome (1995): 601s., photo 603.  \nBombaci, A., *The Kūfic Inscription in Persian Verses in the Court of the Royal Palace of Mas'ūd III at Ghazni, IsMEO, Reports and Memoirs, V*, Rome: Is. M.E.O, 1966: 10, 65, table XL, fig. 140 and fig, 4 for the location of the niche.  \nRugiadi, M, *Architectural decoration in marble from Ġaznī (Afghanistan)*, Doctoral thesis, Bologna, 2012: 1146, cat. no. 597.  \nVentrone Vassallo, G., \"Panel of sculpted marble cladding\", in G. Curatola (ed), *Eredità dell'Islam. Islamic Art in Italy*, Milan: Silvana, 1993: 102.","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","author":"Michael Jung","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Marble, bas-relief"]},"ae6c89dd-38fa-5357-b1bd-8536d9d0c3b9":{"name":"Fragment (from a wooden frieze) with an inscription in kufic script.","description":"A fragment of a wooden frieze inscribed with large *kufic* characters. When the NMS acquired this piece it was thought to have come from Tulunid Egypt and it was suggested at the time that the inscription read: ‘*baraka wa yumn wa sa’ada wa ghibt lisahibii’* (‘blessing and good fortune and happiness and joy to its owner’). However on closer inspection, the surviving lettering does not stand up to such a reading, and although the inscription has not yet been re-deciphered, it appears more likely that it originally formed part of a quotation from the Qur’an.","short_description":"The little that survives of Fatimid wood carving is characterised by its intricate high relief technique and the vibrancy of its epigraphic or figurative decoration. Occasionally the final panels, which were meant to grace contemporary interiors, were painted, varnished and treated to be fire retardant.","type":"Woodwork, carved wood","holder":"National Museums of Scotland (NMS).","dates":"Hegira, late 2nd–5th century / late AD 9th–11th century.","location":"Edinburgh, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 12 cm, length 117 cm.","method_for_datation":"At one time this fragment was thought to originate in Tulunid Egypt (3rd–4th / 9th–10th centuries), it is now believed to be a product of the Fatimid period (4th–6th / 10th–12, due to certain stylistic similarities with a wooden panel excavated in Raqqa, Syria.","method_for_provenance":"Although it was assumed at one time that the object was produced in Egypt, a Syrian provenance may now also be feasible, given certain stylistic similarities between this fragment and a panel excavated at Raqqa in Syria dating to the Fatimid period.","provenance":"Possibly Syria or Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by the NMS from Lisbet Holmes Textiles, London, in 1984.","dynasty":"Tulunid or Fatimid","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["epigraphy","kufic script","wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"b22fae1f-5786-5085-b517-2f8291d7ddab":{"name":"Fragment of choir parapet.","description":"Panel of the frieze that formed part of the parapet of the choir of the Monastery of Santa Clara, on the inside. It is decorated with tracery work in the shape of teardrops carved in a frame with a smooth moulding on the inside juxtaposed with an acanthus-leaf border of the upper edge, which gives it a classical air.  \nThe right side, partially lost, is made up of undulating lines with tracery work, while the left side is decorated with 'x' shapes. The teardrops face each other in pairs within circular structures, the ends of which continue out to form more winding teardrop structures. This decorative motif was imported from Flanders by Hannequin of Brussels, who used it in St James' Chapel in Toledo Cathedral. The edges are decorated with balls characteristic of the reign of the Catholic Kings. This type of decoration, which is mixed harmoniously with Gothic structures in plaster, was widespread in Castile in the last Gothic period. An interesting example are the banisters of the University of Alcala de Henares, contemporary to this piece.","short_description":"The originality of this chorus parapet from a monastery in the city of Palencia lies in the fact that the Gothic decorative motifs from the AH 9th / AD 15th century, such as the tracery work drawing sinuous tears, was done in plaster instead of stone, suggesting it was done by a Mudéjar craftsman.","type":"Choir parapet, plaster","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 101 cm, length 122 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"The style derives from 15th-century Gothic forms.","method_for_provenance":"The piece remained in its original position until 1969, when it came to the National Archaeological Museum.","provenance":"Monastery of Santa Clara, Palencia, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was obtained on 20 October 1969 after the Governor of Palencia gave it to the Scientific Commission of the National Archaeological Museum composed of Juan de Dios de la Rada and Juan de Malibrán.","bibliography":"Franco Mata, á., *Catálogo de la Escultura Gótica del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1993, pp.200–1, no. 256.  \nRada y Delgado, J. de la and Malibrán, J. de, *Memoria Que Presentan al Excmo. Sr. Ministro de Fomento, Dando Cuenta de los Trabajos Practicados y Adquisiciones Hechas para el Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1871, pp.41 and 80–1, no. 305.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Catholic Kings","Choir parapet","moulding","Mudéjar","Palencia","plaster"],"materials":["moulding.","Plaster"]},"b2622fa1-69d2-576f-a92d-7b7e0bbf3c7e":{"name":"Frieze.","description":"This fragment of extravagantly carved decorative plasterwork comes from the north hall in the Aljafería Palace. Its central part is made up of a combination of intertwined, mixtilinear horseshoe arches supported on columns with composite capitals and shafts decorated with zigzags. The gaps are filled with plant arabesques, forming scrolls where palmettes, pomegranates and other floral elements are inscribed. Above the arcade are the remains of a *kufic* inscription where 'the faithful' can be read. In the lower part there is a wide strip with geometric, vegetal and inscribed elements. The plasterwork preserves remains of red, blue, white and black colouring.  \nIn this plaster panel, the architectural, geometric and vegetal forms are combined in a complex manner. The delicate engraving of the vegetal motifs is almost reminiscent of a chest and reflects a taste for sumptuary arts. In the Taifa of Saragossa there clearly existed a specific taste and independent style, nonetheless linked to the previous Caliphate.  \nThe north hall of the Palace, also called the 'Golden Hall' or 'Marble Hall', whose decoration was formed in part by this frieze, was undoubtedly the throne room, reserved for ceremonial usage. The architectural and decorative remains, as well as literary references, give us an understanding of what the original ornamentation was like. According to a poetic text belonging to al-Muqtadir, this hall was splendidly decorated.","short_description":"This fragment of frieze, which was part of the decorative wall covering of the Throne Room in the Aljafería Palace, reproduces an architectural arcade on a small scale. It is an excellent example of the baroque style seen in the carved, multicoloured plasterwork decoration of the time.","type":"Frieze, plaster","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 437–73 / AD 1046–81.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 162 cm, width 151 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Aljafería Palace was constructed under the patronage of Abu-Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (437–73 / 1046–81), the second monarch in the Banu Hud dynasty, which governed the Taifa of Saragossa from 432 to 503 / 1040–1110.","method_for_provenance":"The piece was taken from the Aljafería Palace to the National Archaeological Museum by the Provincial Commission of Monuments in 1867. According to Revilla (see Bibliography), this frieze belonged to the 'Golden Hall' or the 'Marble Hall' in the Aljafería Palace in Saragossa, the best-preserved palace complex from all of the Taifa era.","provenance":"Aljafería Palace, Saragossa, Spain.","obtention":"The frieze was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.256. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain* (ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nGómez Moreno, M., *El Arte árabe Español Hasta los Almohades. Arte Mozárabe*, Ars Hispaniae, Vol. III, Madrid, 1951, p.229.  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *Catálogo de las Antigüedades que se Conservan en el Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, 1932, p.22.*","dynasty":"Taifa kingdoms; Banu Hud dynasty, Abu Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. AH 437–73 / AD 1046–81)","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["floral decoration","geometric decoration","palatial architecture","patronage"],"materials":["Carved polychromatic plaster."]},"b3e62fd2-6577-5d66-8b8b-0a02eabf19a6":{"name":"Balastrade","short_description":"This elaborately carved stone probably was once part of a staircase railing or balustrade in a multistory building. It is one of perhaps one dozen such architectural elements preserved in museums in the United States and Europe, one of which is inscribed with the date Hegira 703/AD 1303–4. As is typical of this closely related group, a lion carved in relief on either side forms a pair when the stone slab is viewed head-on. On one face of the LACMA stone is a carved niche with a pair of columns supporting a *muqarnas* hood, while others in this group have depicted on their short front ends two-story kiosk-like structures, in both instances perhaps alluding to their original architectural contexts.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira early 8th century / AD early 14th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"66.68cm","method_for_datation":"A stone balustrade in the Metropolitan Museum dated Hegira 703 / AD 1303-4, is very similar in configuration, decoration and size, which along with a second similar slab in the Metropolitan Museum, was said to come from Hamadan, Iran.","method_for_provenance":"The LACMA balustrade belongs to a group of very similar architectural elements that have been ascribed to Iran.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 106.  \nPal, Pratapaditya, Lentz, Thomas W., Canby, Sheila R., Binney, Edwin, 3rd, Denny, Walter B. and Markel, Stephen “Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art,” *Arts of Asia*, 17 : 6 (1987): 94, figs. 33-35.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 179, cat. no. 355.","dynasty":"Seljuq","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["animal decoration","architectural decoration","carved","carved decoration","Iran","Limestone","lion","muqarnas","Seljuq"],"materials":["carved","Limestone"]},"b6b6edab-ebe1-5d00-b219-8de53446fae4":{"name":"Welcome panel between two pairs of brothers","short_description":"The inscriptions on this panel explain the unusual composition of two pairs of brothers greeting one another: Hans and Ulrich Brand, and Hans and Barthlome Wächli. The panel represents the subjects of brotherly love and community.","type":"Engraved glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1766","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 33cm","obtention":"Purchased in Willisau, Switzerland, in 1892","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["engraved","Polished colourless glass"]},"b9121ce3-b4a5-5b98-93ab-b74dd4c75a5e":{"name":"Arch.","description":"This arch was part of the arcade of the southern portico of the Aljafería Palace in Saragossa. The whole consists of a 13-lobed arch supporting a series of small hollow arches formed by the crossing of other larger arches, which are also poly-lobed. The upper part is decorated with plant arabesques interrupted by four small scalloped cupolas. It is completed by a large arch that appears to be supported on columns, with their shafts and capitals. In this arch we can see how certain structural elements (arches, columns or small cupolas) are used as purely decorative elements, a common practice in the art of the Taifa kingdoms. The fretwork in these arcades, created by a series of arches that multiply harmoniously, produces an effect of light and shade. It is an art that places more importance on visual impact than on the materials or even the architecture. The artistic forms of this period follow the caliphal tendencies of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, but in the Taifa kingdom of Saragossa there is a special tendency towards more elaborate designs, which would later be adopted in various Andalusian and Mudéjar buildings.","short_description":"The south side of the Aljafería courtyard was decorated with an arched portico similar to this one, built for effect and for decoration and with no real structural function. It was inspired by the intertwining arcades of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, but its complexity makes it singularly baroque in style.","type":"Arch, plaster","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 437–73 / AD 1064–81.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 611 cm, width 452 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Aljafería Palace was constructed under the patronage of Abu Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. 437–73 / 1046–81), the second monarch in the Banu Hud dynasty, which governed the Taifa of Saragossa during the years 432–503 / 1040–1110. In the southern portico of the Palace, where this arch belongs, there are two inscriptions that include the title adopted by al-Muqtadir after the conquest of Barbastro in 456 / 1064.","method_for_provenance":"In 1867, before the demolition of the Palace's San Jorge Chapel and the adjacent areas, the recently created Commission of Monuments managed to salvage some architectural elements of the Palace and move them to the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid and the Provincial Museum of Saragossa.","provenance":"Aljafería Palace, Saragossa, Spain.","obtention":"The arch was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"Beltrán Martínez, A., *La Aljafería*, Saragossa, 1998, p.106.  \nGomez Moreno, M., *El Arte árabe Español Hasta los Almohades. Arte Mozárabe*. Ars Hispaniae, Vol. 3, Madrid, 1951, p.239.  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *Catálogo de las Antigüedades que Se Conservan en el Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, 1932, p.24.*  \nSavirón y Estevan, P., “Fragmento de Estilo árabe Procedente del Palacio de la Aljafería de Zaragoza”, *Museo Español de Antigüedades*, Vol. I, Madrid, 1872, pp.145–7.  \nViguera Molins, M. J., *El Islam en Aragón*, Zaragoza, 1995, p.153.","dynasty":"Taifa kingdoms; Banu Hud dynasty, Abu Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. AH 437–73 / AD 1064–81)","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","floral decoration","lobed arch","palatial architecture","patronage"],"materials":["Carved plaster."]},"bb43f026-1a65-5250-959c-c4347189231f":{"name":"Wall panel with geometric interlace","short_description":"Polychrome marble mosaics adorned the interior walls of both religious institutions and palaces in Egypt and Syria during the Mamluk period. This example, from an unknown building, probably once decorated the lower register of a wall, but similar mosaics also appear on *mihrab*s, spandrels, and even cenotaphs of the period. The interlocking slabs in contrasting colours bordering this mosaic, as well as the rectangular baseboard panels below it, are also characteristic of Mamluk architectural decoration.","type":"Stone","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira 9th century / AD 15th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 118.1cm, W: 59.7cm, D: 12.7cm, Wt: 279lbs./126.6kg","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt","obtention":"Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970  \nFormer owner: The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, New York (until 1970; gifted to MMA)","bibliography":"Behrens-Abouseif, Doris, *Cairo of the Mamluks. A History of the Architecture and its Culture*, London/New York: I. B. Tauris, 2007.  \nBurgoyne, Michael, *Mamluk Jerusalem, an Architectural Study*, London: British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, 1987: 97.  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 79, no. 46, ill. 80.  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 165, no. 114, ill. 165 (colour).  \nWalker, Daniel S., Ponce Guadián, Arturo, Babaie, Sussan, Carboni, Stefano, Froom, Aimee, Swietochowski, Marie Lukens, Masuya, Tomoko, Daskalakis-Matthews, Annie Christine, Kahil, Abdallah and Kessler, Rochelle, *Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York. Colegio de San Ildefonso, Septiembre de 1994-Enero de 1995*, Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 1994: 106–7.","dynasty":"Mamluk","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970","keywords":["architectural decoration","architectural form","Cairo","Egypt","geometric decoration","geometric design","geometric patterns","Mamluk","marble","mosaic","polychrome decoration","stone"],"materials":["Mosaic","Polychrome marble"]},"bbbe8a25-e73d-5418-91ea-dbe154c4effb":{"name":"Remnants of Jakob Eduard Polak's original gravestone","short_description":"With the revolution of 1848 and the fall of Metternich, Austria entered a new phase of encounters with the Orient. In 1851, the Bohemian-Jewish doctor Jakob Eduard Polak (1818–1891) accepted an invitation to Persia. He was to instruct surgery in Tehran. Polak stayed for nine years, learned Persian, became the personal physician of the Shah, and studied the land and its people on long journeys. Soon after his return to Vienna, he began to publish extensively. He wished to communicate knowledge between and about both cultures.  \nAs an epitaph for his gravestone, Polak selected a verse by the 13th century Persian poet Saadi. During the lifetime of Polak, no Persian in Vienna neglected to pay his respects to the former Hakim Bashi (personal physician) of the Shah. Recently, an Iranian doctor replaced the original gravestone in the Vienna Central Cemetery with a new one, as a mark of honour. The remains of the original gravestone found their way to the museum.","type":"Architecture","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"1891","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 66.5cm, W: 41.3cm, Diameter: 2.6-2.8cm","method_for_datation":"Personal documentation by the collector.","method_for_provenance":"Personal documentation by the collector.","provenance":"Austria, Vienna, Vienna Central Cemetery","obtention":"Donated by the collector, Dr. Afsaneh Gächter, Vienna, 2013.","bibliography":"Gächter, Afsaneh, *Briefe aus Persien. Jakob E. Polaks medizinische Berichte. With an English Summary and Translation of Polak's \"Letters from Persia\"*, Vienna: new academic press, 2013: 150, Plate 15.  \nSteinmann, Axel, \"At the Threshold of the Orient\", in Claudia Augustat and Reinhard Blumauer (eds), *In a Nutshell, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 90-95.","materials":["Marble"]},"bd295ac6-c84c-53d6-a527-b56db5a312f7":{"name":"Stucco panel.","description":"This panel has several different decorated sections. The upper section consists of a protruding band with a double grooved braid above a large frieze with palmettes and acanthus leaves. Sculpted in relief, the lower two lobes of the seven-lobed palmettes are rolled and the upper one marked with a central slot. They alternate with and are framed by bouquets of acanthus with digitate leaves and disc-shape calyxes.  \nThe lower section consists of a spandrel and an arcature. The triangular spandrel, surrounded by a double braid, is marked with a medallion made up of a fleuron consisting of three acanthus leaves. The central veined digitate leaf includes offshoots and is seen from the front, while the two side ones, bent to form a calyx, are seen from the side. This medallion is surrounded by two interlaced stems bearing acanthus leaves beside to pinecones set obliquely.  \nThe arcature is crowned by two bands. The upper band consists of a crown of veined acanthus leaflets above the second arched band decorated with a double braid. Alternating below this band there are smooth voussoirs and projecting voussoirs sculpted in relief that are reminiscent of the voussoirs of the arch of the mosque of Córdoba. Intertwined foliage with axillary buds, with some side branches that interrupt the rectilinear frame of the voussoirs, decorate the protruding voussoirs. Their coils tightly surround symmetrical and asymmetrical palms with acanthus leaves and three-leaf fleurons.  \nAll of this ornamental flora, as well as the deep carving technique which is found in the plaster work ornamentation of the Almoravid *qubba* at Marrakesh and the domes from the same period in the Qarawiyyin mosque, suggest that this arcature facing comes from the Almoravid period.","short_description":"This panel is a piece of carved stucco cladding. It comes from an arch, probably a *mihrab* arch. The composition of its decoration, its geometric and floral motifs inspired by Taifa art, and the deep sculpting technique date it to the Almoravid period.","type":"Panel, plaster","holder":"Museum of Archaeology.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th century.","location":"Rabat.","dimensions":"Height left 107 cm, height centre 110 cm, height right 163 cm, length 62 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through stylistic and comparative analysis. The type of decoration and the carving technique are similar to the plasterwork decoration at the Almoravid *qubba* of Marrakesh and the Almoravid domes in the Qarawiyyin mosque, which can be dated to the reign of 'Ali ibn Yusuf ibn Tashufin, 500–37 / 1106–1142.","method_for_provenance":"Archaeological object found *in situ.*","provenance":"‘House of the Plain’, Chichaoua, Morocco.","obtention":"Excavated.","bibliography":"Berthier, P., “En marge des sucreries marocaines. La maison de la plaine et la maison des oliviers à Chichaoua”, *Hespéris-Tamuda*, 1062, III, fasc. 1, pp.75–7.  \nMeunié, J. et Terrasse, H., *Nouvelles recherches archéologiques à Marrakech*, Paris, 1957.  \nMeunié, J. et Terrasse, H., *Recherches archéologiques à Marrakech*, Paris, 1952.  \nTerrasse, H., *La mosquée Al-Quaraouiyin à Fès*, Paris, 1968.","dynasty":"Almoravid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","floral decoration","Mosque interior decoration","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted and carved plaster."]},"bdae3379-6d92-508e-9471-03fb9980c87e":{"name":"Ceiling fragment.","description":"This trapezoidal side fragment of a ceiling consists of a series of small wooden planks and strips arranged in a pre-set geometric pattern to make a three-dimensional mosaic and cover the joists and beams of the ceiling. Its repetitive geometric composition follows a theme based on an eight-pointed star developing into rectilinear knotwork that forms various different shapes: hexagons, seven-pointed stars and cruciform nodes. The interstices formed by the knotwork are either filled by pieces with chamfered edges that protrude slightly above the knotwork lines, or left empty.  \nThe lines of the knotwork have a central groove and are painted with a red line next to a white braid on the inside and a green transparent fillet on the outside. The bottoms of the hollow shapes are covered with a coat of red paint on top of a white base coat. The surfaces of the pieces in relief that are not covered with a base coat are surrounded by chamfers consisting of a red background and a white coat marked with small alternating blue and red zigzags.  \nThe very balanced compositions, alternating filled and empty spaces, and the decoration based on contrasting colours make this fragment of a ceiling from al-Misbahiya Madrasa in Fez particularly interesting. Known as trough or *jefna* in Morocco and *artesonado* in Spain, this type of ceiling was already used in Almohad times. It was very popular in Marinid times for covering prayer rooms.","short_description":"The well-balanced composition of wooden planks and battens arranged in a geometric design with alternating filled and empty spaces, as well as areas of decoration based on colour contrasts, make this fragment of ceiling, known as *jefna*, particularly interesting.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 747 / AD 1346–7.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Length 285 cm, width 125.5 cm, depth 7.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"Same date as the *madrasa* it came from.","method_for_provenance":"Fragment salvaged from a ceiling of the monument.","provenance":"Al-Misbahiya Madrasa, Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged following the restoration of the *madrasa*.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *6000 d'art au Maroc*, catalogue, Paris, 1990.  \nGallotti, J., *Le jardin et la maison arabes au Maroc*, Vol. I, Paris, 1926.  \nTerrasse, Ch., *Médersas du Maroc*, Paris, 1927.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, pp.104–6.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["ceiling","geometric decoration","religious building"],"materials":["Joined, carved and painted cedarwood."]},"bdf5803d-997f-5030-8cd9-f6c1cf84691d":{"name":"Heraldic panel","short_description":"A sailing ship loaded with passengers and barrels is bound for the city depicted on the left of the panel. The coats of arms of the donors appear on either side of the sail. The marks on the oars correspond to the symbols in the coats of arms.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1679","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 43.5cm","provenance":"Wil, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland","obtention":"Exchange with Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1925","artist_birthdate":"1633","artist_birthplace":"Wil, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland","artist_deathdate":"1699","artist_deathplace":"Wil, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"bf493827-b9c5-5274-9a0c-39fb761a93e1":{"name":"Figurative architectural fragment.","description":"An architectural fragment with figures made of limestone and carved in low relief. It is rectangular in shape, with two crowned arches on the bottom side. On the upper section there are various figures in rectangular cartouches. In order, these include symmetrically placed birds, human figures, peacocks, and winged lions (griffins). The birds are shown in profile; their upper parts each have a rosette motif. The human figures each hold a rosette in one hand and an object resembling a ball in the other. They are shown from the front, sitting cross-legged in the traditional Turkic posture of authority. The peacocks, shown in profile, have tails which end in volutes and bodies with rosettes on them. The griffins face each other in a walking stance and have the characteristics of Seljuq lions: their hind feet are on the ground, while one of their front feet is drawn back toward the body at chest level, and the other is extended forward. The upper part of each griffin's body has a wing motif which extends upward from the front leg. Their tails pass between their hind legs to end above the body. Two bird motifs (eagles) are seen at the tops of the arches. The eagles have thick beaks, pointed claws, and short tails; the one on the right is broken at body level.  \n  \nThe arches are like those found in Artuqid architecture, with their crowns of sharp 'teeth' and the spiralling columns that support them. Between them, surrounded by a chain-motif border, is an inscription in *naskhi* script. The inscription reads, 'May the owner's honour and fortune continue. May God make his life and those of his *amirs* long'. Below the inscription are two kneeling figures holding spears in their hands and facing each other. Between them is a spiralling column. These figures, which we can identify as the guardians of the Tree of Life, are a symbolic expression rooted in shamanistic beliefs.  \n  \nThe inscription suggests that the object may have come from a tomb or a charitable structure such as a fountain.","short_description":"Anatolian Seljuq stonework of the AH 6th–7th / AD 12th–13th centuries displays extensive figurative decoration. Human and animal figures assuming symbolic meanings from pre-Islamic faiths are rendered exhibiting central Asian influences both in technique and style.","type":"Fragment, stone","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul","dimensions":"Height 55 cm, width 96.5 cm, depth 7 cm.","method_for_datation":"There is no documentary evidence indicating exactly where the object was produced or found, however, the composition, placement of figures, symbolic meaning, technique and architectural elements, as well as the fact that the craftsmanship exhibits all the characteristics of 7th / 13th century Artuqid work, allow us to date the object to that period.","method_for_provenance":"Inventory documents indicate that the object was initially brought to the Tiled Pavilion (çinili Köşk), from Diyarbakır. For this reason it is probable that the object was produced in southeastern Anatolia, in Diyarbakır or the region around it.","provenance":"Southeastern Anatolia (probably Diyarbakır), Turkey.","obtention":"The object was transferred from Diyarbakır to the Tiled Pavilion (çinili Köşk), Istanbul, in 1898 as part of the 19th-century initiative to collect artworks from across the country. The object was transferred to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in 1941.","bibliography":"Glück, H., Diez, E., *Die Kunst des Islam*, Berlin, 1925, p.236.  \n  \nOgan, A., Kühnel, E., *İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzelerindeki Şaheserler, Vol. 3: çinili Köşk'te Türk ve İslam Eserleri Koleksiyonu*, Berlin-Leipzig, 1938, p.36.  \n  \nölçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.103-5.  \n  \nöney, G., “Artuklu Devrinden Bir Hayat Ağacı Kabartması Hakkında”, *Vakıflar Dergisi*, VII (1968) Istanbul, pp.117–20.","dynasty":"Artuqid period","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["animal decoration","Chain motif","figurative decoration","human representation","imaginary animal","Limestone","low relief","relief","stone carving","zoomorphic imagery"],"materials":["Carved limestone (low relief)."]},"bf62b9f4-0b35-5814-b5b7-9a9fb9eba327":{"name":"Decorated pillar.","description":"Fragment of a pillar that presumably stood between the naves of a small monastic church, in the eastern suburb of the city of Lisbon. The relics of St Felix and St Adrian were venerated in this Mozarabic sanctuary.  \nThe fragment is decorated on its four sides with griffins and centaurs within medallions, formed by interlaced laurel wreaths set vertically on top of each other, on each side of the pillar. Five of these medallions have survived intact today along with fragments of another two, on the second ornamental row. Like other sculptures from the same period in Lisbon, these bas-reliefs express a highly decorative sense and show evidence of the *horror vacui* or fear of emptiness, such is the density of ornamentation on each panel. This sensation of decorative abundance is reinforced by the filling of the corners and intercalary spaces of the laurel wreaths with whimsical palmettes, which sometimes appear to derive from the *fleur-de-lys*, with the number of leaves of foliar lobes multiplied. The fantastical animals, in various positions and facing each other, are sculpted by cutting away the surrounding stone, creating a relief in two planes, the upper face of which, corresponding to the actual body of the animal, is livened up by lines sculpted in the stone to highlight the anatomical details. The crowns of laurels and the palmettes are, in turn, bevelled in a similar way to other pieces from Lisbon found in various locations, but which were undoubtedly produced by the same workshop of craftsmen.","short_description":"Fragment of a pillar presumed to have served to divide the naves of a small monastic church in the eastern suburbs of Lisbon. The motifs (fantasy animals, laurel wreaths and palmettes) and the decorative repertoire used suggest parallels with Sassanid, Byzantine and Umayyad art.","type":"Pillar, stone","holder":"Carmo Museum of Archaeology.","owner":"Association of Portuguese Archaeologists.","initial_owner":"Monastery of São Félix and Santo Adrião, in Chelas (Lisbon).","dates":"Hegira 3rd–4th century / AD 9th–10th century.","location":"Lisbon.","dimensions":"Height 95 cm, width 43 x 41 cm.","method_for_datation":"The pillar and other decorated pieces found in Chelas present a decorative structure and a sculptural effect very similar to certain Umayyad bas-reliefs, namely the winged quadrupeds in the laurel wreath from the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar, near Jericho (2nd / 8th century). The analogy that has been established with woven materials of Sassanid origin produced in Byzantium, which spread throughout the Mediterranean basin during the 3rd–4th / 9th–10th centuries, is also useful. An example is the Byzantine silk in the Cooper-Hewitt Museum (New York), whose decoration is identical to the bas-reliefs from Chelas and to those on the Casa dos Bicos in Lisbon.","method_for_provenance":"An account made in 1864 by I. de Vilhena Barbosa states that this piece was found embedded in a wall of the kitchen garden of the sacristy.","provenance":"Lisbon.","obtention":"Acquired by the Association of Portuguese Archaeologists after having been identified in the AD 19th century by I. de Vilhena Barbosa.","bibliography":"Barbosa, I. V., “Fragmento de um Roteiro de Lisboa (unpublished). Arrabaldes de Lisboa”, *Archivo Pittoresco*, 7, Lisbon, 1864.  \nCaballero Zoreda, L., “Sobre Santa Comba de Bande (Ourense) y las Placas de Saamasas (Lugo)”, *Galicia no Tempo*, Santiago de Compostela, 1992, pp.75–115.  \nFernandes, P. A., “Escultura de Alta Idade Média Cristã”, in *Roteiro da Exposição Permanente. Museu Arqueológico do Carmo*, Lisbon, 2002, pp.63–7.  \nReal, M. L., “Os Moçárabes do Gharb Português”, in *Portugal Islâmico: Os últimos Sinais do Mediterrâneo*, exhibition catalogue, Lisbon, 1998, pp.35–56.  \nValdez, J. J. A., “Monumentos Archeológicos de Chelas”, *Boletim da Real Associação dos Architectos Civis e Archeologos Portuguezes*, Series 3, Vol. 8, nos. 3–4, Lisbon, 1898, pp.55–9.","dynasty":"Umayyads of Córdoba, Caliphate period","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Manuel Luís Real","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["animal decoration","bas-relief","centaur","griffin","imaginary animal","laurel wreath","Limestone","medallion","Mozarabic","palmette","Rosette","Umayyad of Cordoba","vegetal decoration","zoomorphic imagery"],"materials":["bas-relief sculpture.","Limestone"]},"c2ef9761-dc84-511b-baae-6b0e8dee6b4e":{"name":"Panel fragment","short_description":"The panel probably comes from a kind of balcony. Other pieces of the same parapet were found in the Ghaznavids’ old capital of Ghazna. All show related motifs: hunting scenes, dancing women, battle scenes or tournaments, and processions of exotic animals. This range of motifs was exceedingly popular in the early and medieval Islamic world.","type":"Panel, marble","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira c. 490 / AD c. 1100","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Afghanistan, Ghazna","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","keywords":["architectural element","Ghaznavid","marble","panel","Popular motifs in the early and modieval period"],"materials":["Marble, carved on both sides"]},"c4648474-e922-5da3-817d-b501e5d61af0":{"name":"Three pieces of a wall decoration","short_description":"Three architectural wooden fragments are part of an interior wall decoration, acquired in the Armenian town of New Julfa near Isfahan. They are painted in lacquer and plaster in the *ablaq* technique.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Diameter: 16cm / 17cm / 8.5cm","method_for_datation":"Acquired in the Armenian town of Daelulfa near Isfahan.","method_for_provenance":"Gift from Reg Baumeister-Breslauer, Berlin.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Endowment.","dynasty":"Qajar","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Iran","Wall decoration"],"materials":["Wood, lacquer"]},"c4ac31eb-6f1b-5165-aa8c-6ca2a725eb94":{"name":"Elements of a shutter.","description":"Four elements of a shutter, each in the shape of a cross and pierced by a circular hole at its centre. They are covered in green enamel, some of which has disappeared from certain parts.  \nGolvin (se Bibliography) mentions that the elements that compose this type of ceramic partitioning are usually assembled together with metal studs, and that, in contrast to plaster ones, those of this type do not include any fragments of coloured glass.","short_description":"These four parts of a screen wall are cross-shaped with a circular hole in their centre. They are covered with a green enamel that has disappeared in places. These parts were usually joined together using metal dowels.","type":"Shutter, ceramic","holder":"National Museum of Cirta","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"Constantine","dimensions":"For each element: diameter 13 cm, depth 3 cm.","method_for_datation":"Elements found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / 11th–12th centuries).","method_for_provenance":"Elements found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad.","provenance":"Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (Blanchet excavation, 1897).","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R., *Les H'ammadites*, Algiers, 1984.  \nGolvin, L., *Recherches archéologiques à la Qal'a des Banû Hammâd (Algérie*), Paris, 1965.  \nInstitut du Monde Arabe, *L'Algérie en héritage*, *art et histoire*, catalogue, Paris, 2003.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["ceramic","ceramic partitioning","circular hole","cloister","Cross-shaped shutter","Enamel","Qal’at Bani Hammad"],"materials":["Moulded and enamelled ceramic."]},"c5070245-7d2c-55a5-bf28-dc6513ffa7ed":{"name":"Capital.","description":"An astragal, decorated with arcs adorned with flower-shaped ornaments, sits on top of a plinth with chevron mouldings. These two elements are surmounted by a double row of folded acanthus leaves; caulicole leaves that are superimposed over each other, whose surface is embellished with digitations and eyelets, grow out between the acanthus leaves of the second row. The whole is surmounted by a curved abacus ornamented with milled edges, at each corner centrally presenting a projecting decoration that consists of double palmettes.  \nThis capital was discovered in the great hall of the palace of Manar, which Bourouiba affirms was divided into two levels that were separated by a step flanked on each side by a column. The author also indicates that it was the first time in the history of the Qal'at Bani Hammad excavations that columns were found both in their entirety and remaining in their original positions, along with all the pieces of which they consist.  \nThe presence of traces of blue paint should also be noted.","short_description":"Capital consisting of a plinth decorated at its base with juxtaposed broken lines beneath an astragal (semi-circular moulding) decorated with an arcature, two rows of acanthus leaves, and other floral motifs. The whole is crowned by an ornate curved abacus. It was discovered in the ceremonial hall of the Manar Palace.","type":"Capital, stone","holder":"Museum of M’sila (National Agency of Archaeology)","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"M’sila","dimensions":"Height 43.5 cm, sides 35.5 cm, diameter of the base 24.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through having been found on the site of the Qal'at Bani Hammad.","method_for_provenance":"Found in the great hall of the palace of Manar in the Qal'at Bani Hammad.","provenance":"Qasr al-Manar, Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (Bourouiba excavations, 1971).","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R., *Cités disparues: Tahert, Sédrata, Achir, Kalaâ des Beni Hammad*, Algiers, 1982.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les H'ammadites*, Algiers, 1984.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["acanthus","architectural element","capital","floral decoration","geometric decoration","Hammadid","Palace","palace of Manar","palatial architecture","sculpture"],"materials":["Sculpted stone."]},"c7057540-3049-55c4-895f-145533aab6a6":{"name":"Tile","short_description":"This square tile is decorated with a checkerboard pattern in yellow, black, green and white and was reportedly used to create a star-shaped frame. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds identical tiles which were made in Toledo.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 880-905 / AD 1475-1500","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 10.5cm, Width: 10.5cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects e. g. Victoria and Albert Museum (see Ray 2000, p. 331).","method_for_provenance":"Unknown.","provenance":"Spain, Toledo","obtention":"Catalogued in 1974; accession unknown.","bibliography":"Ray, A., *Spanish Pottery 1248-1898. With a Catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum* ,London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2000.","dynasty":"Nasrid","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Spanish","tile"],"materials":["Glazed ceramic"]},"c75e08e3-5ec9-52f9-afaa-c08cc9e88567":{"name":"Pair of inscriptions.","description":"Two fragments of an inscription in cursive Arabic characters (*naskhi*), found in the crypt of the Palatine Chapel in Palermo but probably originally from a different building. The translation of the inscription is as follows: ‘(Come close), kiss the corner of this (building) once you have embraced it and contemplated the beautiful things that it contains – To God the power and the duration. Of his creatures it is written that they will perish; of this we have the example and the comfort of his Prophet’. The reference to the Ka’ba – which the faithful flock around in order to kiss, out of respect, the black stone built into a corner – can be understood in terms of the Norman sovereigns’ attempts to identify with the divine authority. If the inscription does indeed come from one of the halls of the Royal Palace in Palermo (its presence was reported around the second half of the 19th century in the crypt of the Palatine Chapel but this was not its original location, and it may have come from the palace itself), it was probably King Ruggero (Roger) who took it to his residence to allude to the divinity of sovereigns through the traditional Fatimid link between palace and sanctuary.","short_description":"These beautiful inscriptions in cursive *naskhi* characters were most likely intended to embellish and celebrate the beauty and splendour of the Royal Palace, to which they may have been taken by King Ruggero (Roger).","type":"Inscription, marble","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicily, Abatellis Palace","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 32 cm, width 185 cm; height 32 cm, width 192 cm.","method_for_datation":"Comparison of material and content with the two inscriptions in Messina at Santa Maria Annunziata and the cathedral.","method_for_provenance":"See Bibliography.","provenance":"Crypt of the Palatine Chapel, Norman Palace, Palermo.","obtention":"Donated to the Royal Museum of Palermo by King Victor Emanuel in 1863.","bibliography":"Amari, M., *Le Epigrafi Arabiche di Sicilia*, new edition (ed. F. Gabrieli), Palermo, 1971, no. VI, p.46.  \nAurigemma M. G., *Il Cielo Stellato di Ruggero II: Il Soffitto Dipinto della Cattedrale di Cefalù*, Cinisello Balsamo, 2004, p.28.  \nDelogu, R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Roma, 1977, pp.10, 58.  \nLagumina, B.,“Iscrizione Araba del Re Ruggiero Scoperta alla Cappella Palatina in Palermo”, *Atti dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rendiconti della Classe di Scienze Morali*, 1893, pp.231–4.  \nScerrato, U., “Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia*, (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, p.302 and figs. 175, 176.","dynasty":"Fatimid / Norman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman","calligraphy.","naskhi"],"materials":["White marble with serpentine and porphyry inlay."]},"c8611ac1-8c86-5516-902f-55987d9022e3":{"name":"Capital.","description":"Capital made of white marble profusely decorated with acanthus leaves. The basket and abacus of the capital are entirely decorated with interlaced plant motifs. Its decoration is similar to others from the same period. Its artistic quality suggests that it was probably part of the architectural structure of an important palace or religious building.","short_description":"White marble capital profusely decorated with acanthus leaves, dating back to the AH 4th / AD 10th century. Its artistic quality suggests that it came from a palace or religious building of great importance. It was found in urban Silves in the late 19th or early 20th century.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Silves Municipal Archaeology Museum.","dates":"Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century.","location":"Silves., Faro.","dimensions":"Height 23 cm, width 22 x 21 cm.","method_for_datation":"By comparison with identical pieces from the same period.","method_for_provenance":"The date of the find is unknown. It was found in the urban area of Silves and passed on to the National Archaeology Museum in the late 19th or early 20th century.","provenance":"Urban area of Silves.","obtention":"Donation from the National Archaeology Museum in Lisbon.","bibliography":"*Portugal Islâmico: Os últimos Sinais do Mediterrâneo*, exhibition catalogue, Lisbon, 1998,  \nGomes, R. V., *Palácio Almóada da Alcáçova de Silves*, Lisbon, 2001, p.61.","dynasty":"Umayyad of al-Andalus, Caliphate period","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Maria da Conceição Amaral","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architecture"],"materials":["Sculpted white marble."]},"c8b58d34-3254-5337-ac50-fa15d0da0fba":{"name":"Set of six columns","short_description":"In the early 1940s, Doris Duke purchased this group of six Nasrid columns, as well as other fine examples of art from Islamic Spain (Andalusia), at the Hearst sales in New York City. Shortly thereafter, the columns were installed in the private hall leading to Shangri La’s Mughal Suite. The appearance of the private hall’s arcade and columns had previously been Indian-inspired, thereby directly complementing the Mughal Suite.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; column; architectural element","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Each column: 219.7 x 33.7 x 33.7 cm","provenance":"Spain, Andalusia","dynasty":"Nasrid","keywords":["architectural element","column","marble","Nasrid","Spain","William Randolph Hearst"],"materials":["Marble"]},"c9ec39c2-939a-5f52-a861-5f554111d598":{"name":"Monolithic column.","description":"A very simple monolithic column, sculpted from a block of grey marble. An undecorated shaft rises from a square base and is topped by a capital featuring three rows of acanthus leaves.  \nThis component fulfils both a functional and a decorative role; it would have served to consolidate and support the construction whilst at the same time decorating one of the two sides of openings (windows).  \nThe National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts of Algiers houses another similar column.","short_description":"Very simple, sculpted monolithic column. On top of the square base, a plain shaft is crowned with a capital decorated with three rows of acanthus leaves. This column was both functional and decorative: it supported the building while adorning the sides of the windows.","type":"Column, marble","holder":"Museum of M’sila (National Agency of Archaeology)","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"M’sila","dimensions":"Height 69.3 cm, length 27 cm, width 11 cm.","method_for_datation":"The piece was found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / 11th–12th centuries).","method_for_provenance":"According to General de Beylié, this column was donated by the local marabout (Muslim saint); it therefore probably once formed part of the Palace of the Amirs.","provenance":"Palace of the Amirs (?), Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (De Beylié excavations, 1908).","bibliography":"Beylié, général de, *La Kalaa des Beni Hammad, une capitale berbère de l'Afrique du Nord au XIe siècle*, Paris, 1909.  \nBourouiba, R., *Cités disparues: Tahert, Sédrata, Achir, Kalaâ des Beni Hammad*, Alger, 1982.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les H'ammadites*, Alger, 1984.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Ali Benbella","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["acanthus","architectural element","column","floral decoration","Hammadid","marble","Palace","palatial architecture","sculpture"],"materials":["Sculpted grey marble."]},"cce3a0c8-0096-5ec4-8323-9daea09d8912":{"name":"Two wooden columns.","description":"Two wooden columns with square-prism bodies, each with two sides decorated with deep carving. The sides are divided into a series of rectangular panels. Within the panels a text of 16 lines has been carved in floriated *kufic* script, eight lines per side.  \n  \nThe column with inventory number 145 features the text from Qur'an *sura* 19, verses 96–8. The verses begin on one side of the column and are read downward, continuing on the other side.  \n  \nThe column with inventory number 146 features text from the Qur'an *sura* 2, verse 285. Different from the other column, after the first lines on each side finish, they continue from the second panel on the first side, to the other side, and so on down to the panels below.  \n  \nAlthough it is not known from which building these wooden columns came, or what purpose they served, the fact that Qur'anic verses are found on them suggests that they were used as architectural elements in a religious building.","short_description":"These wooden columns are decorated with carved Qur'anic verses in floriate *kufic* script. They date to the Ayyubid period, a dynasty that ruled in Syria and Egypt during the AH 6th–7th / AD 12th–13th centuries. Technical and stylistic features of this period's woodwork reflect Fatimid influence.","type":"Column, wood, woodwork","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 85 cm, width 19 cm, depth 19 cm.","method_for_datation":"The objects are not dated, however, judging from the stylistic characteristics of the inscription, they can be dated to the 7th / 13th century and attributed to the Ayyubids, who ruled Damascus and Syria in this period and who are known for their woodwork.","method_for_provenance":"According to inventory documents, the columns were transferred to the Museum from Damascus, where it is likely they were produced.","provenance":"Syria.","obtention":"The columns were among the objects transferred to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts from Damascus in 1914.","bibliography":"Ölçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.76–7.","dynasty":"Ayyubid","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["calligraphy","carving","wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"cd79fa0f-0118-5b34-a444-8b2b248fdc5d":{"name":"Panel from a Ceiling","short_description":"Despite the end of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, an Islamic style of art and architecture continued to be popular among the ruling elite, and many Muslim craftsmen remained in Spain to meet the enduring demand for their services. This community of Spanish Muslims and the hybrid style that they developed came to be known by the term mudéjar. Made to decorate the palaces of wealthy Spanish notables, ceiling panels of this type are an example of the mudéjar style in their combination of Islamic and European designs, seen here in the respective star-inspired geometric decoration and the heraldic lion and castle, which help to link the ceiling to a building in Toledo. The provenance of the ceiling makes for a compelling story; its last home was the UCSB Faculty Club, where it was installed in the kitchen and service areas, from 1968 until 2014. It is not known how it came to the attention of Charles Moore, who designed the club, but UCSB legend has it that the ceiling had once belonged to W.R. Hearst. Our research has shown that Hearst had indeed acquired the ceiling in the 1920s and had it shipped to San Simeon. Although it may have been intended for Hearst Castle, it was never installed there and Moore likely purchased it from Hearst's warehouses in 1967. The remaining ceiling panels will undergo conservation so that they may be displayed as a near-complete ceiling in the 2020s.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira mid-8th (panel); Hegira 1436 (*muqarnas* element) / AD Mid-14th century or later (panel); AD 2015 (*muqarnas* element)","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"200.66 x 132.08 x 77.47cm","method_for_datation":"The ceiling is related in style and structure to several ceilings in Toledo, Spain, including that of the Sinagoga del Tránsito built around 1356 and the main hall of the Convent of Santa Isabel de Los Reyes, built between 1453 and 1458.","method_for_provenance":"Although such ceilings were popular amongst Christian and Muslim nobility in medieval Spain, the heraldic emblems related to Castile and Léon suggests that it was commissioned for a Christian patron’s home, most likely in Toledo, which was intermittently the center of Castilian power until 1561.","provenance":"Toledo, Spain","obtention":"Possibly from a fifteenth century palace in Toledo, Spain. Probably removed in 1920s (sold to); Collection of William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), until 1967 (sold to); University of California Santa Barbara (displayed in the Faculty Club), until 2014 (gifted to); LACMA, gift of The Faculty Club, University of California, Santa Barbara, Inc., in honor of the museum's 50th anniversary.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 262, 272, 273.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 34, 36-37.  \n*Gifts on the Occasion of LACMA's 50th Anniversary*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2015: 76-77.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Al-Andalus","Andalucía","Andalusia","ceiling","Heraldry","interior ornament","lion","Mudéjar","muqarnas","panel","pine","silver leaf","wood","wood paneling"],"materials":["Wood (Pine) with colored pigments and silver leaf"]},"cd91ae9e-1fc1-553d-beee-78044093b4bf":{"name":"Capital","short_description":"Marble column captial based on the Corinthian order, featuring 'lacey' design of acanthus leaves with frilly edges, 'bead and reel', 'egg and dart' and other classical art-derived motifs.","type":"Architectural","holder":"Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah","dates":"Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century","location":"Kuwait City","provenance":"Spain","dynasty":"Umayyads al-Andalus","keywords":["acanthus leaves","bead and reel","Corinthian","egg and dart","engraving","marble","vegetal decoration"]},"cdb8ea7d-4aae-5a2b-a21d-baa7d31aede4":{"name":"Panel from the Ibn Tulun Mosque","short_description":"The panel was originally part of a frieze with passages from the Koran that is some two kilometers long. The inscription is in a simple and robust *Kufi* script whose only decorative element is a little increase in width at the end of the letters.  \nThe panel was purchased in Cairo in 1848 by the French consul Delaporte, after restoration work on the Ibn Tulun Mosque.","type":"Woodwork, panel wood","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira c. 265 / AD c. 879","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","dynasty":"Tulunid","keywords":["architectural decoration","Ibn Tulun Mosque","Koran","panel","Qur'an","wood"],"materials":["Wooden panel, carved with a Kufi inscription"]},"d0a3b10b-ba8a-5ee3-9680-fb2f69ed64e7":{"name":"al-Bab al-Kabir","short_description":"Until the construction of the road between Muscat and Mattrah in Hegira 1347–48 / AD 1929, the western gate in the Muscat Wall was usually called the at-Tuyan Gate, after the *wadi* leading to the at-Tuyan Quarter of Muscat. As the gate became more important, Sultan Sayyid Said bin Taimur al-Busaidi had it rebuilt in Hegira 1354 / AD1935–36. As a result, the gate was renamed *al-Bab al-Kabir*, literally meaning \"the Big Gate\".  \nThe marble plaque that was placed over the outside entrance has an Arabic black-incised inscription that reads:  \n*In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful  \nRebuilt by order of Sultan Said bin Taimur  \nSultan of Muscat, Oman, Dhofar, and Gwadur  \nin the year 1354 AH*","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 1354 / AD 1935-1936","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 427cm, Length: 143cm","dynasty":"Al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood, bronze and iron"]},"d463baad-7676-559c-97ef-63e33e76211d":{"name":"Two carved limestone blocks.","description":"During an archaeological excavation and restoration works at the palace at al-Qastal in 1983 eight carved limestone blocks with floral and geometric patterns were recovered. They had once decorated the palace at al-Qastal and some of them were re-used in the restoration work that took place in 1983. Carved stone reliefs were a favourite decorative feature of Umayyad palaces, using a decorative repertoire of geometric and vegetal motifs to the exclusion of almost anything else.  \n  \nThese two carved limestone blocks are fragments from a frieze and a lintel that formed part of the middle niche at the eastern side of the palace. One block is decorated with four carved rosettes that are divided into two panels by a decorative divider; the other has a simple carved rosette of six petals set in a circle surrounded by flowers.","short_description":"Two carved limestone blocks from a frieze and a lintel that formed part of the middle niche at the eastern side of the Umayyad palace at al-Qastal. Carved stone reliefs were a favourite decorative feature of Umayyad palaces, mainly using a decorative repertoire of geometric and vegetal motifs.","type":"Block, stone","holder":"Museum of Jordanian Heritage, Yarmouk University.","owner":"Department of Antiquities, Jordan.","initial_owner":"Probably Al-Walid II (d. 126/ 744).","dates":"Hegira first quarter of the 2nd century / AD first half of the 8th century.","location":"Irbid","dimensions":"a: Height 46.5 cm, length 57.5 cm, depth 40 cm; b: Height 51 cm, length 70.5 cm, depth 33.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Palace where these carved limestone blocks were found has been dated to the Umayyad period.","method_for_provenance":"The limestone blocks were found in the Umayyad palace at al-Qastal.","provenance":"Al-Qastal, Jordan.","obtention":"The limestone blocks were removed in 1983 during archaeological excavations and restoration of the Umayyad palace at al-Qastal.","bibliography":"Carlier, P. F., 'Recherches archéologiques au château de Qastal (Jordanie)', *ADAJ* Vol. XXVIII, 1984, pp.343–83, figs. 27, 29.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["architectural decoration","floral decoration","geometric decoration"],"materials":["Carved limestone."]},"d4949137-9f0a-5361-8deb-7fef31ef1e01":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"This Ottoman-period Damascus room typifies a life of luxury in Ottoman Syria. Hospitality has always been central to the Muslim way of life; a room such as this would have been intended for entertaining honoured guests. This room identifies itself as a *qa’a* (hall), by being the largest and most lavishly decorated room in the house. The room itself is made of painted wood panels that compose the four walls and ceiling with a profusion of painted flowers, fruits and architectural scenes. Ornately decorated with motifs inspired with the Islamic Chinese and European tradition. The wooden panelling and ceilings of this interior are embellished with gesso relief decoration, called *'ajami*, which is gilded, tin-leafed, glazed and painted to create a complex interplay of reflective or matte and intensely colored surfaces. The ceiling has three distinct chandelier-like ornaments.","type":"Architecture","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"Hegira 1235 / AD 1820-1821","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"400 x 900cm","provenance":"Syria","bibliography":"*Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, IAMM Guide Book*, Kuala Lumpur: IAMM Publications, 2005 & 2014.  \n*Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia*, Volume 1, Kuala Lumpur: IAMM Publications, 2015: 118-121.","dynasty":"Ottoman","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","architectural decoration","calligraphy","Damascus room","domestic furnishing","geometric decoration","geometric patterns","interior ornament","Ottoman architecture","painted wooden wall paneling","Syrian craft","wood paneling"],"materials":["Carved wood paneling and ceilings with gesso relief decoration (called 'ajami) with marble mosaic floor"]},"d88746c7-cbe9-5e02-9b69-27f81f2ed7e5":{"name":"Nilometer","description":"The Nilometer is the oldest extant Islamic structure in Egypt, built on the Nile island of al-Rauda in Cairo in AH 247 / AD 861. It consists of a shaft that is connected with the Nile through three channels. In the middle of the shaft stands a column, and its markings from the bottom up make it possible to measure the water level, providing information that is of fundamental importance for people and crops in the Nile river valley.  \n  \nThe Nilometer’s interior is decorated with inscriptions that primarily consist of passages from the Koran. Similar friezes, since demolished, once embellished the entrance, from which this inscription frieze probably came.  \n  \nIt was purchased in Cairo in AH 1240 / AD 1824 by F. C. Münter, Bishop of Zealand, Denmark.","type":"Inscription frieze","holder":"The David Collection","owner":"The David Collection","dates":"AH 247 / AD 861-862","location":"Copenhagen","dimensions":"Height: 23cm; Width: 104.5cm","place_of_production":"Cairo","bibliography":"Meyer, J., *et al.*, *Beyond words: calligraphy from the World of Islam*, Copenhagen: Strandberg Publishing, 2024: fig. 12, 22 and 25.","dynasty":"Tulunids","copy_editor":"Zeina Al Amad","materials":["Marble"]},"daa61140-8ec8-5f6f-b568-7900bd5327e7":{"name":"Window grill (*Jaali*)","short_description":"This object is a pointed window grill, or *jaali*, made of red sandstone. *Jaali* literally means a net or fine web. Windows of perforated stone were typical features of royal palaces façades in Mughal India. These windows had several important functions, helping to protect against environmental conditions, providing shade, and using traditional means to regulate indoor temperatures. The patterns of light and shade created on walls and floors and the artistic interpretation of this light imagery gave *jaali*s a religious aspect. Additionally, due to their double-sided design, they were used both in interior and exterior architecture.  \nThis *jaali* has a repeating design of hexagon shapes, which was very popular during the Mughal empire. According to the Qur’an God created the world in 6 days, represented by the hexagonal, six-sided shapes.","type":"Stonework","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 1014-1060 / AD 1605-1650","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Height: 139cm, Width: 105cm, Depth: 8cm","method_for_datation":"Typical design during Mughal period.","method_for_provenance":"Purchased from von Alexis Renard, Paris.","provenance":"India","obtention":"Purchased in 2013.","bibliography":"von Achenbach, N., *Vier Objekte anlässlich der Neueinrichtung der Sammlung Islamische Kunst*, Hamburg: Stiftung für die Hamburger Kunstsammlungen, 2015.  \nGandhi, D., \"The Stone Jaali: A Critical Inquiry into Daylight Performance,” *Indian Architect and Builder Magazine* , 28 : 4 (2014): 79-90.  \nGangwar, G., \"Sustainability Lesson Learnt from the Traditional and Vernacular Architecture,” *Journal of Civil Engineering and Environmental Technology*, 3 : 2 (2016): 106-111.  \nKamath, L. G. and Daketi, S., \"Jaalis: A Study on Aesthetics and Functional Aspects in Built Environment,\" *International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Applied Science*, 2 : 2 (2016): 98-104.","dynasty":"Mughal","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Jali","Moghul"],"materials":["Red sandstone"]},"dbaf64d8-8c35-5357-b8f2-f283d7c34f4d":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"The room was dismantled intact from a courtyard home in the al-Bahsa quarter of Damascus, which was torn down in 1978 to make way for a road. Except for its paneled wood ceiling, which has not survived, the room is largely in its original state, with one of the best-preserved painted surfaces—including brilliant pinks, oranges, blues, and greens—of any similar room of the period. As is characteristic, it is comprised of colorful stone floor tiles, painted and carved wood walls, elaborate cupboard doors and storage niches, a high arch of plaster voussoirs decorated with stone paste inlays, which served to divide the room into upper and lower sections separated by a single, tall step; and unusually, an intricately inlaid stone wall fountain with a carved and painted stone hood. Much of the painted wood surfaces are embellished with a particular type of relief decoration known in Arabic as al-‘ajami, which is typical of the period. This technique produces raised designs of gypsum (mixed with glue), which are then covered with metal leaf, colored glazes, and matte paint. A calligraphic band of Arabic poetry, abridged from the Hamziyya, by the Egyptian poet Sharaf al-Din Muhammad b. Sa‘id al-Busiri (d.c., 696/1297), circumscribes the upper register of the walls. The main floral decoration is likely based on textile designs, while the room’s cornices incorporate detailed depictions of platters of fruit and pastry.  \n  \nClick [here](< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY90jtuEFBs>) to **watch a video presentation** of this artefact.","type":"Architecture; Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 1180 / AD 1766–67","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"Installation: 609.6 × 457.2 × 600cm","method_for_datation":"The room bears a dated inscription on one of the cornices: Hegira 1180 / AD 1766-67. Although it remained in use in situ for over 200 years, the main decorative elements were not altered. The pilasters, dado and all other structural elements are modern replacements.","method_for_provenance":"Apart from information regarding the room's original location in a house in the al Bahsa section of Damascus, the overall style, materials and technique are typical of 18th-century Damascus.","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","obtention":"Constructed for a home in al-Bahsa, Damascus subsequently belonging to the family of Mohamad Salim El Mourabeh (b. 1932), until 1978 (removed from); home destroyed in 1978 (sold to); Mikhael Daher Al Haddad (b. 1920) and by descent, Daher Haddad (birth/death date unknown), Junyeh, Lebanon, until 2014 (sold to); LACMA (through Robert Haber & Associates, New York) in 2014. Conservation of the room was organized in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture; additional conservation support was provided by the Friends of Heritage Preservation.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 20-31; 287-297, figs. 3a, 3b, 4, 5.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 10-16.  \nKomaroff, Linda, \"A Damascus Room in Los Angeleles,\" in Robert Hillenbrand (ed), *The Making of Islamic Art: Studies in Honour of Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom*, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2020 (In Press).","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Ajami","Ajami room","Aleppo room","Arabic inscription","architectural decoration","calligraphy","ceramic","Damascus room","domestic furnishing","geometric decoration","geometric patterns","interior ornament","Ottoman architecture","painted wooden wall paneling","Syrian craft","wood paneling"],"materials":["Wood (poplar) with gesso relief, tin and brass leaf, glazes and paint, plaster with stone paste inlays, marble, and multicolored stones"]},"dc5b965f-e339-5f91-bede-06c101b7ce46":{"name":"Water mills","alternate_name":"Rḥa الرحى or maṭḥana المطحنة","description":"Water mills, locally known as *maṭḥana*, date back to the AH 5th-16th / AD 11th–12th centuries during the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties. They played a vital role in Morocco’s rural and agricultural history, supporting traditional economies where farming was the main livelihood. These dynasties promoted the development of hydraulic infrastructure and the rational use of water in both cities and countryside.  \nThe concept of the water mill was not new, but it was refined in Morocco through the blending of Berber, Andalusian, and Eastern influences, enriching local know-how in construction, hydraulics, and community organisation.  \nBuilt in rural regions near rivers and irrigation canals, these mills harnessed the power of flowing water to grind cereals such as wheat, barley, and corn: staples of Moroccan agriculture. Water was diverted through a small canal or pipe to a horizontal wheel, typically wooden or metal, which rotated and turned the upper stone. This efficient system turned grains into flour—an important step in preparing bread, the cornerstone of the Moroccan diet.  \nIn Morocco’s semi-arid climate, water management was always crucial to the survival of communities. Water mills were often integrated into larger hydraulic systems, linked to khettaras (traditional underground canals), norias (water wheels), dams, and retention basins. Beyond their agricultural function, water mills had a social and religious dimension. They might be incorporated into waqfs or habous (religious endowments), whose revenues were used to fund mosques, Quranic schools (madrasas), or hostels for travellers. The miller, often a respected figure in the village, played the role of mediator and overseer in ensuring fair access to milling services. More than functional structures, these mills served as social hubs and symbols of cooperation, sustainability, and spiritual value.  \nWith the advent of modern industry and the introduction of electric mills in the AH 16th / AD 20th century, the use of traditional water mills gradually declined. Some survive in mountainous areas, such as the Middle Atlas, or in remote regions of the Rif and Souss, preserved as part of Morocco’s cultural heritage. These mills stand as evidence of Moroccan hydraulic genius, of the ability of rural societies to adapt to their environment, and of the harmonious integration of nature, technology, and spirituality.","type":"Architectural water feature / Agricultural equipment","holder":"Mohammed VI Museum of Water Civilisation","owner":"Various local communities or preserved as heritage by Ministry of Culture and Islamic Affairs","initial_owner":"Community-owned or endowed through *waqf* (religious endowment)","dates":"AH 5th-6th / AD 11th–12th centuries","location":"Marrakech","place_of_production":"Rural regions of Morocco","provenance":"Originated during the medieval Islamic period as part of Morocco’s broader hydraulic infrastructure and agricultural practices","workshop":"Built by local rural craftsmen with knowledge of traditional Berber, Andalusian, and Eastern techniques","dynasty":"Almoravids  \nAlmohads","author":"MUSEUM Staff, Layan Shahin","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["Waqf, community endowment, Islamic charity, ritual food production, sacred economy"],"materials":["hydraulic engineering using diverted water flows and gravity","Stone, wood, metal"]},"dc7a150a-22b9-5870-99a5-731a6c7242dc":{"name":"Façade of the Palace of Mushatta.","description":"The façade of the palace of Mushatta in Berlin is a section of the outer façade to either side of the entrance to the palace complex. Of the square surrounding wall, only this southern section was decorated between two circular towers. It was decorated with relief work consisting of a continuous band of zigzags that was originally 47 m long, bordered by a base with mouldings and a ledge. Large rosettes decorate the triangular corners formed by the zigzags. The background is covered in vine tendrils that spill out of basins. On the façade’s left side, a variety of animals and mythological creatures – such as birds, lions, griffins, a peacock dragon (Senmurw) and a centaur – can be found within the triangular spaces, living peacefully alongside one another as if in the Garden of Eden, mainly occupied in refreshing themselves with water from the large basins. The tower gateway on the right-hand side heralds a change in motif: instead of living creatures, there is now a small-scale plant-motif decoration. The background is filled with shoots and tendrils that rise up from vases or calyxes, spiralling in all directions. This change of motif can be understood by taking into account the fact that the Palace Mosque was situated behind this part of the façade: the depiction of pictorial images was at the time already prohibited in mosques. The triangular sections from the right-hand side of the façade that were not brought over to Berlin in 1903 remained there, where they were destroyed.  \nIt could have been the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid II (r. AH 125–6 / AD 743–4) who, during his short reign, commissioned the building of a palace in the Jordanian desert, southeast of the present capital Amman. The four-sided wall that was built around the palace complex – which included an auditorium, living quarters and a mosque and other buildings needed for temporary government activities there, although the wall looked more defensive and impregnable than it actually was. However, the construction was to remain incomplete, as is testified by the finished pieces pre-worked on the ground, and the sketched markings that are all that exist on the chiselled relief backdrop. A building inscription was never found.  \nMushatta was only rediscovered in the 19th century. The Ottoman Sultan donated considerable sections of the façade to the German Emperor. The rest of the ruin remained *in situ* in Jordan and can still be seen.","short_description":"The limestone façade of Mushatta comes from a desert palace in Jordan and was given as a present by the Ottoman sultan to the German emperor. It is part of the outer wall, which had a decoration of animals among plants. Because the caliph who built the palace was murdered, it was never finished.","type":"Façade; archaeological find","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Probably Caliph al-Walid II (r. AH 125–6 / AD 743–4)","dates":"Probably Hegira first half of the 2nd century/ AD 8th century, *c.* AH 125–6 / AD 743–4.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 5.07 m, length 33 m.","method_for_datation":"At present, on stylistic grounds, it has been dated, not without difficulty and controversy, to the Umayyad period. During the course of the 20th century, there have been several pre-Islamic (Sassanian, Ghaznawid, Byzantine) and early Islamic (Umayyad, Abbasid) suggestions as to its date. The discovery of an incomplete fragment of tile in 1964, on which is inscribed a name that appears in the literature of the period between 730 and 750, supports the suggestion that it is from the late Umayyad period.","method_for_provenance":"It originally belonged to the Qasr al-Mushatta building, which is *in situ*, before a section of the façade was removed.","provenance":"Mushatta, Jordan.","obtention":"Acquired as a gift from the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II to Emperor Wilhelm II, who presented it to the Royal Museums in Berlin in 1903.","bibliography":"Bisheh, G., “Qasr al-Mshatta in the Light of a Recently Found Inscription”, in *Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan* (ed. A. Hadidi), Vol. 3, Amman, 1987, pp.193–7, fig. 2f.  \nCreswell, K. A. C., *Early Muslim Architecture, Vol. 1 Umayyads, AD 622–750*, 2nd edition, Oxford, 1969, Vol. 1(2), pp.578–606, plates 112–36.  \nEnderlein, V., “Die Erwerbung der Fassade von Mschatta”, *Forschungen und Berichte* 26, 1987, pp.81–90.  \nMuseum für Islamische Kunst, Mainz, 2001, pp.117–25.  \nTrümpelmann, L., *Mschatta*, Tübingen, 1962.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architectural decoration","Palace façade","relief decoration"],"materials":["Limestone, decorated with relief work in block sections."]},"dccb922c-234b-572e-9706-0dff5a3747a3":{"name":"Plasterwork fragments.","description":"Fragments of plasterwork decorated with high-relief strap-work with a variety of structures and initially multicoloured, although now there are only traces of flat red and black. There is a predominance of eight-pointed stars of different sizes that generate geometrical structures (*azafates harpados*) and fanciful shapes that fill the spaces. Each star is separated from its neighbour by these types of figure, which form vertical and horizontal strips.  \nThe fragment with inventory number 50725 comes from one of the side panels of the great arch of the central rectangular hall, which was flanked by two square rooms. Fragment C, which has two and a half stars, may have come from the horizontal frieze placed above the arch. Fragment A, decorated with knotwork mixed with plant arabesques, undoubtedly came from the base. A third fragment, B, decorated with a geometrical rose, comes from the spandrels.","short_description":"The Christian aristocracy, appreciative of Muslim artistic refinement, incorporated the materials and motifs of the Andalusian palaces in their mansions. The walls of the Moor’s Workshop in Toledo were decorated with plasterwork like this, with its geometric interlacing designs developing from an eight-pointed star.","type":"Plasterwork","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1325–50.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"50713: A) height 17 cm, width 16.5 cm; B) height 17 cm, width 16 cm; C) height 24.5 cm, width 48.5 cm; framed set: height 48 cm, width 53 cm. 50725: height 16.5 cm, width 32 cm.","method_for_datation":"These plasterwork fragments decorated the walls of the Taller del Moro (Moor's Workshop), which was erected between 1325 and 1350.","method_for_provenance":"The fragments are from the main room of the Taller del Moro and were still in their original position in 1905 when they were photographed for the book by R. Amador de los Ríos (see bibliography).","provenance":"Taller del Moro (Moor’s Workshop), Toledo, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological Museum on an unknown date after 1905.","bibliography":"Amador de los Ríos, R., *Monumentos Arquitectónicos de España. Toledo, Madrid, 1905, pp.326–6.*  \nFranco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, in *Guía General del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, II, 1992, p.96.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["modelled","Moorish","Plasterwork","Toledo"],"materials":["modelling.","Plaster"]},"def6faf0-d2a3-568b-8c50-84cb131331b0":{"name":"Capital.","description":"Capital inspired by the Corinthian order, very close in its proportions to the classical style. It has a single row of acanthus leaves and scrolls with a floral motif in the centre. The front of the abacus is decorated with a row of pearls and another of small leaves, arranged in a zigzag, which could reflect a Visigothic influence. On one of its sides there is a four-line inscription in archaic *kufic* characters, deteriorated but still legible, reading: 'In the name of God's grace / for Amir ‘Abd al-Rahman son of al-Hakam / honour him God\". The inscription refers to ‘Abd al-Rahman II.  \nThe location of the inscription is unusual in Andalusian capitals, but it is common in the East. However, it started the tradition of inscribed commemorative capitals, something very characteristic of Andalusian architecture.  \nIn the first Islamic constructions in the Iberian Peninsula, in the AH 2nd / AD 8th century, Hispano-Roman and Visigothic capitals tended to be reused. During the AH 3rd / AD 9th century the production of the first Andalusian capitals began with strong classical and Visigothic influences. However, by halfway through that century Andalusian artists had already absorbed the previous artistic legacy and the capitals start to acquire an Islamic air. This piece, sculpted delicately and deeply, presages the splendour that the architectural carving of the Caliphate would attain.","short_description":"The Umayyad Emirate of the West became a great power under ‘Abd al-Rahman II. During that time, the first Hispano-Muslim capitals were made, of which this is an example. The cone shape and realistic decoration were even then inspired by Roman capitals.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 207–38 / AD 822–52.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 28.5 cm, width 35 cm, diameter 30 cm.","method_for_datation":"The piece has caused considerable controversy since Amadro de los Ríos attributed it to the 4th / 10th century. Gómez Moreno attributed it to the 3rd / 9th century on the basis of its sculptural style, an opinion shared by most researchers.","method_for_provenance":"The capital comes from the ancestral home of the Gran Capitan de Córdoba, where it had been reused. It was probably one of the few capitals made during the reign of ‘Abd al-Rahman II for the expansion of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, built between 218–34 / 833–48.","provenance":"Córdoba, Spain.","obtention":"The capital was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 6 November 1912.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.232. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain* ( ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nCressier, P., “Le Chapiteau Emiral: les Problemes de son étude”, in *Coloquio Internacional Sobre Capiteles Corintios, Prerrománicos e Islámicos (ss. VI–XII d. C.)*, Madrid, 1990, p.102. XII  \nCressier, P. and Marinetto Sánchez, P., “Les Chapiteaux Islamiques de la Péninsule Ibérique et du Maroc, de la Renaissance émirale aux Almohades”, in *L'Acanthe dans la Sculpture Monumentale, de l'Antiquité a la Renaissance*, Paris, 1993, pp.211–46.  \nDomínguez Perela, E., “Los Capiteles en al-Andalus Durante los Siglos VIII–IX”, in *Coloquio Internacional Sobre Capiteles Corintios, Prerrománicos e Islámicos (s. VI–XII d. C.)*, Madris, 1990, p.106.  \n*El Esplendor de los Omeyas Cordobeses*, Exhibition catalogue, Granada, 2001.","dynasty":"Umayyads of al-Andalus, Emirate of ‘Abd al-Rahman II","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Commemorative capital","religious architecture"],"materials":["Carved marble"]},"df4709cd-ab73-5f8f-9d79-ecac52cd3487":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"The Damascus Room is a residential winter reception chamber (*qa‘a*) typical of the late Ottoman period. Among the earliest extant, nearly complete interiors of its kind, the room’s large scale and refined decoration suggest that it was part of the house of an affluent family. Poetry inscribed on the walls indicates that the patron was Muslim and possibly a member of the religious elite who claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad. Because wealthy homeowners periodically refurbished reception rooms in accordance with shifting trends, Damascene houses and their interiors rarely date to a single building phase. Although an inscription dates most of the woodwork to 1707, alterations were made to the room in subsequent years.","type":"Reproductions","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Dated Hegira 1119 / AD 1707","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 671.6cm, W: 509.2cm, D: 804.2cm [from inside front entrance to back wall]","provenance":"Damascus, Syria","obtention":"Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Asfar and Sarkis, Damascus, Syria, until early 1930s; sold to Kevorkian\\]  \nFormer owner: Hagop Kevorkian, New York (early 1930s–d. 1962)  \nFormer owner: Kevorkian Foundation, New York (1962–70; gifted to MMA)","bibliography":"Burn, Barbara (ed), *Masterpieces of the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York/Boston: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993: 90-91, ill. (colour).  \nCampbell, Thomas P. (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 142-143, ill. (colour).  \nDaskalakis-Matthews, Annie Christine, \"Pearls from Water Rubies from Stone: Studies in Islamic Art in Honor of Priscilla Soucek,\" in Linda Komaroff and Jaclynne Kerner (eds), *Artibus Asiae, Vol. 66/2. Festschriften*, Zurich: Artibus Asiae Publishers, 2006: 69-96, ill. figs. 19, 20, 24. Mamluk Elements in the Damascene Decorative System of the 18th and 19th centuries by Annie-Christine Daskalakis-Mathews.  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: no. 238, 7,13, 14, 333-337, ill. 335 (colour).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam and Moore, Claire (ed), *Art of the Islamic World. A Resource for Educators*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 186-187, ill. pl. 38 (colour).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, \"Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 33/1 (Spring 1975): ill. 40-1 (colour).  \nde Montebello, Philippe and Howard, Kathleen (ed), The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992: 327, ill. fig. 37 (colour).  \nPeck, Amelia and Daskalakis-Mathews, Annie-Christine, *Period Rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996: 287–95, ill.  \nSwietochowski, Marie and Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn, *Notable Acquisitions 1965–1975*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975: 141, ill. (b/w).  \nWelch, Stuart Cary, *The Islamic World. Vol. 11*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 126-127, ill. fig. 97 (colour).","dynasty":"Ottoman","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970","keywords":["Ajami room","Aleppo room","Arabic inscription","architectural decoration","brass","calligraphy","carpentry","ceramic tiles","Damascus room","domestic furnishing","fountain","geometric decoration","geometric patterns","gold","gold leaf","interior ornament","marble","metalwork","Mother-of-pearl","Ottoman architecture","painted wooden wall paneling","stucco","Syrian tiles","wood paneling"],"materials":["wood (cypress, poplar, and mulberry), mother-of-pearl, marble and other stones, stucco with glass, plaster ceramic tiles, iron, brass","Wood (poplar) with gesso relief, gold and tin leaf, glazes and paint"]},"df497ccb-7aa2-50fd-8a56-d90ab003137c":{"name":"Pelican","short_description":"During the Middle Ages, a pelican pecking at its breast to feed its young with its own blood was considered a symbol of Christ’s Crucifixion.","type":"Stained glass; church window","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"c. 1322","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 29cm","provenance":"Abbey Church of Hauterive, Switzerland","obtention":"Purchased in 1913 from the estate of the art historian Johann Rudolf Rahn (1841–1912)","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"e044cda8-3dd1-516b-b09e-20ca779903eb":{"name":"Ornamental pilaster.","description":"Fragment of a pilaster, found together with another smaller frieze – also now in the City Museum, Lisbon – which repeats the design of the side fascias of the front panel of this pilaster. Given that the central element of the plaque indicates that the motifs would have been repeated vertically, there seems little doubt that the piece in question is all that remains of an elaborate pilaster.  \nThe stone has three different vertical fields, separated by a simple corded design. The sides of the panel are filled with a frieze of finely cut *fleur-de-lys* rosettes. The inner fascia is decorated with four-lobed medallions, which are supported on almost imaginary lines, interrupted by the peripheral ornaments, but joined to one another in a repetitive quadrangular pattern, which gives the motif a quite dynamic design. The centre of the surviving medallion is distinguished by a circle with a radiating rosette, while the external area emerges filled with succulent bunches of fruit and small *fleurs-de-lys*, both arranged as a cross and enclosed in the curvatures of the medallion. The other medallions, only the edges of which can be seen, would have represented the imperial eagles of Sassanid tradition. In the upper part a fan-shaped tail can be seen and two claws rigidly supported on the corners of the medallion. The remaining lobe of the other ornament, in the lower part of the piece, shows the area of the creature's head, too damaged for us to tell whether or not it was bifid. The side spaces between the medallions are sculpted with very open palmettes, of oriental tradition, and which are also found on other sculptures in the city.","short_description":"This pilaster may have originated in the Episcopal Basilica of Lisbon. The plant and animal motifs suggest Sassanid origins, although close similarities can be found in the Umayyad palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar near Jericho. The pilaster is one of a group of pieces from Lisbon classed as Mozarabic.","type":"Pilaster, stone","holder":"City Museum.","owner":"Lisbon City Council.","dates":"Hegira 3rd–4th / AD 9th–10th century.","location":"Lisbon.","dimensions":"Height 54.5 cm, width 49 cm, depth 16 cm.","method_for_datation":"The two stones found in the house on Rua dos Bacalhoeiros are similar to others from the Cathedral, the Castle, the Casa dos Bicos and from Chelas (Lisbon), which must be considered to be from the Mozarabic period. In this specific case, both the ornamental schema, and some of the decorative motifs are reminiscent of certain stuccoes at the Umayyad palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar (Jericho), datable from the first half of the 8th century. These sculptures have no parallel in any other peninsular art attributable to the Visigoth period.","method_for_provenance":"Several pieces were found in the Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, next to the line of the wall, where they may have been re-used after being taken from a destroyed Mozarabic church. Their extraordinary decorative richness and relative proximity to the Cathedral suggest that these pieces may have come from the Episcopal Basilica.","provenance":"Lisbon.","obtention":"Presented to the Lisbon City Hall, after being removed from a building on Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, where it was found together with another piece.","bibliography":"Almeida, F. de, “Arte Visigótica em Portugal”, *Arqueólogo Português*, New series, IV, Lisbon, 1962, pp. 7–27.  \nFernandes, P. A., *Visigótico ou Moçárabe? O Núcleo de Alta Idade Média da Cidadede Lisboa no Museu Arqueológico do Carmo*,(forthcoming).  \nFerreira, O. V., “Acerca de uma Pedra Visigótica Ornamentada”, *Revista do Sindicato Nacional dos Engenheiros Auxiliares, Agentes Técnicos de Engenharia e Condutores*, 4, Lisbon, 1949, pp. 508–14.  \nPalol, P., *Arte Hispánico de la época Visigoda*, Barcelona, 1968.  \nReal, M. L., “Inovação e Resistência: Dados Recentes Sobre a Antiguidade Cristã no Ocidente Peninsular”, in *IV Reunió d'Arqueologia Cristiana Hispànica*, Barcelona, 1995, pp.17–68.","dynasty":"Umayyad of Córdoba, Caliphate period","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Manuel Luís Real","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["bas-relief, medallion","fleur-de-lys","grape design","Limestone","Mozarabic","palmette","Rosette","Umayyad of Cordoba","vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Limestone","sculpture in bas-relief."]},"e0d8deeb-f886-5cc2-84a5-fd934f5025aa":{"name":"Column with *kufic* inscription.","description":"Column with a slight entasis (swelling)and an echinus (convex moulding). On the top of the shaft, within a rectangular scroll, there is an Arabic inscription in *kufic* characters that recites a *basmala*, according to M. Amari’s interpretation (see Bibliography): ‘In the name of God, the merciful and compassionate’. In the centre of the column, within a square scroll, is inscribed the *shahada*, or profession of faith: ‘There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet’. Until 1874, it was outside the main gateway of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, on the right. It originally came from a religious building, a mosque possibly transformed into an oratory, that was probably erected in the vicinity of the medieval church. There is another column in the Regional Gallery of Sicilia (inventory no. 5100) with very similar inscriptions, also from a church in Palermo, which no longer exists: San Giacomo la Mazzara. The austere Fatimid style, offering almost no decoration, was also adopted in Sicily and remained in use during the Norman era.","short_description":"This column can be dated to the time of Islamic rule in Sicily by the *kufic* characters in the inscription that appears in the centre of the column inside a square scroll.","type":"Column, marble","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicilia, Abatellis Palace","dates":"Around Hegira 5th / AD 11th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 166 cm, width 27 cm.","method_for_datation":"Attributable to the period of Islamic domination in Sicily due to the presence of the inscription in *kufic* characters.","method_for_provenance":"From documents that attest to the column originating from the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi.","provenance":"Uncertain, from near the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Palermo.","obtention":"Deposited with the Royal Museum of Palermo.","bibliography":"Amari, M., *Le Epigrafi Arabiche di Sicilia: Iscrizioni Edili*, New edition (ed. F. Gabrieli), Palermo, 1971, no. XX, pp.107–8.  \nDelogu, R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Rome, 1977, pp.9, 58.  \nScerrato, U.,“Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia*, (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, pp.282–3 and fig. 179.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman","column.","kufic","Mosque"],"materials":["Sculpted marble."]},"e18f8466-141f-5331-9f99-4c04baf54631":{"name":"Carved panel","short_description":"The marble panel is closely related to the reliefs that decorated facades and pillars in the palace city of Madinat al-Zahra. The city was built in the second half of the 10th century for the caliph Abd al-Rahman III, but already destroyed in 1010. Because of their very high quality, the city’s building materials were reused throughout southern Spain.","type":"Panel, marble","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 2nd half of the 4th century / AD 2nd half of the 10th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Spain, Cordoba","dynasty":"Umayyad of al-Andalus, Caliphate period","keywords":["architectural element","marble","palatial architecture","panel"],"materials":["Marble"]},"f066d3bf-136b-5661-b693-1a11ebfeb55e":{"name":"*Mashrabiyya* window.","description":"A stucco and coloured glass *mashrabiyya* window, which belongs to a set of openwork windows in the Kelvingrove Collection, each with a different design in the centre of the niche. This one shows a cypress tree surrounded by flower stems under a niche. The green, red, and yellow coloured-glass pieces have been imbedded in the stucco openwork from the back. During the Ottoman period in Cairo both mosques and private houses were adorned with such windows from as early as the AH 10th / AD 16th century. The tradition of setting coloured-glass in stucco has endured since its earliest days in the Abbasid capital of Samarra (AH mid-2nd / AD 9th century) to the present day.","short_description":"This stucco and coloured glass window is decorated with a cypress tree and floral arrangements, typical of AH 13th- / AD 19th-century Ottoman art. The cypress tree symbolises a true Muslim as it stands tall and bows in the wind gracefully. Windows such as this adorned both homes and mosques in Cairo.","type":"Stucco, Architectural decoration","holder":"Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Museums.","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century.","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 72.5 cm, width 74 cm.","method_for_datation":"Artistic analysis: the style and technique of this window resembles many 13th- / 19th-century stucco windows still in place in Cairo today.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by Glasgow Museums / Kelvingrove Art Gallery in 1896.","bibliography":"Jenkins, M., *Islamic Glass, A Brief History,* Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1986.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Architectural features","floral decoration","palatial architecture","religious object","religious symbol"],"materials":["moulded and carved openwork with coloured glass.","Stucco"]},"f36f3cb1-3b23-5e30-ade4-e04fc827205f":{"name":"Panel of gratitude for Dr. Paul Meyer, Berne, Switzerland","short_description":"The wayfarer depicted in the mountains represents the recipient of this gift himself. The stained glass panel was given to Dr. Paul Meyer, the long-standing principal of the Gymnasium (grammar school) in Berne and \"deserving supporter of school outings\".","type":"Stained and painted glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1920","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 37.5cm","provenance":"Berne, Switzerland","obtention":"Property of Dr. Paul Meyer, Berne, Switzerland.  \nGift of Martin Halter, Berne, Switzerland, grandson of the glass painter, in 2016.","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"f88193ec-c618-5df9-8728-cdb15d419ec4":{"name":"*Alfarje* ceiling.","description":"From the room assumed to be the royal chamber of Alfonso XI (r. 1312–50), this is a flat *alfarje* ceiling with exposed beams, made up of four weight-bearing main beams placed across the room. Perpendicular to and above these beams runs a beam 504 cm long, extended on both ends by two shorter beams, all three with the same section. This structure creates a ten-caisson ceiling. The ceiling is covered with crossbeams, each with three cuts along its length, and boards with elongated-hexagon shaped *menado* decoration (simple decoration of wooden triangles in the corners, creating hexagons), with two thin boards on each side. The finish consists of base boards, flashing on the beams and the walls, *argeutes* (the boards placed between two corbels) and strips. The underside of the main beams is decorated with symmetrical plant motifs, Nasrid pepper-shaped leaves with central ornamentation, and medallions or eight-bow knots on the sides. In the middle of the beams there are single-tower castles, and banded coats of arms are painted on the ends. The elongated-hexagon tile (*alfardon*) motif appears on the sides painted with a cursive inscription in Arabic that reads 'There is no God but Allah' with the occasional addition of the word 'happiness'.  \nThe palace of King Alfonso XI was inhabited by Doña Leonor de Guzmán (the king's lover, 1310–50) and, according to the chronicler Teodomiro Ramírez de Arellano, both Don Fadrique and Don Enrique were conceived there, the latter being the future King Henry II of Castile, the founder of the House of Trastamara, conferring on the piece a certain documental importance.","short_description":"From a room thought to be the royal chamber of the palace of Alfonso XI (r. 1312—50) in Córdoba, this ceiling was covered with multicoloured heraldic, plant and Arabic epigraphic motifs.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1350–60.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length 900 cm, width 400 cm.","method_for_datation":"It has been dated after 1360, as single-tower castles and banded coats of arms were not used during the reign of Peter I (1350–66), but they were from the reign of Henry II (1366–79). Nonetheless, it could be earlier as the style is typical of the 1350s.","method_for_provenance":"Appears in the piece's record, which is the only source of information on the piece.","provenance":"Córdoba, from the Palace of King Alfonso XI, subsequently the home of General Fresneda before its demolition.","obtention":"The piece was bought for the National Archaeological Museum from Luis Moreno de Cala on 29 September 1980.","bibliography":"Cuevas, S., “ADELPHA Denuncia el Traslado Irregular de un Artesonado Mudéjar”, *El País*, 2 September 1980.  \nFranco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas del Siglo VIII al XV”, in *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1992, Vol. II, p.96.  \nLópez Guzmán, R., *Arquitectura Mudéjar: Del Sincretismo Medieval a las Alternativas Hispanoamericanas*, Madrid, 2000, p.185.  \nMartínez Caviró, B., “Carpintería Mudéjar Toledana”, *Cuadernos de la Alhambra*, 12, Granada, 1976, pp.225–65.  \nRamírez de Arellano, T., *Paseos por Córdoba: O Sean Apuntes para Su Historia*, Cordoba, 1873–5.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["alfarje","Alfonso XI","carving","ceiling","coat of arms","Cordoba","Mudeéar","Peter I","polychrome decoration","wood"],"materials":["carving, polichromy.","Wood"]},"f913a36e-6a1b-5710-a0b7-52e815a3703a":{"name":"Arab Room","description":"The Arab Room shows the collections of the Marquis coming not only from Arabia but also from China, Japan, the Philippines, Turkey, Morocco and New Zealand. He collected and displayed these works, similar to other European palaces of the 19th Century, because his taste ran to oriental, exotic, foreign or ancestral cultures. This room was also known as *fumoir*, associated with smoking, essentially thought for masculine use. The ceiling is decorated with interlacing designs and six-pointed star in the middle, from which hangs a superb Arab lamp. There are kilims on the walls and carpets on the floor and furniture. Among all, we can also find arms and armouries, musical instruments and six scale-model reproducing walls and windows from some rooms of the Alhambra palace.","type":"Architecture; Interior decoration","holder":"Cerralbo Museum","dates":"1893","location":"Madrid","provenance":"Madrid","author":"Cristina Giménez","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell","keywords":["Decorations","Design","models","Alhambra"],"materials":["Plasterwork, wood, fabric"]},"fb0d852c-219c-5753-93b5-9648fdd94679":{"name":"Alhambra cupola.","description":"The cupola in Berlin was once part of the Torre \\[tower\\] de las Damas in the Palacio del Partal, and was built above elaborate stuccowork. From the tower’s windows one could enjoy a view over the city of Granada as well as over the palace complex, including the parts of the Alhambra that no longer exist today, which were built by the Nasrid ruler Muhammad III (r. AH 701–708 / AD 1302–1308). The Nasrid rulers’ motto, ‘There is no victory other than from God’, which plays an important part in the cupola’s decoration, can be read as a proclamation of Islam, which was threatened by the approaching *Reconquista*.  \nThe cupola is, in its most basic form, a square, which then develops inwards, first into an octagon, and then into 16 trapezia. Each side of the square is decorated with a triangle that features woven geometric patterns complemented by plant motifs. A small miniature cupola sits at the centre of the triangles. The octagon is formed by panels with small arches, in which symmetrical *kufic* inscriptions lie on a red background, along with pinecones, small seashells and arabesques. The Nasrid motto ‘There is no victory other than from God’ is repeated on the rectangular panels of the 16-sided form. These are surrounded by small *muqarnas* (stalactite) arches. The subsequent 16 trapezia show the interlaced carvings that are typical of the Islamic world. Small polygons or stars repeat the Nasrid motto. A 16-sided horizontal panel, also decorated with interlaced carving, covers the cupola. The appeal of the decoration lies in the contrast between the strictness and severity of the flat bands of interlaced carvings and the raised levels of relief work. Wooden ceilings and cupolas of this kind are a particular feature of Islamic architecture in the Maghreb. Countless examples can be found, not just in the Alhambra, but also in many other buildings in Spain and in North Africa.","short_description":"This cupola is from a building in the Alhambra palace complex called the Palacio del Partal, which was once the private house of a German banker who was allowed to transfer the cupola to his Berlin villa. Wooden ceilings and cupolas of this kind are a feature of Islamic architecture in the Maghreb.","type":"Woodwork, cupola, Alhambra","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"In 1885, Arthur von Gwinner bought a piece of land in the Alhambra area, which included a section with buildings, streets and gardens. In 1891 he donated the Palacio del Partal to the city of Granada. In return, he was allowed to dismantle the wooden cupola, removing it from the Torre de las Damas and transporting it to Berlin. In 1892 he reassembled the cupola, incorporating it in his Berlin home. In 1921 he donated his property to the Spanish government.","dates":"Around hegira 719 / AD 1320.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 190 cm, width 355 cm, depth 355 cm.","method_for_datation":"The cupola can be dated through its provenance from the Palacio del Partal, which formed part of the Alhambra Palace and which was built under Muhammad III (r. 701–708 / 1302–1308).","method_for_provenance":"Documents show that the cupola came from the Palacio del Partal in the Alhambra Palace complex in Granada, Spain, from where it was removed in 1892. Its Spanish provenance is thus guaranteed.","provenance":"Part of the Torre de las Damas from the Palacio del Partal within the Alhambra palace complex in Granada, Spain.","obtention":"Acquired in 1978 from Arthur von Gwinner’s descendants.","bibliography":"Brisch, K., “Eine Kuppel aus der Alhambra in Granada”, *Berichte aus den Berliner Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz*, 3rd series, 14, 1978, pp.6–7, 10–11.  \nBrisch, K., “Eine Kuppel aus der Alhambra in Granada”, in *Jahrbuch Preußischer Kulturbesitz* 16, 1979, pp.169–76.  \nChmelnizkij, S., “Methods of Constructing Geometric Ornamental Systems in the Cupola of the Alhambra”, *Muqarnas* 6, 1989, pp.43–9.  \nDodds, J. D., *Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain*, New York, 1992, cat. no. 116.  \nFernández-Puertas, A., *The Alhambra I*, London, 1997, pp.235–9.","dynasty":"Nasrid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Alhambra","architectural decoration","Cupola","geometric patterns","muqarnas","palatial architecture"],"materials":["Cedar and poplar wood, carved and joined together from individual pieces. Certain sections are painted (red, blue and green)."]}}
+{"0283d533-1980-536d-937a-06e5a3d00c92":{"name":"Corbel.","description":"The sides of this corbel are painted with a simplified floral decoration of blue and yellow foliate scrolls ending in tri-lobed or four-lobed palm-leaf motifs on a bright red background. The edges of the corbel are decorated with yellow dots within blue circles. These floral motifs are perfectly typical of the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire of the AH 3rd and 4th century (AD 9th and 10th century). The front projection of the corbel is carved in the shape of a grasshopper's head with curved grooves. Although the Orient has not left to us any other comparable wooden corbels, Ifriqiyan architecture does feature similar stone models as early as the AH 3rd century (AD 9th century), for example at the Mosque of the Three Doors. This corbel was part of the wooden roof of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan and served to support one of the ceiling beams. It is probably derived from an ancient design. However, one is struck by the consummate skill of the woodcarver's simple, rough-hewn, linear treatment of the surfaces, so appropriate for the decoration of a protruding architectural element.","short_description":"This corbel was part of the wooden ceiling of the prayer room of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, acting as a joist for the ceiling beams. Its floral motifs belonged to the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire from the AH 3rd–5th / AD 9th–11th centuries.","type":"Woodwork, corbel, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira, end of 3rd–beginning of 5th century / AH 9th–11th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 62 cm, width 16 cm, thickness 10 cm.","method_for_datation":"The motifs decorating this corbel are found on some carved panels of the *minbar* and on the painted wooden semi-dome of the *mihrab* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which dates to the middle of the 3rd / 9th century. These motifs are also found in the Umayyad art in Syria. All these allow us to date this corbel to the end of the 3rd / 9th century, certainly to the renovation work ordered and commissioned by the Aghlabid prince Ibrahim II (261-289 / 875-902).","method_for_provenance":"The motifs decorating this corbel are found on some carved panels of the *minbar* and on the painted wooden semi-dome of the *mihrab* of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, between 1962 and 1972, some beams, boards and joists were taken out and completely refurbished. This piece was placed along with thousands of other fragments in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. It was selected for display when the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was extended.","bibliography":"*De Carthage a Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1982, p.207.  \n*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue), 1986, p.262.  \n*Tunisie, du Christianisme a l'Islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, p.191.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.175–6.","dynasty":"Aghlabid–Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Furnishing; floral decoration; sculpture; figurative decoration"],"materials":["Carved and decorated cedarwood."]},"037e2e8a-4c21-57dd-b0a6-532274d43a0d":{"name":"Baalbec : engineers removing the Kaiser's commemoration stone from the Temple of Apollo","description":"British Royal Engineers at work on an ancient stone temple. Three engineers stand on the ground at the foot of a tall ladder, which leads up to a stone platform where three other engineers are removing a more recent German commemorative stone. They have attached a pulley to the top of the platform in readiness to move the stone. The composition is framed by two enormous pillars that are part of the temple.","type":"Artwork","holder":"IWM","owner":"IWM","initial_owner":"IWM","dates":"c.1917 - 1918","location":"London","dimensions":"Height: 41,9 cm; width: 30,4 cm","place_of_production":"Lebanon","method_for_datation":"All details are held in the War Artists Archive at IWM.","method_for_provenance":"All details are held in the War Artists Archive at IWM.","provenance":"Department of Information commission transferred to the Ministry of Information and then to the Imperial War Museum.","obtention":"Artist commission for the UK government's Department of Information, subsequently transferred to the Imperial War Museum.","bibliography":"*Shadows and Light: The Extraordinary Life of James McBey*, Soussi A., Scotland Street Press, 2022.  \n*Visions of War: Art of the Imperial War Museums*, IWM, 2023.  \n*The War Artists*, Harries M. and Harries S., Michael Joseph, 1983.","dynasty":"1914-1918","artist_birthdate":"1883","artist_birthplace":"Aberdeenshire, Scotland","artist_deathdate":"1959","author":"Claire Brenard","keywords":["Military engineering; military personnel; architecture; landscape; First World War"],"materials":["Watercolour and ink on paper"]},"060dee0a-fee6-55fb-aada-947a4da800d1":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"A limestone capital with boldly cut foliage and volutes resting on twin columns. Pine cones, resembling bunches of grapes, are dispersed amongst symmetrically arranged stylised acanthus leaves. The leaves are punctuated with drilled holes. This design recalls some of the Abbasid capitals which were in turn inspired by Late Antique styles. However, instead of one pine cone and naturalistic leaf forms this capital has a proliferation of pine cones with more abstract leaves. Therefore it is probably later in date, perhaps made during Saladin's renovations of Jerusalem following his victory over the Crusaders, in the late 12th century.","short_description":"High-relief carvings of leaves alternating with pinecones decorate this limestone capital. The design dates to the Abbasid period but ultimately derives from Late Antique models. This capital was found in the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem.","type":"Stonework, limestone","holder":"The British Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Height 32 cm, width 40 cm.","method_for_datation":"Saladin, the greatest Islamic hero of the Crusades, led the battle against the Crusaders and won back Jerusalem from them in 1187; this capital may have been made during Saladin's renovations of the city following his victory.","method_for_provenance":"The capital was found in the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem.","provenance":"Jerusalem.","obtention":"Donated to the British Museum by the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1903.","bibliography":"Wilkinson, J., Column Capitals in al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem, 1987.","dynasty":"Ayyubid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PA_EN_001","author":"Emily Shovelton","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Architectural decoration; stonework; columns"],"materials":["Limestone."]},"07b66f0c-d994-5578-a3f4-0e6d135b8b59":{"name":"Ornamental panel.","description":"Decorative plate made from white limestone, the surface of which is currently in an advanced state of decay. Unlike other early medieval sculptures in Lisbon, this panel presents a deeper surface carving, enhancing the chiaroscuro effect and the liveliness of the design with small complementary touches made with a fine scalpel.The panel is decorated with three loops with garlands, standing on small twisted columns. The fourth column has disappeared owing to the chiselling the stone suffered on its left-hand side. The ornamental garlands are decorated with palmettes, with three and five points, arranged alternately. The internal border of the loops exhibits a decoration of spines, while the outer border takes the form of a corded pattern. A subtle plant motif fills the upper right-hand corner, in a manifestation of the *horror vacui* or fear of emptiness, which indeed characterises the whole design of the panel. The ornamentation on the left corner has now been largely lost because of the poor state of conservation of the piece. This also accounts for the difficulty in making out the fine cord that links the base of the loops horizontally and on which stand the three scallop shells that fill their interior. In each space between the columns and under the three scallop shells are figures of animals face to face, with two birds in the centre and a quadruped at either end. On the reverse of the piece a small plant cluster is sculpted, typical of certain Islamic compositions or of a certain bestiary inspired by the same tradition.From an iconographic point of view, this group represents a clear Christian meaning, similar, for example, to the meaning of some Coptic steles, with identical motifs, as a representation of Paradise. Examples of this are the stone dedicated to the memory of Marta, from Esna in the Cairo Museum (Egypt) and the so-called 'Paradise stele' of Brooklyn Museum (New York, USA).","short_description":"Decorative white limestone panel decorated with three festooned arches on small columns. From an iconographic point of view, the whole presents similarities with Coptic steles, suggesting that this bas-relief originally belonged to a Christian building erected during Islamic rule.","type":"Panel, stone","holder":"Lisbon Cathedral.","owner":"Metropolitan Chapter of the Patriarchal See of Lisbon.","dates":"Hegira 339–90 / AD second half of 10th century.","location":"Lisbon.","dimensions":"Height 61 cm, width 122cm, depth 32.5cm.","method_for_datation":"This bas-relief originally belonged to a Christian building built in the middle of the Islamic period. In the 12th century, the piece of stone was reused in one of the buttresses of the north façade of the Romanesque basilica. A few years ago, to protect it, the piece was removed from the outside and placed in the cloister, with a view to the monument being turned into a museum in the future.","method_for_provenance":"Until a few years ago the piece was incorporated into one of the buttresses of the north façade of the Cathedral. It may have belonged to a church older than the mosque which probably existed in the area, as is indicated by other ornamental stones found within the perimeter of the Cathedral. Archaeological excavations in the area of the cloister, directed by Alexandra Gaspar, revealed signs of major architectural and urban transformations during the 11th century, which indicates the presumed date of construction of the mosque to be just in the Taifas period.","provenance":"Lisbon.","obtention":"This bas-relief originally belonged to a Christian building built in the middle of the Islamic period. In the 12th century, the piece of stone was reused in one of the buttresses of the north façade of the Romanesque basilica. A few years ago, to protect it, the piece was removed from the outside and placed in the cloister, with a view to the monument being turned into a museum in the future.","bibliography":"Almeida, C. A. F. de, “Arte Islâmica em Portugal”, in *História da Arte em Portuga*l, Vol. 2: *Arte da Alta Idade Média*, Lisbon, 1986.  \nCaballero Zoreda, L., “¿Visigodo o Asturiano? Nuevos Hallazgos en Mérida y Otros Datos para un Nuevo 'Marco de Referencia' de la Arquitectura y la Escultura Altomedieval en el Norte y Oeste de la Península Ibérica”, in *XXXIX Corso de Cultura sull´Arte Ravennate e Bizantina*, Ravenna, 1992, pp.139–90.  \nFernandes, P. A., “O Sítio da Sé de Lisboa Antes da Reconquista”, *Artis. Revista do Instituto de Arte da Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa*, 1, 2002, pp.57–87.  \nReal, M. L., “Inovação e Resistência: Dados Recentes Sobre a Antiguidade Cristã no Ocidente Peninsular”, in *IV Reunió d'Arqueologia Cristiana Hispànica*, Barcelona, 1995, pp.17–68.  \nReal, M. L., “Portugal: Cultura Visigoda e Cultura Moçárabe”, in *Visigodos y Omeyas: un Debate Entre la Antigüedad Tardía y la Alta Edad Media (Mérida, 1999)*, eds. L. Caballero and P. Mateos, Madrid, 2000, pp.21–75.","dynasty":"Umayyad of Córdoba, Caliphate period","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Manuel Luís Real","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["panel; cathedral; limestone; bas-relief; Paradise; scallop shells, garland; cord; palmette; arcading; lamb; bird; Mozarabic; Córdoba; zoomorphic imagery; animal decoration"],"materials":["Limestone; bas-relief sculpture."]},"07b88e25-f692-5d02-ac12-ada9e9a1f219":{"name":"Centaur","short_description":"This quatrefoil shows a mythical centaur, half horse and half warrior. Its facial expression is rendered in a style reminiscent of figures in the Codex Manesse.","type":"Stained glass; church window","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"c. 1350","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 27.6cm","provenance":"Abbey Church of Königsfelden, Switzerland","obtention":"Purchased in 1913 from the estate of the art historian Johann Rudolf Rahn (1841–1912)","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"08fc2f57-a61c-58cb-a4a0-79aaa993eee4":{"name":"Decorative stone with stylised scrollwork and pomegranates.","description":"This rectangular block of stone displays decorative relief work on its front side. The decoration comprises two tendril stems growing out of a single stalk. The tendrils interweave with each other, sweeping across like waves, and branch out into pairs of scrolls, before turning into leaves or stylised pomegranates.  \nThe relief stone block came from a larger architectural complex, and was intended as a piece of ornamental decoration for the entrance area of the palace in Khirbat al-Minya. As the palace was never completed, it is not known what the entire complex would have been. The Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I ordered the building of a small palace in Khirbat al-Minya next to Tiberias on the northwestern banks of the Sea of Galilee between AH 86 and 96 (AD 705–15). The palace, which was never finished, was designed to have an extensively decorated entrance hall, but it was nevertheless exceptional for its splendid audience hall, complete with mosaic floors, as well as a mosque with a semi-circular prayer niche. The stone decoration in Khirbat al-Minya is completely at one with the traditions of Late Antiquity, although it also incorporates clear differences demonstrated by heavier stylisation that was characteristic of the Early Islamic period. The use of stylised pomegranates can principally be found in the architectural ornamentation of the Umayyad period in stone and stuccowork as well as on mosaics.  \nThe Berlin Museums participated in 1936–9 in the excavation in Khirbat al-Minya, which is why the Museum was allowed to have an important part of the discoveries. The other half of what was found remains in Jerusalem.","short_description":"This limestone block was excavated from the unfinished palace of Khirbat al-Minya near Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, built for the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I. The relief shows undulating stems ending in vine leaves and pomegranates. This design was to decorate part of the entrance into the palace.","type":"Scrollwork, pomegranate, stone","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Probably Caliph al-Walid I (r. AH 86–96 / AD 705–15).","dates":"Around Hegira 86–96 / AD 705–15.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 55 cm, width 28 cm.","method_for_datation":"The palace of Khirbat al-Minya has been dated to the reign of the Caliph al-Walid I from various characteristics. These include an inscription on the building and coins found there, the architectural design and distribution of rooms, and the form and appearance of the prayer niche.","method_for_provenance":"This stone was discovered along with others during the excavation of Khirbat al-Minya; they lay, displaced, in the entrance hall of the palace.","provenance":"Palace of Khirbat al-Minya on the Sea of Galilee, Israel.","obtention":"Acquired as an excavation piece following the division of the finds.","bibliography":"Creswell, K. A. C., *Early Muslim Architecture*, Oxford, 1969, Vol. I(2), pp.380–9, plates 64–9.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst*, Mainz, 2001, p.18.  \nPuttrich-Reignard, O., “Die Palastanlage von Chirbet el Minje”, *Palästina-Hefte des Deutschen Vereins vom Heiligen Lande* 17–20, 1939 (special number).","dynasty":"Umayyad, period of Caliph al-Walid I (r. *c*. AH 86–96 / AD 705–15)","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Relief decoration; decorative arts; vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Limestone, carved."]},"0b5ea864-f20c-51f8-b510-3ee37516c735":{"name":"Door lintel.","description":"A door lintel, decorated with a very deep, undercut floral pattern comprising a central rosette flanked by intertwined foliage, scrolls filled with palmettes, pines and grapes, all arranged in a panel surrounded by pearling.  \n  \nThis type of floral pattern was very common during the Umayyad period and is seen throughout the decorative arts. Similar carved patterns adorned the Qasr al-Mushatta (now at the Pergamon Museum, Berlin).  \n  \nThe function of this lintel is purely aesthetic; it would reside on the upper part of a decorated doorway.","short_description":"Door lintel from Qasr al-Tuba bearing a very deep, undercut floral pattern with a central rosette that was common during the Umayyad period and is seen throughout the decorative arts. Such elaborate lintels would have been positioned on the upper parts of decorated doorways.","type":"Door, stone","holder":"Jordan Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 2nd century / AD 8th century.","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height 44 cm, length 2.18 m, depth 42.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The lintel was a part of a building, dated approximately to the 2nd / 8th century; the date has also been established through historical inferences.","method_for_provenance":"The provenance is known because this door lintel was found on the site of Qasr al-Tuba.","provenance":"Qasr al-Tuba, Jordan.","obtention":"According to the Museum inventory number, the lintel was transferred from Qasr al-Tuba to the Museum during the 1950s by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.","bibliography":"Creswell, K. A. C., Early Muslim Architecture, Vol. I, Oxford, 1932, p.376, plate 80/A.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Stonework; floral decoration; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Carved limestone."]},"0bf43e0a-1c8a-551e-b578-afed4b5312af":{"name":"Capital.","description":"This marble capital is one of the different models created by artists from the Marinid dynasty. Unlike the classical type, where there is a marked difference between the bell (lower cylindrical part) and the abacus (upper parallelepipedic part) both in terms of proportions and ornamentation, here the abacus does not overhang the bell too noticeably, and the ornamentation is continuous.  \nPlaced above an astragal with a cable-moulded torus, the bell is represented by a smooth curved acanthus meander on the top. Overlapping scales rising above a step motif fill the central vertical slots and the gaps in the meander. The space above the meander is filled with very finely executed plant decoration that links the two volumes of the capital: two double palms with acanthus leaves tumbling from above the gaps bear coiled lobes that join at the centre of the capital to form two adjacent snail shells. Above this there is a flat strip bearing a pious inscription, sculpted in relief, in cursive characters taken from the end of verse 64 of Sura 12 of the Qur'an, 'Joseph': 'Allah is the best protector and is the most Merciful of the Merciful'. On either side of the band, two symmetrical palms with acanthus leaves fill the corners of the abacus and surround a curved pinecone. A projecting rectangular bracket decorated with a floral motif stands at the top of the capital.  \nThis subtle and vigorous decoration characterises the capitals of Marinid mosques and *madrasas*.","short_description":"This is one of the types of finely executed capital with abundant plant decoration created by Marinid artists for mosques and *madrasas*. It has a flat band on the upper part with a pious cursive inscription sculpted in relief.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Museum of Archaeology.","dates":"Hegira 731–49 / AD 1331–48.","location":"Rabat.","dimensions":"Height 28 cm, bell diameter 20.6 cm, abacus diameter 40.2 cm.","method_for_datation":"Inside the ramparts of the Challa Necropolis, an architectonic element (frame of a monumental door) gives the start and end dates of the work: 731–49 / 1331–48.","method_for_provenance":"Archaeological object found *in situ*.","provenance":"Challa *zawiya*, Rabat.","obtention":"Object found at an archaeological site.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C. and Erbati, E., *6000 ans d'art au Maroc*, catalogue, Paris, 1990.  \nLévi-Provençal, É. and Basset, H., *Chellah, une nécropole mérinide*, Paris, 1923.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, pp.229–31.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["religious building; vegetal decoration; geometric decoration; epigraphic decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted white marble."]},"0c359028-43e3-559c-a7ca-c955341c48c8":{"name":"Wood panels (walls and ceiling) of Syrian Room","short_description":"In the late 1970s, Doris Duke acquired a variety of components that were said to have come from a house owned by the Quwatlis, a prominent merchant family of Damascus. Combining historic elements with new pieces made in Hawai‘i by local craftsmen, Duke and her staff created an interior that conveys the spatial layout and multi-media, multi-sensory experience of the Syrian *qa‘a* (Arabic: hall), a reception room found in affluent courtyard homes of the late Ottoman period (in Syria: 1516–1918).","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; painting; architectural decoration","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Dated hegira 1271 / AD 1854-55","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Various","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","dynasty":"Ottoman","keywords":["wood; panels; late Ottoman; Syria; ceiling; room; Damascus; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Moulded, painted, and gilded wood"]},"0c65d4b9-48a7-5adf-ae5e-9204b97b00bd":{"name":"Panel","short_description":"Marble architectural panel featuring a fragmentary elaborate and mannered \"archaizing\" *kufic* inscription with \"the great, the noble,\" perhaps part of the foundation inscription of a religious school or a tomb.","type":"Architectural decoration","holder":"Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah","dates":"Hegira 5th–6th century / AD 11th–12th century","location":"Kuwait City","provenance":"East Iranian World","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","keywords":["Epigraphy; inscription; engraving; calligraphy; kufic script"]},"10055861-fa02-5348-9d89-bbe6682bf4ef":{"name":"Tiles of the Buyan Kuli Khan","short_description":"These tile fragments are from the mausoleum of Buyan Qulï Khan in Bukhara. The turquoise glazed tile is decorated with an intricate vine pattern in white. The ornament is not painted, but cut as a relief into the clay using a complex technique.  \nThese tiles were a part of the decoration program of the mausoleum of Buyan Kuli Khan, who was murdered in 1358. He was the 25th successor of Genghis Khan (1155/62 / 67-1227) and ruled over the Chagatay Khanate empire. His tomb is situated in Bukhara, present-day Uzbekistan, and was covered with tiles both inside and out. The present fragment was initially installed on the outer facade. The Victoria and Albert Museum also possesses several tiles from the mausoleum.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 125cm x Width: 59cm","method_for_datation":"These tiles are from the mausoleum of King Buyan Kuli Khan. They were acquired in 1903 by Justus Brinckmann in Kabebdjan Galleries in Paris.","method_for_provenance":"Gift from Alfred Beit, London, through Ounik Kalebdjian, Paris.","provenance":"Uzbekistan, Fatahabad near Buxoro","obtention":"Endowment in 1908.","bibliography":"Haase, C.-P., \"Buyan Quli Chan—Baudekor,\" *Damaszener Mitteilungen*, 11 (1999): 205-225.","dynasty":"Chagatai Khanate","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Architectural decor; Buyan Kuli Khan; Mausoleum"],"materials":["Glazed ceramic"]},"102b5a7a-7eb3-5088-8d91-c9be0bc5c5fa":{"name":"Sitting lion.","description":"Made of grey marble in a parallelepiped form that is sculpted, this object features a lion sitting on its hind legs rendered flat against the surface of a lower part of a segment of arch. The head of the animal is far larger than its body. Its eyes are globular and wide open, and its fully opened mouth reveals tightly clenched teeth, giving the face a ferocious air.  \nThe left flank of the animal is more densely decorated than the right. Fur in the form of curls hang from the left flank, to which the tail is also attached. The front legs are missing. The right flank lacks any ornamentation, which suggests that it was this side that was encased in the masonry while the left side was on show.  \nThe rounded shape of this piece leads to the conjecture that it formed part of a segment of a poly-lobed arch that belonged to an entrance door of a Hammadid palace.","short_description":"This marble piece is a sculpture of a lion with a disproportionately large head and a wide open mouth that was probably part of a doorway arch. Its tail is flattened against its left-hand side and the carved curls represent its fur.","type":"Lion, marble","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Length 40.5 cm, width 24 cm, diameter 12 cm.","method_for_datation":"Archaeological repository (De Beylié excavations, 1908).","method_for_provenance":"The object was found on the site of the Qal'at Bani Hammad.","provenance":"Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Gift from L.Leschi.","bibliography":"Golvin, L., *Recherches archéologiques à la Qal'a des Banû Hammâd*, Paris, 1965.  \nMarçais, G., *Le musée Stéphane Gsell, musée des antiquités et d'art musulman d'Alger*, Algiers, 1950.  \nMarçais, G., “Sur un lion de marbre trouvé à la Kal'a des Beni Hammad”, *Revue africaine*, Algiers, 1939, pp.182–91.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Ali Benbella","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Palace; figurative representation; lion; animal decoration; marble; Hammadid; palatial architecture; architectural decoration; Grey marble; rounded shape; segment of arch of an entrance door; luxurious construction"],"materials":["Carved and sculpted grey marble."]},"10e26695-1660-57f4-b0af-2bbb52699f63":{"name":"Panel.","description":"This panel of carved marble is framed by a classical bevelled moulding, beneath which there are three horseshoe arches raised on twisted columns with volute capitals. Each arch surrounds a stem bearing different interpretations of the lotus flower, which could represent a *hom* or a tree of life. Flowers of this type also spring from within the arches themselves.  \nThe top mouldings of the capitals bear an inscription in *kufic* characters that reads 'Karim your servant', which is understood to refer to ‘Abd al-Karim, a well-known foreman of ‘Abd al-Rahman II.  \nThis decorative panel comes from the ancient Umayyad citadel of Córdoba, the home of the Umayyads until the construction of Madinat al-Zahra. The citadel, built on the site of an old Visigothic palace, covered a large enclosure containing various different structures. ‘Abd al-Rahman I expanded it, ‘Abd al-Rahman II embellished it with a watercourse and a number of his successors added new buildings.  \nAt the time of the Christian *Reconquista* by the troops of King Ferdinand III (later Saint) in AH 634 / AD 1236, the city of Córdoba still had its citadel, located at the site where the Episcopal Palace and Seminary of San Pelagio now stand.  \nAlmost nothing remains of the building that stood until midway through the AH 8th / AD 14th century.","short_description":"This fragment of marble wall covering from Córdoba, carved with an architectonic scheme of arches surrounding floral motifs, is of particular interest for the inscriptions in the mouldings that mention the sculptor, an artist working at the time of ‘Abd al-Rahman III and al-Hakam II.","type":"Panel, marble","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 207–38 / AD 822–52.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 48 cm, width 77 cm.","method_for_datation":"By the inscription, which is thought to refer to ‘Abd al-Karim, foreman of ‘Abd al-Rahman II (207–38 / 822–52). The piece also displays classical features that evoke the Eastern world but that derived from the independent Emirate of al-Andalus. It appears to fall into the category of Emirate art, but approaching the Caliphate style.","method_for_provenance":"The panel came from Seminary of San Pelagio, which stands on the site once occupied by the Umayyad citadel of Córdoba. Its deep, free carving style is characteristic of the city and distinguishes it from other wall decorations from the same period but that come from other areas.","provenance":"Seminary of San Pelagio, ancient Umayyad citadel of Córdoba, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 23 May 1968.","bibliography":"Revilla Vielva, R., *Catálogo de las Antigüedades que Se Conservan en el Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1932, p.16.  \nZozaya, J., “Antigüedades Andalusíes de los Siglos VIII al XV”, in *Guía General del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Vol. II, Madrid, 1991, p.63.","dynasty":"Umayyads of al-Andalus, Emirate of ‘Abd al-Rahman II (r. AH 207–38 / AD 822–52)","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["palatial architecture; floral decoration"],"materials":["Carved marble."]},"114c06c2-280f-51d2-a9f9-1733b739488a":{"name":"*Kuttab* (Qur'an school).","description":"A *kuttab* is an educational establishment where children are taught to memorise the Holy Qur'an, the rudiments of the Arabic language and arithmetic. The *kuttab,* seen here is made up of two sides (forming an L-shape) and a ceiling. One side (facing) is composed of a door decorated with geometric designs, and assembled in parts. Towards the left of it, are four storage areas or cupboards, two on each side, separated by a deep niche where the teacher would sit. The cupboard doors are ornamented with geometric designs composed of star-shaped medallions executed in the same manner as that used to embellish the door. On the two sides of the niche, and above it, are 29 small compartments framed within lobed arches which were used to store educational equipment. The lower area of this side of the *kuttab* is adorned with an assemblage of various decorations. Above this whole area, at the top, there is a rectangle with seven panels. Each is filled with various shapes of turned wooden elements and is separated from the neighbouring panels with balusters of turned wood. On the right-hand side of the *kuttab* there are two cupboards decorated in a similar fashion as the other storage areas. These two cupboards are surrounded by 12 small compartments with lobed niches; to the left of them there is a plain, undecorated door. The ceiling is ornamented with geometric designs made up of parts of star-like medallions executed by superimposing thin wooden bars. Below it is a frame composed of *muqarnas* pendentives. The *kuttab* also contains some recent decorative additions.","short_description":"A *kuttab* is an educational establishment for teaching children to memorise the Holy Qur'an, reading and writing. A *kuttab* was usually situated on the second floor of a *sabil* (water dispensary). This particular example was taken from a building in Rosetta, a city in the north of the Nile delta.","type":"Woodwork, wooden decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 340 cm, length 465 cm, width 215 cm.","method_for_datation":"The techniques of assemblage and superimposition of small wooden parts in the construction of wooden objects was widespread during the Ottoman period of the 16th and 17th centuries, and was used especially for the decoration of household objects and ceilings in the domestic context. Amongst the residences where this style of construction and decoration are utilised are the Bayt al-Suhaymi (1058 / 1648), and the residence of Waqf al-Sadat (1070 / 1659), both of which are in the city of Cairo. These techniques were also used in the construction of *minbars* (pulpits) and *dikkat al-muballigh* (recitation platforms) in mosques during the Ottoman era.","method_for_provenance":"Provenance is supported by information in the archives of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"The piece was transferred to the museum from the residence of al-Mazdini in Rashid, (Rosetta), Egypt, but the history of its transportation is not known.","bibliography":"Khalifa, Rabi' H., *Funun al-Qahira fi al-'ahd al-Othmani \\[Arts of Cairo during the Ottoman Era\\],* Cairo, 1985.  \nMustafa, M., *Dalil Mathaf al-fan al-Islami \\[Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art\\],* Cairo, 1978.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Salah Sayour","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Furnishing; wood; turned wood; geometric decoration; kuttab; education; religious schools; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Ornamental wooden decoration using assemblage, interlocking and superimposition of wooden bars; turned woodwork."]},"1323c28f-86f5-5888-85f8-28a25c1be041":{"name":"Capital.","description":"Capital from the Aljafería Palace in Saragossa. Derived from Classical composite order, it has two rows of acanthus leaves, which serve as points of reference for organising the space and as receptacles for the vegetal ornamentation. The surface decoration of each leaf is based on various finely carved motifs. Each side of the echinus (moulding supporting the abacus) also bears a different type of floral decoration. The single-level abacus takes the form of a cross with rounded off arms. Apart from some marble capitals, the capitals of the Aljafería are made of alabaster and belong to the Corinthian and composite orders, which shows a clear departure from caliphal art, although in Saragossa they became longer and the size of the scrolls has been reduced to such an extent that they have almost completely disappeared. This capital in particular does not preserve direct caliphal influences. It emphasises the tendency towards the lengthening of the caliphal models and its elaborate and fanciful forms were fashionable in the Taifa kingdom of Saragossa. We know that the capital was part of what is assumed to have been the grand audience chamber of al-Muqtadir, the 'Marble Hall', also called the 'Golden Hall', on the north side of the palace. This large rectangular hall, with two side rooms, was decorated with marble flooring, alabaster plinths and carved plaster panels which covered the walls. This sumptuous decoration reflects the luxury and refinement of the court of al-Muqtadir, during whose reign the Aljafería Palace was constructed.","short_description":"Unlike marble capitals, this stylised capital, originally from the Throne Room in the Aljafería Palace, was carved profusely from alabaster with a double row of carved acanthus leaves in turn bearing minute plant motifs, as if it were a work in a precious metal.","type":"Capital","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 437–73 / AD 1046–81.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 43 cm, width 29 cm, diameter 19.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Aljafería Palace was constructed under the patronage of Abu-Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. 437–73 / 1046–81), the second monarch in the Banu Hud dynasty, which governed the Taifa of Saragossa during the years 432–503 / 1040–1110.","method_for_provenance":"This capital came from the 'Marble Hall' in the Aljafería Palace in Saragossa.","provenance":"Aljafería Palace, Saragossa, Spain.","obtention":"The capital was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.258. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain*, (ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nDominguez Perela, E., “Relaciones Entre los Capiteles de la Aljafería y los Cordobeses”, in *Actas del III Coloquio de Arte Aragonés*, Saragossa, 1983, pp.51–85.  \nGomez Moreno, M., *El Arte árabe Español Hasta los Almohades. Arte Mozárabe*. Ars Hispaniae, Vol. 3, Madrid, 1951, p.223.  \nMarinetto Sánchez, P., “El Capitel en el Periodo Taifa”, in *Coloquio Internacional de Capiteles Corintios Prerománicos e Islámicos (Siglos VI–XII)*. Madrid, 1990, pp.145–66.  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *Catálogo de las Antigüedades que se Conservan en el Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, 1932, p.180.*","dynasty":"Taifa kingdoms; Banu Hud dynasty, Abu Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. AH 437–73 / AD 1046–81)","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Palatial architecture; floral decoration; capital; architectural decoration; patronage"],"materials":["Carved alabaster."]},"1551f405-e3e6-5970-8bcb-de56cf919879":{"name":"Tile","short_description":"The geometric pattern of this glazed tile is made from an elaborate pattern of white lines, intersecting in knot-like patterns to form various shapes, including stars. The colours in the shapes form an alternating pattern, with bands of green and manganese brown surrounding a yellow centre.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 880-905 / AD 1475-1500","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 16.5cm, Width: 18.3cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects e. g. Victoria and Albert Museum (see Ray 2000, p. 331).","method_for_provenance":"Unknown.","provenance":"Spain, Toledo","obtention":"Catalogued in 1974; accession unknown.","bibliography":"Ray, A., *Spanish Pottery 1248-1898. With a Catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum*, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2000.","dynasty":"Nasrid","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Tile; Spanish"],"materials":["Glazed tile with a plaster backing"]},"19c131a2-1764-5332-adc2-8dd10e15a0f0":{"name":"Fragment of wooden ceiling.","description":"The ceiling, made of interlocking panels, is divided into geometric shapes by a frame with mouldings that intersect and intertwine with one another, creating squares or diamonds containing an eight-pointed star in their centre. The internal parts are carved richly and meticulously in arabesques, to form lace-like patterns. The decoration is made up of plant motifs and animals carved in full relief, including lions, gazelles, hares, birds of prey attacking their quarry and eagles with their wings outstretched. This type of decoration, with a highly worked background and the bands of the frame moulded with a simple geometric motif, is the same as is found in the more stylised stucco and plaster slabs from the medieval church of San Giuliano di Caltagirone, possibly used as decorative architectural dividers between the apse and the nave, or as an altar. The ceiling, which undoubtedly originated in a shared residence and may have come from the Royal Palace itself (suggested by the presence of figurative subjects as well as the traditional geometrical decorative motifs and arabesques) is an example of Fatimid ‘frozen realism’ (Scerrato 1979).","short_description":"Ceiling decorated with plant motifs and carved figures of common animals such as lions, gazelles and hares. Created by Fatimid craftsmen, this example almost certainly came from the Royal Palace.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicily, Abatellis Palace","dates":"Mid-12th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 134 cm, width 74 cm.","method_for_datation":"By comparison with the Carrand ivories from Florence and shaped wood at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo and see Bibliography.","method_for_provenance":"From historical documents and see Bibliography.","provenance":"Royal (Norman) Palace, Palermo.","obtention":"Deposit, previously held at the Royal Museum of Palermo.","bibliography":"Delogu R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Rome, 1977, pp.15, 59.  \nScerrato U., “Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia* (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, pp.524–5 and fig. 196.","dynasty":"Norman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman; ceiling; Fatimid architecture; carpentry; figurative decoration; geometric decoration"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"1cc24be1-3e5f-5a9b-babb-1317370820d2":{"name":"Walls and ceiling of the Damascus Room","short_description":"The Damascus Room consists of eighteenth-century *‘ajami* wood panelling (four walls and a ceiling), which would have originally decorated a reception room (typically known as a *qa‘a*) of an affluent courtyard home in Syria. It is a quintessential example of late-Ottoman Syrian architectural decoration reconstituted to meet the needs of a twentieth-century environment and collector.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Woodwork; painting; architectural decoration; panel","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1163–1215 / AD 1750–1800, with some panels added in hegira 1372–1374 / AD 1953–54","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Various","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","dynasty":"Late Ottoman","keywords":["Aleppo room; Ajami; Ajami room; Damascus room; Ceiling; Late Ottoman; Syria; wood; architectural decoration; wood paneling; painted wooden wall paneling; interior ornament; Syrian craft"],"materials":["Wood; painted, gilded, with metal leaf and translucent glazes (*'ajami* technique)"]},"1e282c8c-3fed-5331-b88b-4c2782ff7968":{"name":"Fragment of a painted wooden panel.","description":"In Palace B in the Raqqa region, we find a group of applied ornamental techniques executed in various materials. These include the use of plaster frames for doors and windows as well as wooden panels to cover walls and ceilings of formal imperial halls. Similar forms and techniques existed in the Umayyad period and may be found in Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi. This indicates a continuation of this type of palatial decoration between the Umayyad and Abbasid periods.  \nThis rectangular fragment from a painted wooden panel is decorated with stylised floral and vegetal motifs bracketed by geometric designs. The decoration is executed in black, red, yellow and brown applied in gradual shades to make the drawings seem three-dimensional.","short_description":"A painted wooden panel that once decorated the reception hall of an 'Abbasid palace in Raqqa reveals a high degree of expertise in three-dimensional shading of floral motifs.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"Caliph al-Mu'tasim Billah (r. AH 218–27 / AD 833–42).","dates":"Hegira 218–27 / AD 833–42.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Length 52.2 cm, width 11.1 cm.","method_for_datation":"The object was found in Palace B in the Raqqa region. An inscription on plaster was found on one of the walls of the palace associating it with the Abbasid Caliph al-Mu'tasim Billah (r. 218–27/ 833–42). The palace is thought to have been built in around 220 (835).","method_for_provenance":"This piece of architectural ornamentation was found in palace B in the Raqqa region and was probably made *in situ*.","provenance":"Raqqa region, Syria.","obtention":"The object was recovered during archaeological excavations carried out in 1952 by the Syrian General Directorate of Antiquities under the direction of Nasib Salibi.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,*  \nDamascus, 1969, p.158.  \nAndalucia, J., de- (ed), *El esplendor de los Omeyas cordobeses*, exhibition  \ncatalogue, Granada, 2001.  \nDaiber, V., and Becker A., *Raqqa III*, Mainz, 2004.  \nKohlmeyer, K. (ed), *Land des Baal,* Mainz, 1982.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Wood; Raqqa; Nasib Salibi"],"materials":["Painted wood."]},"1fb2f6df-1383-5523-b767-c9a42193803e":{"name":"Stucco-covered wooden side-rib.","description":"A wooden side-rib belonging to a collection of pieces comprising wood covered with carved, painted and gilded stucco. The carvings of vegetal and geometric motifs and pseudo calligraphic script are gilded and painted using a palette of blue, red, green and white against a background of various colours but predominantly black.  \nThe side-rib once formed part of the decoration of the interior dome of al-Aqsa Mosque, whose damaged parts were replaced in 1938 after gradual deterioration caused by moisture and water infiltration. The importance of this piece lies in its being practically the sole witness to the Fatimid restoration of the dome of al-Aqsa Mosque during the period of the Fatimid caliph al-Zahir bi- Amrillah (r. AH 411–27 / AD 1021–36). It is worth mentioning that other similar parts were lost as a result of a fire which broke out in the mosque in 1969; this led to the destruction of most of the parts of the wooden dome in addition to other sections of al-Aqsa Mosque.  \nThe domes were typically composed, of an inner and outer shell. The inner shell consisted of a wooden skeleton, plated on the inside with circular wooden panels. Palm fibres were affixed to the wooden panels by means of wooden nails. The fibres were then covered with a layer of plaster (stucco) several centimetres thick. After that, the stucco was carved to form the requisite decorations which were painted with different colours and gilded. The outer shell consists of a wooden skeleton which is covered on the outside with metal plates. Lead is normally used, as noted in the dome of al-Aqsa Mosque today, but copper is sometimes employed as can be seen to this day in the Dome of the Rock. The dome of the Dome of the Rock is, however, no different from the dome of al-Aqsa Mosque in terms of its construction.","short_description":"This rib from the interior dome of al-Aqsa Mosque features vegetal and geometric decoration and a gilded inscription against a coloured background.  It is almost the sole witness to the restoration of the dome in the Fatimid period during the reign of Caliph al-Zahir. Other pieces of evidence were lost in the arson attack on the mosque in 1969.","type":"Woodwork, rib, woodm stucco","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem.","dates":"Probably about hegira 424 / AD 1033.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 152 cm, width 140 cm, depth 4 cm.","method_for_datation":"The piece was dated by comparison with the remaining parts from the same period still on site.","method_for_provenance":"Jerusalem was narrowed down as the place of production because typically architectural pieces were made and decorated *in situ*.","provenance":"Jerusalem.","obtention":"The piece was transferred from al-Aqsa Mosque to the Museum during the restoration work carried out in 1938.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.","dynasty":"Probably Fatimid","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Carved stucco; Fatimid woodwork; plasterwork; gilded wood; woodwork; pseudo-inscription"],"materials":["Wood covered with carved, painted and gilded stucco."]},"232d8890-0876-5479-966e-ac44c41896b0":{"name":"Frieze panels.","description":"Two panels made of pine, each carved with an inscription in deep relief and background decoration in lower relief. Both levels of carving are decorated with plaster and with green, red, and white paint. The inscriptions, done in a style of calligraphy known as foliated *kufic*, consist of verses from the Qur'an: the first panel has part of *sura* 2, verse 164, while the second has part of *sura* 3, verse 191. Clearly these panels were part of a much larger ensemble, one which probably decorated the upper level of a building intended for religious use, such as a *madrasa* or a mosque. Friezes of Qur'anic quotations were common in such settings in many parts of the Islamic world; one such frieze in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo was originally over 2 km long.  \n  \nThe style of the panels suggests an origin in Spain or North Africa under the Almohads. The Almohads are known to have had fairly ascetic views on art, yet it is worth noting that for them, a Berber dynasty with origins in the Sahara desert, wood would have been considered a luxury material.","short_description":"Two panels of pinewood carved in relief with inscriptions and (originally) decorated with paint and plaster. The inscriptions are Qur’anic verses, and the panels were probably once part of a frieze in a mosque. Wood was considered a luxury material in a desert environment like that of North Africa.","type":"Woodwork, carved, painted","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th or early AH 7th / AD 13th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"378B–1907: Height 16.8cm, width 101.4cm, depth 1.8cm; 378C–1907: Height 16.7cm, width 103cm, depth 2cm.","method_for_datation":"Both the style of calligraphy and the arabesque scrolls forming the background, are typical of Spanish and North African architectural decoration under the Almoravids (448–551 / 1056–1147) and Almohads (524–667 / 1130–1269).","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic comparisons.","provenance":"Spain or North Africa.","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1907.","bibliography":"Stanley, T., with Rosser-Owen, M. and Vernoit, S., *Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East*, London, 2004, p.27.","dynasty":"Almohad","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["foliated; kufic; inscription; carving"],"materials":["Carved, plastered and painted wood."]},"246cffbc-9030-5777-959b-8b4967743c39":{"name":"Capital.","description":"Composite capital, with the basket occupied by two asymmetrical rows of single smooth acanthus leaves with curved tips, with a plant and lace decoration running around them. Interlaced decorations are prominent on the abacus, and around the echinus on the four faces between the volutes runs a votive inscription in cursive script in relief, which reads: 'In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! God bless our lord Muhammad / and his family and grant (them) perfect peace / God deliver me from Satan the damned'.","short_description":"Capital dating to the mid AH 6th / AD 12th century. The text, which reads ‘In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, God bless our lord Muhammad / and his family and give (them) absolute peace / God deliver me from Satan the Damned’, suggests a religious use.","holder":"Santarém Municipal Museum.","dates":"From the final years of Arab domination, or very probably after the Christian conquest in Hegira 541 / AD 1147.","location":"Santarém.","dimensions":"Height 34 cm, width 28 cm, depth 28 cm.","method_for_datation":"Although dated to the caliphal period for many years, a more recent analysis, in particular of the lettering in Nasrid cursive script, requires its date to be corrected to AH 6th century / AD 12th century.","method_for_provenance":"Documented in 1882 by the former curators of the District Museum of Santarém de S. João de Alporão (today the Santarém Municipal Museum) and Zeferino Brandão, as having been found in 1880 in the district of Alporão.","provenance":"Santarém, Portugal.","obtention":"A gift to the Museum in 1882 from António Fernandes Melício, then owner of the former Palace of the Counts of óbidos, a 16th-century building, where it was found in a barn.","bibliography":"Brandão, Z., “Vestígios Árabes em Santarém”, *O Occidente*, no. 5, Lisbon, 1882, pp.190–2.  \nCustódio, J. S., “Capitel”, *Portugal Islâmico*, Lisbon, 1999, pp.76–7.  \nLabarta, A. and Barceló, C., “Inscripciones Árabes Portuguesas: Situación Actual”, *Al-Qantara*, vol. 8, 1987, pp.395–420.  \nNykl, A. R., “Arabic Inscriptions in Portugal”, *Ars Islamica*, 11–12, 1946, pp.167–83.  \nNykl, A. R., “Inscrições Árabes Existentes no Museo Arqueológico do Carmo”, *Trabalhos da Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses*, 5, 1941, pp.11–12.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Artur Goulart de Melo Borges","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","materials":["Sculpted marble."]},"25fd225a-8425-5648-a345-5ebb03d005da":{"name":"Gate of ash-Shibak Fort","short_description":"This magnificent gate once guarded the entrance to ash-Shibak Fort. Also known as *al-Bait al-Kabir* (literally “the Big House”), ash-Shibak Fort was built by Sheikh Ahmad bin Rabia’a al-Ismaili al-Himyari, a leading figure of the Yaruba Imamate under the rule of Imam Sultan bin Saif II al-Yarubi.  \nThe gate carvings features calligraphic, floral and animal motifs including the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom and an Arabic inscription that reads:  \n  \n*To the Great Lord \\[al-Sayyid\\] Made in Surat  \nAhmad al-Ismaili In Muharram  \nal-Himyari \\[may he\\] consolidate Islam in the year 1126*  \n  \nToday, the gate stands as a unique example of defensive artistry and bears witness to the strong commercial and political ties that existed between Oman and India during the time of the al-Yaruba Imams, the Mughal Empire and the British East India Company.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 1126 / AD 1714","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 283.5cm, Length: 218.5cm, Width: 31cm","provenance":"Surat, Mughal Empire, India","dynasty":"Al-Yarubi","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood and brass"]},"2629b350-95bd-5146-a57b-012dc58189ed":{"name":"Niche from a Samaritan house.","description":"The Samaritan niche consists of an opening recessed into the wall, which is crowned by a *muqarnas* (stalactite) vault and thus replicates all the elements that form part of a *mihrab* (prayer niche). Small columns featuring bases and capitals frame the sides of the niche. They finish off flush with the wall. The niche’s wall configuration is composed of a lower part, painted in wide alternating coloured stripes, which continue upward to form a pointed arch. The upper part is subdivided by a continuous distinct zigzag band, which is drawn out over the wall and the niche. Two round medallions framed in squares occupy the back wall, flanked by small squares with multifoil filling. Samaritan inscriptions can be found within both the red-coloured spandrels of the arches as well as within the rosettes: they allude to the ensemble belonging to a house built by Samaritans. Furthermore, inscription panels that were originally attached beside the niche have also been preserved. The inscriptions contain foreshortened words and only sections of them can be read as full texts. The text is extracted from the Old Testament (Moses, II, 23, Verses 25/26). The inscriptions within the right-hand-side arch spandrel conform to the Samaritan Pentateuch in detail. The Samaritans were a Jewish sect that had resided in Syria since late antiquity. According to tradition, those Samaritans who lived in Damascus had to leave the city in 1625.  \nThe niche was originally located in a private Damascene house and over the centuries has undergone a variety of alterations in colour. The colourful stripes and the details of the *muqarnas* testify that it was created during the Mamluk period. When M. Sobernheim first visited the house in 1900, he was still able to see something of its splendid interior. He salvaged the Samaritan inscriptions that he found there. These were brought to Berlin in 1907 and the niche was later installed as part of an exhibition in the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, after which it was transferred to the Pergamon Museum in 1932.","short_description":"This stalactite niche, resembling a prayer niche, from an old Damascene house built in the Mamluk style, was saved from destruction because insets in the spandrels and roundels contain Samaritan inscriptions from the Old Testament. The Samaritans were expelled from Damascus in the 17th century.","type":"Architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Sheikh Muhammad al-Kurabi, owner of the house in which the niche was located. He was, however, only the last owner of the house, which today no longer exists.","dates":"Hegira 10th century / AD 16th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 302 cm, width 215 cm, depth approx. 70 cm.","method_for_datation":"Every decorative element is indicative of the Mamluk period in Syria. Because the Samaritans had to flee Damascus at the start of the 11th / 17th century, it is likely that this niche dates from before this period.","method_for_provenance":"M. Sobernheim salvaged stones that formed part of a niche with Samaritan inscriptions from a house in Damascus, some time after 1900.","provenance":"Damascus, Syria; private house in the town quarter of al-Zahir Baybars.","obtention":"Bought in Damascus in 1907.","bibliography":"Keenan, B., *Damascus: Hidden Treasures of the Old City*, London, 2000.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst Berlin*, Mainz, 2001, pp.88–9.  \nSobernheim, M., “Samaritanische Inschriften aus Damaskus”, *Mittheilungen und Nachrichten des Deutschen Palaestina-Vereins* 5, 1902, pp.70–80.  \nTropper, J., “Die Samaritanischen Inschriften des Pergamonmuseums”, *Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins* 111, 1995/2, pp.118–33.","dynasty":"Mamluk and Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PA_EN_001","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Jewish; Pentateuch; muqarnas; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Marble and varieties of limestone, mosaic work, supplementary material."]},"2f8de84c-6136-535a-a12d-f37d60e59baa":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"A stone column capital, one of 18 capitals that belong to the water reservoir at the Umayyad palace at al-Muwaqqar, with an inscription that reveals that the reservoir was built by order of the Caliph Yazid II (r. AH 101–5 / AD 720–24). It was found in May 1943 in a yard belonging to a private house located within a few hundred meters of the ruins of the palace. It was broken into two pieces which fit together neatly.  \n  \nThree sides of the capital are decorated with a row of acanthus leaves separated by paired volutes. One side contains a ten-line Arabic inscription that stands out in relief from a plain background. This inscription reads: 'In the name of the most merciful God. Has ordered the building of this pool the servant of God, Yazid Commander of the Faithful, may God favour him and prolong his life and happiness and bestow upon him blessings and bounties in this world and the next. It has been built by the care of ‘Abdallah the son of Sulaym.' Between the eighth and ninth line of the inscription three words are incised in smaller characters, they read: 'Khamsat Ashara dhira' (15 cubits). The drums of the column, upon which this capital once sat, would have been immersed in the pool; each drum with other incised words indicating the number of cubits; thus forming a water gauge. The highest measurement is on the capital itself, being 15 cubits.  \n  \nA second inscription in relief runs around the abacus of the three decorated sides, it is interrupted in the middle of each by a circular boss with an inscribed trefoil which reads: 'Allahma salli Ala Abdka Rasul Allah' ('O God bless your servant and messenger Muhammad').","short_description":"Limestone capital from al-Muwaqqar with a ten-line Arabic inscription in relief mentioning the building of a pool ordered by Yazid II (r. AH 101–5 / AD 720–4). The capital and its drum formed a water gauge and incised words indicate measurements. The last was 15 cubits, recorded within the inscription.","type":"Column capital, stone","holder":"Jordan Archaeological Museum","owner":"Now on display at Jordan Museum","initial_owner":"Caliph Yazid II (r. AH 101–5 / AD 720–24).","dates":"Hegira 101–5 / AD 720–24.","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Height 60 cm, width 41 cm.","method_for_datation":"The capital is datable by the inscription which bears the name of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid II (r. 101–5 / 720–24).","method_for_provenance":"Literary sources indicate that the palatial residence at al-Muwaqqar belonged to the Umayyad Caliph Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik (Yazid II) who reigned from 103–4 / 722–3. Furthermore the capital was found only a few hundred meters from the palace at al-Muwaqqar.","provenance":"Al-Muwaqqar, the water reservoir, Jordan.","obtention":"The Museum obtained the capital directly from the owner of the house in which it was found.","bibliography":"العابدي. محمود، الآثار الإسلامية في فلسطين والأردن، عمان، 1973.  \n  \nHamilton, R. W., 'An Eighth-Century Water Gauge at al-Muwaqqar', *Quarterly of the Department of Antiquities in Palestine* X11, 1946, pp.63–9.  \n  \nZabern, P., *Der Königs Weg: 9000 Jahre Kunst und Kultur in Jordanien und Palästina*, exhibition catalogue, Mainz, 1987, p.351.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Column capital; inscription; palace (qasr)"],"materials":["Inscribed stone."]},"305f4585-8d17-53d5-a7d9-3ce3b3fa0f2c":{"name":"Cupola from Torrijos.","description":"Nailed-board, octagonal cupola ceiling supported on smooth walls covered with tapestries or silks with ornamental drawings. Above the level of these fabrics, in the four corners, sit the squinches, decorated with honeycomb work, that give the ceiling its circular shape from the octagonal base section, where the noble coats of arms of the owners can be seen. A second, lower band bears chequered strips on all four sides, alongside others decorated with Gothic plasterwork, and in their centre large pilgrim shells and the heraldic 'S's of Don Gutierre de Cárdenas, who played an important role in the celebration of the marriage of the Catholic Kings. These two are alluded to in the inscription 'D Ferdinandus I D Isabel' that can be read on a frieze also from the Cardenas Palace, which is held at the National Archaeological Museum. The ceiling sections converge radially on the centre and are delicately decorated with knotwork based on a twelve-star or *sinos* pattern that develops around structures of various different forms known as *almendrillas*, *azafates*, *candilejos* and *costadillos*. The plasterwork is decorated in relief with palmettes, apexes and engravings. The cupola originally covered the room in the northeast corner of the palace of the Torrijos and the Dukes of Maqueda. This ceiling, like the other ones from the palace, currently outside Spain, were commissioned from the decorative painters García del Barco and Juan Rodríguez.","short_description":"An example of Mudéjar excellence in carpentry and the adoption of Muslim models by the Christian aristocracy in their search for luxurious and welcoming spaces. The huge number of separate parts in this hemispherical cupola overlap and interlink to form a great geometric design.","type":"Woodwork, cupola, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 800 cm, diameter 550 cm.","method_for_datation":"From documentation of the Cardenas, friends of the Catholic Kings.","method_for_provenance":"Through historical documentation.","provenance":"Cardenas Palace, Torrijos, Toledo, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological Museum from Adela and Elisa Páramo on 15 June 1969.","bibliography":"Franco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1992, p.96.  \nLongobardo Carrillo, J. and Peña Carbonero, J. de la, *Los Palacios de Torrijos*, Torrijos, 2001.  \nRepullés y Vargas, E., *El Palacio de Torrijos*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1894.  \nSánchez de Rivera, G., *Don Gutierre de Cárdenas, Señor de Torrijos (materiales para una biografía)*, Toledo, 1984.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Cupola; wood; plaster; modelled; carving; gilding; Mudéjar; Torrijos"],"materials":["Wood, plaster; moulding, carving, gilding."]},"33a6c84f-b10f-5856-b654-7f8c5f9a715b":{"name":"Rectangular piece of wood.","description":"A rectangular piece of wood decorated with low-relief carvings, which was probably once part of a high frieze. The decorations are arranged along two narrow bands, which hem-in a wider band lying in between them. Both of the narrow bands are embellished with vegetal decorative motifs, such as branches, surrounded by tri-lobed rosettes and fan-leaf palmettes. The central band is embellished with scenes of naturalistic human and animal activity, such as a hunting scene; a bird with a human face is also present. The scene is played out against a background of vegetal decoration, and surrounded by geometric compositions. The decorative components were originally painted which would have highlighted the detail. Symmetry and alternation were the twin dynamics that helped harmonise and defuse the decorative components.  \nThis panel was unearthed together with some other rectangular wooden pieces in the tomb of the Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, and in the Bimaristan (hospital) Qalawun where they were used to cover the upper frieze. The decorative mode of this panel bears no relationship to the Mamluk period, but is exclusively in the Fatimid style. It is likely, therefore, that this wooden panel once graced a Fatimid palace, specifically the Fatimid Western Palace, which was built by Caliph al-Aziz bi-Allah and completed by al-Mustansir bi-Allah. However, it was on the ruins of the Fatimid Western Palace that the Bimaristan Qalawun was later built and it is, therefore, likely that these wooden frieze components were later re-used to embellish the hospital walls.  \nThese decorative panels are considered an important source for the study of Fatimid painting for they include scenes of hunting, music, entertainment, battle and excursions, as well as depictions of birds and other animals and reveal the life of opulence led by the Fatimid elite.","short_description":"This item is an example of carving on wood from the Fatimid period, influenced by Abbasid styles from Samarra that spread all over the Islamic world. Decoration is based on hunting scenes and animal shapes on a background of vegetation.","type":"Woodwork, low-relief carving, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Length 370 cm, width 30 cm.","method_for_datation":"This piece was dated through study of the decorative components that appear on it, the style of representation, and by comparison with other analogous decorative pieces.","method_for_provenance":"In view of the fact that the panel was almost certainly made for the Fatimid Western Palace, it is likely that it was made by craftsmen employed in the atelier of Caliph al-Aziz bi-Allah and produced especially to furnish the palace.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"The object was transferred from the Mausoleum of Qalawun in the *Nahassien* (coppersmith's) district, and received by the Museum in 1909.","bibliography":"Abu Sadira, al-Said T., *Al-Hiraf wa al-Sana'at fi Masr al-Islamiyya \\[Handicrafts and Manufacture in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1991.  \nAl-Pasha, H., et al, *Al-Qāhira, tārikhuha, fūnunuha, Āthāruha \\[Cairo, Its History, Arts and Monuments\\],* Cairo, 1970.  \nAl-Maqrizi, *Al-mawā'iz wa'l-i'tibār bi-dhikr al-khiţaţ wa'l-āthār \\[Exhortations and Contemplation of the Recollection of Plans and Monuments\\],* 2 Vols, Cairo, 1853.  \n  \nHassan, M. Z., *Kunuz al-Fatimiyyin \\[Treasures of the Fatimids\\],* Cairo, 1938.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Low-relief; wood; figurative decoration; vegetal decoration; geometric decoration."],"materials":["Wood; decorated with low-relief carving."]},"37eeebe2-30b7-5a11-b819-7445bc61c961":{"name":"Tile","description":"Large rectangular ceramic plaque in a vertical arrangement. Its outer surface is completely covered with a symmetrical decoration based on scrolls twisted around themselves, from which different types of leaves emerge. The coat of arms of the Banda, characteristic of the Nasrid monarchy, is also found throughout the composition, flanked on all occasions by a pair of wading birds. The upper part and the right-hand side are framed by a gold herringbone motif, and the fact that the left-hand and lower sides do not have this border suggests that it was part of a larger ensemble. All the decoration on the tile is in blue, yellow and gold on a white background, although due to a manufacturing defect, the blue has run on part of the surface.  \n  \nWithin this cultural context, water plays a prominent role in Andalusian architecture, often serving as a common thread. Present in numerous texts of Islamic sacred literature, it is presented as a symbol of life itself, thus reflecting the architectural design of the palace. We see it in ponds, fountains and irrigation channels with a practical, symbolic and aesthetic function, intertwining with the vegetation and evoking paradise. In this case, we are looking at a tile that was possibly used for a door jamb or a window frame, in which water is present indirectly, but its evocation is still clear: wading birds, vegetation and bluish tones contribute to an iconographic programme that revolves around this element.","type":"Architectural ceramic","holder":"National Archaeological Museum","owner":"Spanish State","initial_owner":"Private collection","dates":"AH 9th / AD 15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 114cm, width: 57cm, depth: 4.8cm","place_of_production":"Al-Andalus","method_for_datation":"Comparative study with other similar pieces and iconographic analysis.","method_for_provenance":"Formal parallels, historical-artistic study.","provenance":"Jaén","obtention":"Acquired in 1949 by Alejandro Navarro.","bibliography":"BERMÚDEZ LÓPEZ, J., ‘El marco histórico del Emirato Nazarí’, en *Cerámica Nazarí. Contextos y proyección*, Granada: Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, 2024: 34, fig.5, 291.  \n  \nFRANCO MATA, A. ‘Azulejo’, en *Los jarrones de la Alhambra: simbología y poder*, Granada: Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, 2006: 208-209.  \n  \nGALVÁN, Mª L., ‘Azulejo hispanoárabe’, *Memorias de los Museos Provinciales*, Vol. XV: 60-62, Lam. XXXVI-XXXVII (1954).","workshop":"Unknown","dynasty":"Nasrid Kingdom of Granada  \nReign of Yusuf III (AH 811 - 820 / AH 1408 – 1417)","author":"Paula Pagés Alonso","translator":"Dept. of Medieval Antiquities of the MAN, Ruth Checa","translation_copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["Cerámica arquitectónica, azulejo, Escudo de la Banda."],"materials":["Tin-glazed pottery decorated with metallic sheen and cobalt blue"]},"3b3c5a47-4329-5629-bd23-31d6ccb2b1dd":{"name":"Guild panel, butchers' guild of St. Gallen, Switzerland","short_description":"The central image depicts a butcher wielding his axe towards a bull's head while his wife brings a bowl to catch its blood. The donor names appear above the coats of arms.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1564","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 35.5cm","provenance":"Probably St. Gallen","obtention":"Purchased in 1891 from the Vincent Collection Constance, Germany","artist_birthdate":"June 1527","artist_birthplace":"St. Gallen, Switzerland","artist_deathdate":"6 January 1577","artist_deathplace":"St. Gallen, Switzerland","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"3c8378b6-b15a-5c21-874e-d7a334e3dab5":{"name":"Frescoed architectural fragment from a bathhouse.","description":"A frescoed architectural fragment that once formed part of a bathhouse, consisting of a niche with a pointed arch. The imagery within the niche portrays a figure, executed in black and red watercolours against a white background, executed in the fresco technique. The subject is a seated youth – who might have been a prince – and who holds a cup in his hand. He is wearing a loose robe-like garment, which is decorated with red vegetal motifs. His upper arms are encircled by two bands, and his head is covered by a pleated turban. A complete circular halo appears around the youth's head, perhaps to emphasise his status. He wears a scarf placed around his back, the two ends emerging from under his armpits and then left hanging down, suspended in mid-air. Two parts of the youth's hair can be seen beneath the turban, one in the front and the other at the back.  \nThe niche is framed by an arch composed of bead-like roundels. The fresco itself resembles paintings found in Samarra, Iraq in terms of both the figures; the shape of the heads and the circular halo, for instance, as well as in the repetitive decorative motifs; the frame in the form of an arch, for example. In addition the implementation of style is far from realistic, and leans more towards the decorative, with clear Persian influences. The Fatimid frescoes are not too different in form, style, or thematic content from depictions executed on metallic lustre ceramics, which were being produced in Egypt during this period. It is possible to study the pictorial representation on this architectural fragment by comparing it to similar Fatimid-period examples executed on various media: ceramics, some wooden pieces and on many textiles. Furthermore it is interesting to consider the role of painting itself as a distinctive decorative component of the applied arts during the Fatimid period.","short_description":"Baths were buildings of importance in the Islamic world due to their role in purification and hygiene. The walls of bathhouses were commonly decorated with frescoes, like the example we see here.","type":"Fresco, bathhouse","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 5th century / AD 11th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 24.5 cm, width 60 cm.","method_for_datation":"Painting on all the applied arts is a distinctive feature of the Fatimid period, it also makes comparison with other paintings of the period a useful means of dating an object.","method_for_provenance":"Fustat was narrowed-down as the place of production for this architectural fragment as the piece was discovered *in situ* in a Fatimid bathhouse.","provenance":"Fustat, Egypt.","obtention":"Archaeological excavations undertaken by the Centre of Arab Antiquities in 1932 revealed the presence of a Fatimid bathhouse in the region of Fustat. Some of its constituent parts, including this architectural fragment, were transferred and registered as acquisitions of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo in 1934.","bibliography":"Al-Pasha, H., *Al-Taswir al-Islami fi al-Usur al-Wusta \\[Islamic Painting During the Middle Ages\\]*, Cairo, 1959.  \n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_, **Trésors fatimides* du Caire*, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 1998.  \nGrübe, E., *Cobalt and Lustre: The First Centuries of Islamic Pottery,* London, 1994.  \nHassan, Z. M.,“Tuhaf Jadida min al-Khazaf al-Fatimi dhi al-Bareeq al-Ma'dani \\[New Pieces from Fatimid Metallic Lustre Ceramics\\]”, *Majalat Kuliyat al-Adab \\[of the Faculty of Arts\\],* December, 1951.  \nHassan, Zaki M., *Kunuz al-Fatimiyyin \\[Treasures of the Fatimids\\],* Beirut, 1981.  \nPhilon, H., *Early Islamic Ceramics: Ninth to Twelfth Centuries,* Athens, Vol. 1, London, 1980.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Al-Sayyed Muhammad Khalifa Hammad","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Stucco; bathhouse; figurative representation; fresco"],"materials":["Fresco: stucco-painted with watercolour in red and black."]},"3cc3cd1b-6a98-54f3-8299-5ed61c1d3d3d":{"name":"Window.","description":"A window made of stucco, which contains pierced decoration filled with coloured glass. The decorations of the window are placed in two rectangular sections: one, larger, at the bottom and the other, smaller, at the top. The decoration in the lower section is composed of a pointed arch, within which are vegetal motifs including cypress trees, and decorative architectural components such as domes and minarets, which bear a strong Ottoman imprint. The upper section is composed of an inscription in *naskhi* script, which reads: 'Oh Muhammad'.This inscription is written against a background of geometric decoration and stylised-coloured flowers distinguished by their simplicity.  \nStucco windows appeared in buildings in the early Islamic era and were used in Amr ibn al-'As Mosque and in al-Azhar Mosque, during the Fatimid period. In the Mamluk and Ottoman periods stucco coloured-glass windows were used more generally. The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo has a number of stucco coloured-glass windows in the collection that are embellished with a variety of decorations, which invests in them a special beauty particularly when the sun shines through them or when they are exposed to artificial light. Among the most beautiful is that with the registry number 9886.","short_description":"Stucco windows were known in different Islamic periods and were used in different buildings to filter the sunshine and soften its glare. When their pierced patterns were covered with coloured glass, the aesthetic effect was exquisite.","type":"Stucco, glassware","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 10th century / AD 16th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Height 131 cm, width 65 cm.","method_for_datation":"The window is dated based on the decorative architectural components, which have a definite Ottoman stamp. The window is also associated with construction of the Sariyat al-Jabal (Mosque of Suleyman Pasha) which was built in 935 / 1528.","method_for_provenance":"This window is associated with the Mosque of Suleyman Pasha, built in 935 / 1528 in the Citadel of Cairo and was probably made in Cairo, Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"This object was transferred to the museum from the Mosque of Sariyat al-Jabal (Mosque of Suleyman Pasha).","bibliography":"Al-Pasha, H., *Fan al-Taswir fi Masr al-Islamiya \\[The Art of Pictorial Depiction in Islamic Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1966.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Muslim Art in Fouad I University,* Vol. 1, Cairo, 1950.  \nNaguib, Ezz El Din, et al, “Light Screens”, Cairo, 1997.  \nShiha, M., “Islamic Architecture in Egypt”, *Prisma, Magazine of the Ministry of Culture,* Cairo, 2001.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Stucco; naskhi script; glass; coloured glass"],"materials":["Stucco, pierced and fitted with coloured glass."]},"3fcb079f-6a10-569e-97e4-f341d5df2eca":{"name":"Ceiling, custom-made for Shangri La's living room","short_description":"The living room ceiling at Shangri La was custom-made by Moroccan artisans working under the supervision of the Rabat-based firm S.A.L.A.M. René Martin. It is carved, painted, and gilded throughout. The central field features recessed octagrams in interlocking, knotted niches, predominantly orange and brown in tone. The bottommost border consists of a moulded plaster frieze of floral motifs in an arcade repeated throughout.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; woodwork; painting; architectural decoration","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1355 / AD 1937","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 1437 x 726.4 cm","provenance":"Morocco","dynasty":"French Protectorate","keywords":["ceiling; French Protectorate; Morocco; wood; geometric motifs; floral decoration; painted; gilded; workshop; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Wood (cedar); painted, gilded, varnished"]},"41b66680-5678-5938-9b4d-b08f12206eb9":{"name":"Postcard of the Hejaz Railway Station","description":"Postcard; printed; real photograph; monochrome photograph showing the Hejaz railway station in Damascus with several people and carriages at the entrance.","type":"Photograph","holder":"The British Museum","owner":"The British Museum","dates":"1920s-1930s (circa)","location":"London, United Kingdom","dimensions":"Height: 8,80 cm; width: 13,9 cm","place_of_production":"Damascus, Syria","obtention":"Bequeathed by Frank Hall Jr in 2013.","catalogue_holding_link":"https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_EPH-ME-2063","keywords":["Railway; Station; Syria; Transportation; Architecture"],"materials":["Paper"]},"42921209-bf16-5ad2-9981-5d7b63ee02d1":{"name":"Architectural element, column fragment","short_description":"The column fragment features an epigraphic cartouche in its upper portion and three bands with plant and epigraphic motifs that alternate and develop helicoidally in its lower portion. The Arabic inscriptions have auspicious content and are all rendered in foliate *kufic* letters, presented in relief with traces of colour from the original polychromy.","type":"Column","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira early 6th century / AD Early 12th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 39.5cm, Width: 30cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation finding","provenance":"Palace in Ghazni associated with Mas'ud III (1099-1115), Afghanistan","obtention":"Deposit IsIAO, excavation IsMEO","bibliography":"Artusi S., MNAO Archive file, code nr. 1201064870, 2011.  \nDi Flumeri, G., *Tesori invisibili*, exhibition catalogue, Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo (1 May - 26 July 2009), Rome, 2009: 142.","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","author":"Michael Jung","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Terracotta, mortar; carving, painting"]},"45a31a2f-a589-5ebe-9521-9d4fb116c2ab":{"name":"Tile","short_description":"This square tile is decorated with a black star-like shaped framed by decorative white lines. A star-like shape with yellow in the middle bears resemblance to a flower. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds identical tiles which were made in Toledo.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 9cm x Width: 9cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects e. g. Victoria and Albert Museum (see Ray 2000, p. 331).","method_for_provenance":"Purchased from J. Krauth, Frankfurt.","provenance":"Spain, Toledo","obtention":"Purchased in 1884.","bibliography":"Ray, A., *Spanish Pottery 1248-1898. With a Catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum*, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2000.","dynasty":"Nasrid","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Tile; Spanish"],"materials":["Glazed ceramic"]},"468d72e0-71b1-5e62-aa9c-e37d8f31588f":{"name":"Lintel.","description":"Piece of grey marble whose form evokes that of a poly-lobed arch. Its face is bordered by a relief of sculpted double curvilinear lines that meet and interlace in the middle of the base, generating a concave decorative feature at the centre in the shape of shells or flower petals.  \nArchitectural elements of this kind were used to decorate the façades of palatial buildings.","short_description":"The shape of this lintel is reminiscent of a poly-lobed arch. The front is edged with two curved lines carved in relief that intertwine to create a central, sunken element in the shape of a shell or petalled flower. Such architectural elements were used to decorate the façades of palaces.","type":"Lintel, marble","holder":"Museum of M’sila (National Agency of Archaeology)","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"M’sila","dimensions":"Height 31 cm, length 60 cm, width 36 cm, thickness 15 cm.","method_for_datation":"The piece was found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / 11th–12th centuries).","method_for_provenance":"Found *in situ* in the Qasr al-Manar.","provenance":"Qasr al-Manar, Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (Bourouiba excavations, 1971).","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R., *Cités disparues: Tahert, Sédrata, Achir, Kalaâ des Beni Hammad*, Algiers, 1982.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les H'ammadites*, Algiers, 1984.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Ali Benbella","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Hammadid; lintel; sculpture; floral decoration; palace; Qasr al-Manar; architectural decoration; palatial architecture"],"materials":["Sculpted grey marble."]},"47f199fd-3322-5ab8-b00e-f35c60fd72f6":{"name":"Niche.","description":"Rectangular-shaped niche with a rounded back in the form of a shell, ornamented with fillets that end in roll mouldings. The façade of the bay, which is sculpted in bas-relief, is decorated with festoons, lozenges and circles, whereas the cornerstones are adorned with rosettes framed on either side with stylised leaves.  \nThe bay fits within a double frame: the first formed by a lozenge trellis, the second by a narrow fret band.  \nThe decoration of this panel evokes that sculpted by the Romans and the Byzantines from North Africa on shrines that were made of earth, as well as on architectural pieces, altars, etc., all of which attests to the continuity of the ornamental repertory.  \nThe sculpture was executed with a metal blade, worked on the *timchent* while it was still soft. According to H. Saladin (see Bibliography) this local type of plaster made from the region's limestone was 'applied to walls made of cobblestones or rubble'.  \nThe niche was built in the corner of a room at a certain height above ground-level. The upper part has undergone restoration work.","short_description":"Niche with a rounded back and a half-dome whose façade bears *naqsh-hadida* (sculpted plaster) decoration with simple geometric or floral rosette motifs in *timchent* plaster. Placed in the corner of a large room, it would have been used as a cupboard and also to help support the ceiling.","type":"Niche, plaster","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 296–467 / AD 909–1074.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 77 cm, width 73 cm, depth 41 cm.","method_for_datation":"After the fall of the Rustamid dynasty, the Ibadids of Tahert escaped southward and founded a new town, Sedrata (296–467 / 909–1074). This fragment comes from a palace in that town. Alternatively, a fragment of frieze that was created for the same palace can be dated to the 5th / 11th century, as, according to Marçais, the *kufic* characters that feature could be from the '11th century and resemble those of Kairouan'.","method_for_provenance":"Report published in the *Comptes rendus de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres* in 1952.","provenance":"Sedrata, Algeria.","obtention":"From an archaeological repository (excavations by Van Berchem, 1952).","bibliography":"Bermúdez Pareja, J., “Crónica arqueológica de la España musulmana”, *Al-Andalus*, Vol. XX, 1955, pp. 407–52.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nSaladin, H*., Manuel d'art musulman. L'architecture*, Paris, 1907.  \nVan Berchem, M., “Deux campagnes de fouilles à Sédrata en Algérie”, *Comptes rendus de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres*, 1952, pp.242–6.  \nVan Berchem, M., “Deux campagnes de fouilles à Sédrata (1951–1952)”, *Travaux de l'Institut de recherches sahariennes*, Vol. X, 1953, pp.123–38.","dynasty":"Rustamid of Sedrata","author":"Houria Cherid","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Niche; shell; plaster; timchent; sculpture; Palatial architecture; geometric decoration; Rustamid; Sedrata; rectangular case; monument; construction; geometric adornment; rosette; local plaster"],"materials":["Local type of plaster (timchent), sculpted."]},"4c9b3c73-f021-537b-b1bc-a5a3c53c31bf":{"name":"Frieze.","description":"The upper part of this long panel is decorated with a traditional Marinid ribbon of eight-petal rosettes between two fillets. The main section sits below this band and is divided into two decorative areas.  \nThe lower area consists of plant motifs in low relief: noduled foliage and smooth double palms.  \nThe upper area consists of alternating high-relief arcatures in two different sizes. They consist of two superposed arches separated by a groove: the upper arch is undulated and the lower arch consists of double-palm lobes and is rendered in *cavetto*.  \nThe large arcatures are crowned with fleurons that cut into the rosette band. They contain an inscription in twisted pseudo-*kufic* characters with floral upstrokes and bear a mirror image of the word '*yumn*' (prosperity), similar to the motifs used in Marinid architectural decoration.  \nThe smaller ones are stamped with a ribbed six-lobe palmette and crowned with plant decoration surrounded by two bound lobes and flanked by adventitious floral upstrokes that extend beyond the sides of the large arcatures.  \nThe movement of the floral motifs, which is harmoniously adapted to the shape of the epigraphic decoration, and the spacing of the spandrels of the arches, as well as their large and rigorous rendering, make this well-made Marinid piece particularly interesting.","short_description":"The decorative elements of this panel (rosette frame, arches, pseudo-epigraphic inscriptions, palmette and floral motifs) along with their layout and execution are reminiscent of the decorated friezes found at the top of gallery walls in Fez's Marinid *madrasas*.","type":"Woodwork, frieze, wood","holder":"Kasbah Museum.","owner":"Batha Museum, Fez.","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century.","location":"Tangiers.","dimensions":"Height 31.5 cm, length 244.5 cm, depth 5 cm.","method_for_datation":"From comparative analysis. The decorative elements of this panel, rosette frame, arches, pseudo-epigraphic inscription, palmettes and floral motifs, as well as their layout and execution are reminiscent of the ornamentation found on friezes on top of the walls in the galleries of Marinid *madrasas* in Fez, in particular the Buinaniya.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nTerrasse, Ch., *Médersas du Maroc*, Paris, 1927.  \nTerrasse, H. and Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["geometric decoration; floral decoration; epigraphic decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted and vanished cedarwood."]},"4ccac71e-541b-5e6c-b28b-e5ec2a3359e3":{"name":"Angel as a shield holder with municipal panel of Winterthur, Switzerland","short_description":"An angel in a blue-grey alb and purple cape kneels in a Late Gothic portal. Using both hands, he presents the coat of arms of the city of Winterthur, Switzerland.","type":"Stained glass; church window","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"c. 1493","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 77cm","place_of_production":"Probably Zurich","provenance":"Parish church of St. Anna, Veltheim, Switzerland","obtention":"Purchased in 1900 from the parish church of St. Anna, Veltheim","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"4da4dffd-186e-54fb-aa72-d606f46820ba":{"name":"Screen in passageway of the Paço dos Infantes.","description":"The arrangement in the museum today was based on a design made in 1894, with the screen still *in situ*, by the artist Rosa Mendes Junior, the original of which is in the museum.  \nThis screen came from the south wall of the passageway which linked the ducal palace of Beja to the monastery of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, above the Viela dos Infantes alleyway,and has been reconstructed with great accuracy, although only some of the materials are original. Great care was taken in the reconstruction to rebuild one of the sections (the one furthest to the left of the onlooker) entirely using original pieces.  \nThe whole piece is made up of six small pillars made of brick, octagonal in section, which have grooves on two of their faces into which the pieces of terracotta are fitted. These pieces, three in each of four sections and seven in the other, are framed to give the whole screen a sense of consistency and to ensure less visibility and greater seclusion to any person in the passageway, with compact bricks in the lower part and upper part up to the ogee arches at the top which join the pillars to one another. Above these arches, the cornice is decorated with a scheme of arches grouped in threes (with greater emphasis given to the central one) and linked by a small dentil, imitating a Lombardy frieze. The overhang of the double pitched roof which covered the passageway is reconstructed above the cornice.  \nTwo of the sets of terracotta panels have quatrefoils, with the foils spiralling out from a central eye (like the sgraffito work of the S. Brás chapel at Évora, dating from around 1485), and in one of these groups, the one in the central section, the eye and the plant designs form openings to provide the interior of the passageway with natural light. The same happens with all the panels of the other three sections: two are ornamented with very stylised plant motifs and one (the one furthest to the onlooker's right) with seven sections on top of one another decorated with intersecting pointed arches.","short_description":"This screen is all that remains of the palace that the Duke of Beja (future King Manuel I) commissioned around AH 890 / AD 1485. It consists of six small octagonal pillars made of brick and fitted with terracotta pieces. The passageway was demolished in 1895 and restored in 1927.","type":"Screen, brick, terracotta","holder":"Queen Leonor Regional Museum.","initial_owner":"Duke and Duchess of Beja, Dom Fernando and Dona Brites, (infante and infanta). The screen gave the duchess direct yet secluded access to the upper choir of the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Conceição.","dates":"End of the 15th century.","location":"Beja.","dimensions":"Height 322 cm, length 363 cm, depth 22.8 cm.","method_for_datation":"As the nuns were relocated to this monastery in 1475, the passageway cannot predate that year. Master builder João de Arruda was working at the palace in 1485, which means that it is possible that his campaign of work included the building of the passageway. When the palace was demolished in 1895, architectural pieces were salvaged which match this screen in stylistic terms. The infanta, Dona Brites, died in 1506, and it is unlikely that she would have commissioned the building of the passageway near the time of her death.","method_for_provenance":"There is a photograph and drawing of the passageway *in situ*. There are records of the dismantling and conservation of the materials which were salvaged from the passageway itself, some of which were used for the fairly rigorous reconstruction – the decorated bricks of the panels, clay bricks of the flooring, cyma mouldings \\[type of cornice mouldings\\], shafts, etc.","obtention":"The passageway was demolished in 1895 and some of its materials were collected in the former Town Hall. The screen was reconstructed in 1927 in the museum, where it is housed today, which is the former monastery of Nossa Senhora da Conceição.","bibliography":"Dias, P., “Arquitectura Mudéjar Portuguesa: Tentativa de Sistematização”, *Mare Liberum*, 8, Lisbon, 1994, pp.49–89.  \nEspanca, T., *Inventário Artístico de Portugal: Distrito de Beja*, Vol. I, Lisbon, 1992.  \nViana, A., “Mosteiro da Conceição e Palácio dos Infantes”, *Arquivo de Beja*, 2, 1945, pp.423–31.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_PT_001","author":"Manuel J. C. Branco","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["openwork screen; Mudéjar; duke and duchess of Beja; João de Arruda; palatial architecture; plant motif decoration; geometric decoration"],"materials":["Brick (in the supporting and opaque areas); terracotta (in the sections with ornamentation and openwork)."]},"530f0310-0111-5a9b-bcd8-d43868876a42":{"name":"Panel with abstract decoration","short_description":"This carved panel comes from Egypt, where wood, on account of its rarity and cost, was decorated with care and used in contexts generally reserved for luxury materials. Although it is impossible to say how this wood panel was used originally, it is possible to assign it to the late 3rd/late 9th century on the basis of its distinctive decoration. Decorated in the bevelled style, the panel depicts highly stylised leaves that have been transformed into abstract motifs. As is typical of this style, it is impossible to distinguish between background and foreground or between natural and abstract forms. The bevelled style may have first been developed at Samarra, in northern Iraq, which replaced Baghdad as the Abbasid capital, from Hegira 221–279 / AD 836 to 892. This style was quickly adopted in other parts of the Islamic empire including Egypt, as exemplified by the decoration in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira late 3rd century / AD late 9th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"64.2 x 20.3cm","method_for_datation":"It is datable on the basis of its distinctive decoration in the so-called bevelled style as in the mosque of Ibn Tulun and can likewise be ascribed to Egypt.","method_for_provenance":"The style of the panel relates to the architectural decoration of the mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, completed in Hegira 265 / AD 879.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Rev. ed., Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 14, fig. 9.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo divino: Arte islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles*, Santiago, Chile: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 35, 207.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 87.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 176.","dynasty":"Tulunid","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Woodwork; bevelled style; vegetal decoration; Tulunid; Abbasids; Samarra; carving"],"materials":["Wood, carved"]},"53178417-31fa-543d-866e-9ede2d175694":{"name":"Door Panel","short_description":"Ivory inlays were frequently combined with wood in the production of furniture and architectural fittings in late medieval Egypt. This elaborate method of fabrication, which used costly ivory and rare woods like ebony, required that individual elements, often of minute size, be cut, carved with intricate motifs, and then carefully constructed like a mosaic to form a larger unit of generally geometric design. Accuracy in cutting and assembling was essential since every piece affects the whole. It is difficult to say exactly how the present door functioned, but most likely it was one of a pair, perhaps for a cupboard set into a wall of either a religious or a secular building.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira second half of 7th century / AD second half of the 13th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"91.4 x 27.3 x 3.8cm","method_for_datation":"The ornamentation and technique suggest a date in the early Mamluk period.","method_for_provenance":"The materials, techniques and design relate this panel to Mamluk Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Collection of Habib Anavian (1915-1995), New York, until June 1981 (sold to); Collection of Maan Z. Madina (1926-2013), New York, until 2002 (sold to); LACMA, The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 140-141.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 112-113.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 40.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 28-29.","dynasty":"Mamluk","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Panel; door; Mamluk; architectural element; wood; ivory; carving; carved decoration; marquetry; inlay; geometric design; ebony"],"materials":["Wood, carved ivory, marquetry"]},"59a7e631-51cd-5c00-96df-73c23c2e673f":{"name":"Frieze with calligraphy.","description":"This frieze was set into the wall of the *qibla* of the central court of the Zawiya al-Gharianiya, above the outside *mihrab*. The large *kufic* characters stand out in strong relief from the background. Thin grooves outline their contours. The letters are designed to look monumental but have richly ornamented motifs attached to them.  \nThe *kufic* writing on this frieze is extremely sophisticated. The shaping of the letters shows a concern for composition and the overall design is skilfully worked out to fill the whole space harmoniously. Particularly remarkable is a highly complex foliated scroll, which emerges from the letter *nun* and terminates in a three-lobed fleuron touching the preceding letter. This scroll motif contains a stylised five-lobed leaf of a type found in the Ifriqiyan decorative repertoire from the AH 3rd / AD 9th century. The carver's skill in choosing this elaborate decoration has resolved the problem of the letter *mim* falling between two letters with tall uprights (*lam* and *nun*). Notice also the heart-shaped motif suspended from the letter 'as- S*alam*' (peace), the symbol of love and affection.  \nThe inscription is unfinished and says: 'Enter into here in peace, into the shelter from all fear and …'","short_description":"Set in the *qibla* wall of the central courtyard of the Zawiya al-Gharianiya above the external *mihrab*, this frieze has an incomplete inscription in *kufic* script of great palaeographic value. Its style and decoration have marked similarities with dozens of Kairouanese funerary steles.","type":"Frieze, marble","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira, first half of the 5th century / AD 11th century","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 141 cm; height (total) 37 cm, (carved strip) 32 cm, (letters) 31 cm; thickness 0.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The calligraphy in this frieze is very similar in style and decoration to dozens of Kairouanese funerary stelae which date from the first half of the 4th / 10th century. Furthermore, similar types of lettering have been found at Kairouan dating from the same era; for example, the lettering carved in wood on the frieze at the *maqsura* of the Great Mosque and the inscription on the two piers re-used as uprights in the Bab Tunis itself (437 / 1046).","method_for_provenance":"All the evidence suggests that this frieze was taken from the site at Sabra al-Mansuriyya. This view is corroborated by the presence of various pieces of material such as capitols, columns, with inscriptions, and crossbeams used in the construction of the monument in the 8th / 14th century and which date from the Fatimid–Zirid era.  \nIn fact, the Sabra site was used as a quarry by the Kairouanese during the reconstruction of their town after the Hilalian invasion, and is the only one with such an abundance of these materials.","provenance":"Kairouan or Sabra al-Mansuriyya.","obtention":"During the restoration work on the Sidi Abid al-Ghariani Mausoleum this frieze was acquired by the National Institute of the Patrimony of Tunis. It has been on display since 1986 at the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada.","bibliography":"*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue)*,* Tunis*,* 1986, p.235.  \n*De Carthage à Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue)*,* Paris, 1982, p.216, cat. no. 286.  \nRoy, B. and Poinssot, P., *Inscriptions arabes de Kairouan,* Paris, 1950, vol. I, pp.77–8, cat. no. 37.  \n*Tunisie: du christianisme à l'islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, p.192.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.155–6.","dynasty":"Fatimid–Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Calligraphy; floral decoration; inscription"],"materials":["White marble carved with letters and decoration."]},"5bd0b400-e2a7-5040-8e6d-9c15256ea7f9":{"name":"Wooden panel.","description":"This long decorative panel, carved in low relief and with slightly damaged ends, consists of five well-balanced sections arranged symmetrically along a longitudinal axis. These sections and the panel sides are framed with grooved and cabled borders.  \nThe lower section is delimited with a lobed arcature containing an arch supported on floral capitals and twisted columns rendered in relief on a dense floral background. This consists of bouquets of palmettes and finely veined single and double palms on either side of ascending stems reminiscent of the tree of life theme.  \nThe second section is decorated with circular foliage bearing, at regular intervals, veined nodules, single veined calyx palms, double digitate palms and concave coil palms.  \nThe third section is decorated with geometric ornamentation: an octagonal braid in relief embellished with pearls crowns a composition of mixtilinear knotwork that radiates from an eight-pointed star. A longitudinal groove cuts across this strip.  \nThe fourth section is similar to the second. The fifth consists of grooved knotwork combining squares and four-lobed curvilinear stars. These polygonal figures created by the knotwork lines are filled at different levels with floral motifs that soften the geometric composition: veined symmetrical calyx palms inserted between two asymmetrical palms with intertwined stems and six-petal rosettes.  \nAll of these well ordered and finely executed decorative themes, inspired by flora, geometry and architecture, are found in different Almoravid buildings and objects.","short_description":"This long ornate panel, carved in low relief, is decorated with finely executed and hierarchically arranged plant, geometric and architectural motifs, as found in different Almoravid buildings and objects known today.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 95 cm, length 18.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through comparative study. Several of the motifs chosen to decorate this piece and their relief, ornamental composition and abundance are also found in other dated Almoravid pieces, such as the *minbar* of the Great Mosque of Algiers, the decoration on the domes of the Qarawiyyin and the Marrakesh *qubba*. This enables us to date this panel to the Almoravid period and specifically to the reign of 'Ali ibn Yusuf (500–37 / 1106–42).","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged along with other ancient wooden pieces.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., “La chaire de la Grande Mosquée d'Alger”, *Hespéris*, 1921, Vol. I, fasc. 4, pp.359–86.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nMeunié, J. et Terrasse, H., *Nouvelles recherches archéologiques à Marrakech*, Paris, 1957.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, p.104.","dynasty":"Almoravid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["vegetal decoration; geometric decoration; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted cedarwood."]},"5e1d1ee8-7f7e-58a8-8402-1892185b69b8":{"name":"Door lintel.","description":"A lintel that once adorned the top of a doorway of an Umayyad palace at Umm al-Walid. Worked in shallow stucco relief, this rare object appears to be more one-dimensional like a painting, than a two-dimensional work in relief. The scene depicts a panther chasing a gazelle, a reminder of the wild animals that once roamed the countryside during the Umayyad period, creatures that were game to courtly hunts organised for amusement.","short_description":"A lintel that once adorned the top of a doorway of an Umayyad palace at Umm al-Walid. Worked in shallow stucco relief, the scene depicts a panther chasing a gazelle, a reminder of the wild animals that once roamed the countryside during the Umayyad period.","type":"Door, lintel, stone","holder":"Madaba Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 2nd century / AD 8th century.","location":"Madaba","dimensions":"Height 63 cm, Length 2.30 m.","method_for_datation":"The building is dated to the Umayyad period on archaeological grounds. The plan of the palace, together with the pottery and metal objects found on the site, indicate that the palace was built in the Umayyad period.","method_for_provenance":"The provenance is known because the lintel was uncovered on site during an archaeological excavation.","provenance":"Umm al-Walid, Jordan.","obtention":"The object was obtained in 1996 during archaeological excavations at Umm al-Walid, which lies 15 km south-east of Madaba, where a mosque was also uncovered.","bibliography":"Bujard, J., “Umm al-Walid et Khan Ez-Zabib : Cinq Qusur omeyyades et leur mosquée revisités”, *Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan*, XLI, 1997, pp.351–74.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Court life; hunting; relief decoration; stonework; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Carved limestone."]},"5e68d23f-cf28-560b-a2ba-3eb4bc3170a3":{"name":"The Northumberland House Glass Drawing Room","short_description":"The use of coloured plate glass as one of the core components in the decorative scheme of the drawing room in Northumberland House is perhaps indicative of the status of glass in Britain in the mid-18th century. Designed by Robert Adam (1728-1792) for the fashionable 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, and completed in 1775, the glass drawing room provided the backdrop for the well-attended entertainments hosted at Northumberland House. The huge panels of glass are backed with red and green metal foils, and they were then overlaid in gilt metal ornament in the neo-classical style that Adam was so renowned for.","holder":"Victoria & Albert Museum","dates":"1773-74","location":"London","author":"Simon Spier"},"5eacbf30-4e9e-5c27-a757-04efcf633b45":{"name":"Wooden frieze.","description":"An almost complete frieze that would undoubtedly have come from a religious monument. Its surface is decorated with a flowery and twisted *kufic* inscription repeating the end of Qur'anic verse 73 of Sura 22 ('Pilgrimage'). The *kufic* characters are embellished with vegetal elements in the form of tri-lobed demi-fleurons and five-lobed fleurons that prolong the angle of the bevel.  \nThe text is carved on a plant background consisting of a dense floral composition with absolutely no empty spaces. This decorative element uses pinecones and palms carried by foliage or decorating the involutions: asymmetric smooth palms with calyxes and branches stretching into loops and veined double palms with acanthus leaves whose offshoot, which separates the veins into twos, assumes an oval shape reminiscent of a pinecone scale.  \nThis frieze, with its low-relief decoration covering the entire surface and where a taste for abundance and ornamental opulence has supplanted Almohad rigour and simplicity, well illustrates the aesthetic choices of Marinid art, which adopts some elements of Almoravid art.","short_description":"This incomplete frieze would almost certainly have come from a religious monument. It is decorated with a Qur'anic inscription in flowery, twisted *kufic* characters on an unbroken background of plant decoration in low relief, a good illustration of aesthetic choices in Marinid art.","type":"Woodwork, frieze, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 21.6 cm, length 107 cm, depth 3.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic analysis. The rendering of the letters and the floral forms, which can also be seen in the decoration of the Bab Mrissa gateway in Salé dating from the second half of the 7th / 13th century, as well as its decoration suggests the style of the beginning of the Marinid era.","method_for_provenance":"Information taken from the inventory register.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["religion; epigraphy; vegetal decoration; floral decoration"],"materials":["Raised and sculpted cedarwood."]},"62d53464-3fcf-57c1-a694-32079c419d33":{"name":"Rose window","description":"St George's Chapel, also known as the Queen's Chapel, was erected on the south side of the Santa Isabel courtyard of the Aljafería Palace. This is a rose window with a central circle whose decoration shows an Islamic influence in its interlinked arches, which form an eight-pointed star. This central circle is surrounded by eight smaller mouldings in a Gothic style each with a four-leafed clover. This rose window is the only surviving material trace of what would have been a small, single-nave chapel with a simple, rough brick ribbed vault, the ribs resting on emblazoned corbels with a large bead moulding running around the entire wall at the height of the springing line of the vault. It is generally accepted that it was built during the times of King Peter IV the Ceremonious (r. 1336–87).  \nThe rose window stands out for its artistic value and uniqueness, as it is the only surviving part of one of the few Mudéjar religious monuments built as a royal commission in Aragon. There is little information about the chapel because, as with everything Mudéjar, it was not of interest to the illustrious travellers who left descriptions of the places they visited. When describing the Aljafería, both Jerónimo Münzer in the late 15th century, Cock, who accompanied Philip II in 1585, Cosme de Médicis in 1668 and Antonio Ponz in the 18th century concentrate almost exclusively on the royal quarters.","short_description":"Gothic forms such as four-leafed clovers have been combined in this rose window with Andalusian interlacing patterns developing from the central star. This piece of plasterwork adorned the façade of the San Jorge Chapel, one of the Mudéjar buildings erected in the Aljafería by the Christian kings, now lost.","type":"Window, plaster","holder":"National Archaeological Museum","dates":"1350–70","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Diameter 126 cm","method_for_datation":"From its characteristic features based on tracery typical of the 14th century.","method_for_provenance":"It remained in its original location until 1866, two years before it came to the National Archaeological Museum.","provenance":"St George’s Chapel in the Aljafería Palace, Saragossa, Spain.","obtention":"The rose window was donated to the National Archaeological Museum by the Comandancia de Ingenieros de Zaragoza through Paulino Savirón in 1869.","bibliography":"Alquézar Yáñez, E., Arias Sánchez, I. and Franco Mata, A., “Carpintería y Elementos Arquitectónicos Mudéjares en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional Procedentes de Aragón”, in *Actas del VI Simposio Internacional de Mudejarismo, Teruel, 16–18 September 1993*, Teruel, 1996, pp.872–3.  \nBorrás Gualís, G., *Arte Mudéjar Aragonés*, I, Saragossa, 1985, p.297.  \níñiguez Almech, F., *Así Fue la Aljafería*, Saragossa, 1952.  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1932, pp.82–3.  \nSavirón y Estevan, P., “Detalles del Palacio de la Aljafería de Zaragoza”, in *Museo Español de Antigüedades*, II, 1873, pp.507–12.  \n  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, p.89.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Rose; plaster; Mudéjar; Aljafería; Saragossa"],"materials":["Moulded plaster"]},"63864fbd-1f56-5956-a52d-f2de75cc09e2":{"name":"Wall panel","short_description":"The lower walls and floor of Shangri La’s master bathroom are covered with carved marble panels inlaid with stones (possibly semi-precious) in floral motifs. Larger panels with unique floral sprays may be flanked by thin panels with mirrored floral sprays. The floor has three octagonal panels with floral medallions set into plain white marble, with a scrolling floral vine frame on three sides. The panels are of varying colours, including blue, orange, green, and yellow.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; marble panel","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 1353–1357 / AD 1935–1938","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 76.2 x 74.9 cm","provenance":"India, Delhi and Agra","keywords":["India; marble; floral decoration; semiprecious stones; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Marble; semiprecious stones"]},"644221f4-0a72-56c2-92af-e6764a6d257a":{"name":"Very large column shaft with Arabic inscription in *kufic* characters.","description":"Very large marble shaft, probably reworked from a Roman piece, broken at the top and missing about one third of its original height. There are a variety of abrasions on its surface. The lower part of the shaft has been chiselled. A scroll 20 cm wide placed at a height of 160 cm up the shaft contains a *kufic* inscription in relief. The text of the inscription is as follows (translation by M. Amari – see Bibliography): ‘And (I wish for) no favour but from God’. The height of the reworked column, originally Roman or Byzantine, can be calculated to around 296 cm. On the basis of the style of the *kufic* characters, it is possible to attribute the inscription to the AH end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century / AD end of 10th or beginning of the 11th century. The use of marble suggests a prestigious location, such as a mosque or a palace.","short_description":"This column may have originally been part of a mosque or similarly important building, and is probably a reworked piece from Roman times. It has a religious inscription in *kufic* characters in relief.","type":"Column, inscription, marble","holder":"Agostino Pepoli Regional Museum","initial_owner":"Cavaliere Pietro Emanuele, Trapani (*c*. 1825)","dates":"9th-10th centuries.","location":"Trapani","dimensions":"Max. height 215 cm, lower diameter 36 cm.","method_for_provenance":"Reused in the palace of Pietro Emanuele in Trapani, located in the ‘Casalicchio’ district, which some local traditions claim was the centre of the town during the Arabic period.","provenance":"Arab Quarter, Trapani.","obtention":"Transfer from the Fardelliana Library in Trapani.","bibliography":"Amari, M., *Epigrafi Arabiche di Sicilia I: Iscrizioni Edili*, Palermo, 1875, 83, no. XXIII, tab. X.3.  \nBarresi, P., “Le Colonne Arabe di Trapani”, *Sicilia Archeologica* (forthcoming).  \nDi Ferro, G. M., *Guida per gli Stranieri in Trapani*, Trapani, 1825 (reprinted 1977), pp.164, 212, note 130.  \nGregorio, R., *Rerum Arabicarum Quae ad Historiam Siculam Spectant*, Panormi (Palermo), 1790, p.141.  \nGabrieli, F. and Scerrato, U., *Gli Arabi in Italia*, Milan, 1979, fig. 261.","dynasty":"Norman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Paolo Barresi","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["inscription; kufic"],"materials":["Marble with whitish background and wavy green veining (known as cipollin) from the quarries of Karystos in Evia; inscription in relief."]},"649c683b-d1f3-512e-8170-458ed534da19":{"name":"Welcome panel with alliance coat of arms","short_description":"Hans Dietlin and his wife Anna Prücker are poised to shake hands. Behind them is a majestic blossoming tree around which a ribbon bears the inscription *Nach Leid komt Fröd* (After sorrow comes joy).","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1534","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 43.5cm","obtention":"Purchased in Paris, France in 1899","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"66e51f17-108b-5591-b6b7-54ea9b37a8c1":{"name":"Tile","short_description":"This tile depicts geometric motifs on a white background. In each corner there are green fan-shaped leaf-like patterns, divided by a circle of geometric brown and black shapes. In the centre is a black leaf-like pattern around a green circle, forming a flower or star shape.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 880-905 / AD 1475-1500","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 15cm, Width: 15cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects e. g. Victoria and Albert Museum (see Ray 2000, p. 331).","method_for_provenance":"Gift from Dr. O. Jürgens, Altona","provenance":"Spain, Toledo","obtention":"Endowment.","bibliography":"Ray, A., *Spanish Pottery 1248-1898. With a Catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum*, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2000.","dynasty":"Mudéjar?","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Tile; Spanish"],"materials":["Glazed ceramic"]},"69edabdc-3e28-5d73-b9dc-323cfd284a68":{"name":"Plaster window","short_description":"The four coloured windows are made of glass fragments in different colours, arranged within a plaster framework to depict carnations in a vase. The windows were made in 19th-century Cairo. During this period, the increasing influence of European fashions led to a decline in the production of such windows. Glazed windows of this type, both plain and decorative, are found in traditional buildings in Turkey and Arabian territories. They are usually set high up, above unglazed windows that are sometimes covered by shutters and screens. Such windows were used for centuries in the Middle East to adorn a variety of buildings, including palaces, mosques, houses, and tombs.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 45cm, Height: 125cm","method_for_datation":"The style is indicative of 19th-century Cairo.","method_for_provenance":"Gift of the Imperial envoy, Mr. von Rucker-Jenisch from Cairo.","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Endowment.","dynasty":"Khedival Egypt","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Window; Egypt"],"materials":["Plaster, wood, glass, mortar"]},"6af7dc7f-b6a4-53d7-8220-0e470421058e":{"name":"Views of the  mosques of  Mecca and Medina","short_description":"These views of Mecca and Medina are intricately carved in wood and date from the early 20th century. The wood is likely linden wood, which is soft, lightly grained and easily worked, so it is ideal for elaborate carving. The background is made of a light-coloured satin.  \n  \nMecca is depicted with the Ottoman Ajyad fortress on the Jabal Ajyad range (sometimes known as Jabal Kuda, al-Qla or Bulbul) dominantly in the background. Around the Ka’ba are buildings which were once situated within the *haram*, the buildings and fortress no longer exist. Medina is depicted from the viewpoint of the courtyard, surrounded by a desert landscape, with occasional camels.  \n  \nAnother example is in the Konya Mevlana Museum, Turkey.","type":"Woodwork; textile; architectural sculpture","holder":"Khalili Family Trust – Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage Collection","dates":"19th century","location":"London","dimensions":"53.5x70cm; 52.5x69cm","method_for_datation":"Provenance and are based on stylistic grounds.","provenance":"Turkey","bibliography":"*Islam Faith Worship : July 22 - October 10 2009, Abu Dhabi*, Abu Dhabi Culture & Heritage - T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, 2009.","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"Qaisra Khan","keywords":["Hijaz; Holy place; Ka'ba; Medina; Mosque; Painting; Paper; Pilgrimage; Prayer; Prophet Muhammad; Religion; Wood; Wood carving; Mecca"],"materials":["Carved wood, satin"]},"6db232a1-1948-537d-8bad-3c92a264c7c0":{"name":"Stucco panel","short_description":"\"Stucco\" is a term used to describe the vast majority of decorations in Islamic Arts. White stucco, made from plaster stones, was used for column capitals, arcs, as well as sloped constructions such as roofs, as it is an incredibly supple, yet strong, adherent, durable and light material. Muslim artisans made countless constructions decorated with stucco. The 18th and 19th centuries, however, saw many constructions in carved golden plaster - both palaces and houses were elaborately decorated in this way. Floral motifs, closer to the Ottoman and Italian styles, soon overtook the geometric designs of previous centuries.","type":"Stucco; plaster","holder":"Musée National du Bardo","dates":"19th century","location":"Le Bardo, Tunis","dimensions":"H. 53 cm, Ø 26 cm","provenance":"Palais du Bardo","author":"Saloua Zangar","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Carved plaster; capitals; palaces; Ottoman style; Italian-esque style"],"materials":["Terracotta"]},"6ef65a75-a6f9-5d0d-8c90-492c934302b3":{"name":"Window frame.","description":"A twisted strip and a carved band decorated with a braid of eight-pointed stars runs around the outside of this quadrangular window frame. It consists of three sections: an upper frieze, a balustrade and the gemelled arcature of the opening. All of the wood is covered with a red base and painted in two shades of brown, yellow ochre, ivory white and some green.  \nThe frieze and the balustrade consist of *mashrabiyya* latticework arranged in a chequered or a diamond pattern. Above this latticework, grooved strips on the balustrade form a knotwork pattern consisting of eight-pointed stars and, on the upper frieze, poly-lobed arches and eight-pointed stars on each side frame a square central medallion bearing the votive inscription 'Mohammed's blessing' in rectangular *kufic* characters.  \nThe opening, surrounded by two frames, the first in turned wood and the second carved into eight-pointed star knotwork, consists of two gemeled horseshoe arches. These arches are supported on a small column and two small engaged demi-columns in turned wood that are fluted at the base and have simulated capitals. All of the components of this last section are decorated with polychrome plant motifs borrowed both from the Moroccan–Andalusian repertoire and the Ottoman repertoire: foliage, single and double palms, fleurons and carnations.  \nWith its harmonious polychromy, this external window frame, which looked over the courtyard of a wealthy residence of the 13th / 19th century is a good example of the careful work of the Meknès carpenters who gained renown in this art when their town became the capital of the 'Alawid kingdom under the reign of Mulay Isma'il (AH 1083–1140 / AD 1672–1727).","short_description":"The outer frame of a window overlooking the courtyard of an expensive house is an example of turned, painted wood from Meknès, an art form that flourished in the imperial city from the beginning of the 'Alawid era. The plant decoration is borrowed from Hispano-Maghrebic and Ottoman repertoires.","type":"Woodwork, frame, window, wood","holder":"Dar Jamai Museum.","dates":"Hegira 12th-13th centuries / AD 18th-19th centuries.","location":"Meknès.","dimensions":"Height 177 cm, length 112 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic and comparative analysis. This type of carpentry, which gives pre-eminence to polychromy and can be found in other museum examples, was first seen in the late 11th / 17th century and became particularly widespread in the 13th / 19th century when middle-class residences, where this sort of work can still be seen, were built in increasing numbers.","method_for_provenance":"From the place it was purchased and its style, which is typical of Meknès.","provenance":"Meknès.","obtention":"Purchased in 1963.","bibliography":"Barrucand, M., *L'architecture de la qasba de Moulay Ismaïl à Meknès*, Casablanca, 1978.  \nMarçais, G., *L'Architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nPaccard, A., *Le Maroc et l'artisanat traditionnel islamique dans l'architecture*, Vol. 2, Paris, 1979.  \nTerrasse, H. and Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","dynasty":"'Alawid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["civic architecture; geometric decoration; floral decoration; epigraphic decoration; religious epigraphy"],"materials":["Sculpted, decorated, turned and painted wood."]},"6fb6ea4d-c7c1-56d9-a527-f3139df0a217":{"name":"Section of a marble frieze.","description":"A section of a marble frieze that was once located along the interior octagonal of the Dome of the Rock. Part of the frieze is still *in situ*, while sections of it are in the Islamic Museum. In its entirety, the frieze consisted of marble panels, each about 98 cm long and 61 cm wide. The frieze included two decorative themes of tiny swirling palm trees and intertwining grapevines.  \nThe frieze is punctuated with a number of Umayyad *kufic* epigraphic inscriptions. The decorations are carved to a depth of around 2 cm in order to emphasise the decoration. The background of the marble is painted, while the decoration in relief is gilded. It is probable that the panel under discussion was transferred to the Museum, along with a number of other pieces, during renovation works at the Dome of the Rock in around 1960.  \nThe piece under discussion is a marble panel, at the centre of which is an arch framed with decorative vegetal motifs, which repeat in most of the arches of the frieze. The arch is supported by two pillars on top of which are two capitals. On each side of the arch there are two other arches which are incomplete here, but which continue on neighbouring marble end-panels, used to terminate the frieze. Some of these panels are at the Islamic Museum in Jerusalem.  \nThese panels reflect the Umayyad decorative programme seen also on the woodwork in al-Aqsa Mosque, or on the stucco work in Khirbat al-Mafjar (Hisham's Palace) in Jericho, or even in the decorations which were discovered in the Umayyad Palace on the northwestern coast of Lake Tiberias in the Galilee (Qasr al-Minya).","short_description":"This decorated and gilded marble frieze once wrapped round the octagonal interior of the Dome of the Rock. A section is still *in situ*. During the restoration of the Dome of the Rock, some 50 years ago, some of the pieces were transferred to the Islamic Museum. The pieces are rare and represent different artistic sources of Umayyad art.","type":"Frieze, marble","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Caliph 'Abd al-Malik bin Marwan (r. AH 65–86 / AD 685–705).","dates":"About hegira 72 / AD 691.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 98 cm, width: 61 cm, depth 3 cm.","method_for_datation":"The date for the panel was established by comparison with similar decorative motifs in the Umayyad palaces of al-Minya and Khirbat al-Mafjar, and with some other Umayyad wooden decorative pieces in the collection at the Islamic Museum in Jerusalem.","method_for_provenance":"Whether this panel was carved in Jerusalem, or imported from Greece or some other locality where finished marble was available, is not known. It is also possible that it was carved in Jerusalem, and that repairs and consolidation of the entire frieze were done in a workshop on site at the Dome of the Rock.","provenance":"Possibly Jerusalem.","obtention":"The panel was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Islamic Museum in around 1960.","bibliography":"Abu Khalaf, M., “The Carved and Gilded Marble Friezes of the Umayyad Period in the Dome of the Rock”, in A, Bakhit (ed), *Fourth International Conference on History of Bilad al-Sahm During the Umayyad Period,* Amman, 1989.  \nRosen-Ayalon, M., “Note on a Particular Technique of Architectural Decoration”, *Israel Exploration Journal*, No. 24, 1974.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Frieze; carving; relief decoration; marble; marble decoration; vegetal decoration; kufic; epigraphy; inscription"],"materials":["Marble (Carrara) carved in high relief."]},"6fdbe124-1e12-5bc3-a524-5bbe4a6ae42f":{"name":"Painted wooden board.","description":"This cedarwood board comes from the ceilings of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, where the roof structure is composed of lintels resting on columns and on the walls, following the north–south direction of the nave. The tie-beams, perpendicular to these elements, are supported at each end by carved and painted corbels.  \nThe oldest part of the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan dates from the AH 3rd / AD 9th century. It is decorated with foliate scrolls and fleurons.  \nThe panel has a red background and is composed of four squares with concave sides. Painted green and blue in each of the squares are two intertwining stylised flowers with four petals. They form a sort of octagonal star enclosing a blue or green circle.  \nEach petal ends in a bud surrounded by two flared foliate scrolls. Straight out of the Middle Ages, the painted ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan represent an unique collection in Muslim art, which renders any attempt at research into the origin of their decoration quite difficult. In fact, decorated ceilings covered the central nave of the Great Mosque at Córdoba, but the *ante quem* limit of their dating hardly goes back beyond the AH 4th / AD 10th century, and the magnificent ceilings of the Palatine Chapel at Palermo date from the AH 6th / AD 12th century.","short_description":"Originally part of the ceilings of the prayer room in the Great Mosque of Kairouan, this piece is beautifully decorated with foliage and fleurons on a red background. The painted ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan constitute the only collection of its type in Islamic art.","type":"Woodwork, board, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 135 cm, width 27.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The board's decorative motifs can be found in some of the panels of the carved *minbar* and in the painted wood half-dome of the *mihrab* niche of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, which date from the middle of the 3rd / 9th century. They are certified as being Syrian Umayyad art.  \nThese indications, as well as comparison with the different types and models of painted wood forming the ceilings collection from the Great Mosque of Kairouan, date this board from the end of the 3rd / 9th century, probably from the time of the restoration work on the doors and ceilings of the prayer hall ordered and funded by the Aghlabid prince, Ibrahim II (r. 261–89 / 875–902). The dating of this panel from the 5th / 11th century is refutable, since the models, boards and beams of this period are not comparable.","method_for_provenance":"These decorative motifs appear in some of the carved panels of the *minbar* and in the painted wood half-dome of the *mihrab* niche of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"After the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, between 1962 and 1972, some beams, boards and joists were taken out and completely replaced. This piece was placed along with thousands of other fragments in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. It was selected for display when the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was extended.","bibliography":"*De Carthage a Kairouan* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1982, p.207.  \n*Les Andalousies* (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 2000, pp.194–5.  \n*The Arts of Islam* (exhibition catalogue), London, 1976, p.284, cat. no. 440.  \n*30 ans au service du patrimoine* (exhibition catalogue), 1986, p.262.  \nMarçais G., *Coupoles et plafonds de la grande Mosquee de Kairouan*, Tunis and Paris, 1925.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.175–6.","dynasty":"Aghlabid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Floral decoration; geometric decoration"],"materials":["Wood, painted decoration."]},"702385a6-59dd-5149-9e14-fc7215434a3d":{"name":"Door Lintel.","description":"A lintel that belonged to the entrance of the *khan* found in the region of the Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi complex, which included a market (*suq*), a bathhouse (*hammam*), a garden, a dam, a storage area and, most importantly a palace (*qasr*). The lintel is not extensively ornamented, but it is important inasmuch as scholars have used it to approximate the date the palace was constructed. The inscriptions specify that Caliph Hisham bin Abd al-Malik was patron of the *khan*; Thabit bin Abi Thabit was supervisor during its construction; and the month of Rajab in the year AH 109 / AD 727 was when the *khan* was completed.  \nThis inscription represents a continuation and adaptation of a long-used tradition in the region – that of monumental inscriptions – into an Arabic-language context. The text is written in *kufic* script, an early calligraphic style often used in inscriptions from this period. The technique used to inscribe the marble lintel is, however, unusual as it is done by piercing and drilling holes.  \nThe Arabic text may be translated as follows: “In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. There is no God except the One and Only God he by himself who has no partner. The making of this work was ordered by the servant of Allah Hisham, Commander of the Faithful, may God ensure his reward. \\[This work was\\] carried out by the hand of Thabit bin Abi Thabit in Rajab of the year 109 \\[21st October 727\\].","short_description":"This door lintel displays important inscriptions that helped to establish the dating of the completion of the urban architectural structure constructed by the Umayyad Caliph Hisham bin 'Abd al-Malik in the year AH 109 / AD 727.","type":"Door, marble","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"Caliph Hisham bin Abd al-Malik (r. 105-25 / 724–43).","dates":"Hegira 109 / AD 727.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Height (above the ground) 3.86 m, width 3.83 m, depth 0.57 m.","method_for_datation":"The object is inscribed with the date the *khan* was completed.","method_for_provenance":"The object was found at and was probably carved *in situ* at Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi.","provenance":"Syrian Desert; 80 km southwest of Palmyra.","obtention":"The lintel was obtained as a result of the 1936 French archaeological expedition directed by Daniel Schlumberger, which was carried out at Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi. This large lintel, which once topped the entrance of the *khan*, was transferred to the National Museum of Damascus in the 1940s.","bibliography":"Schlumberger, D., *Qasr el-Heir el-Gharbi*, Paris, 1986, plate 49.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Umayyad; qasr; desert palace; lintel; khan; Daniel Schlumberger; marble; inscription"],"materials":["Carved marble."]},"709ed3e5-6450-5388-9dba-59deb41dfe2c":{"name":"Architectural element, transenna","short_description":"The transenna has a decorative, geometric openwork motif. The object (along with another of the same size and shape that is preserved in Ghazni), was found in the north-west corner of the central courtyard near the entrance to the prayer room. The morphology of the transenna and the position of the inscription along the four sides of one face and on one flank suggest that it was situated on a path through one of the most important rooms of the palace, perhaps the prayer room. The inscription, mostly abraded in cursive script, likely informs us about the time when the works in this area of the palace were completed and the name of the person who conducted them.","type":"Transenna","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira early 6th century / AD Early 12th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 21cm, Width: 30cm, Thickness: 11cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation finding","provenance":"Palace in Ghazni, Afghanistan","obtention":"Deposit IsIAO, excavation IsMEO","bibliography":"Bombaci, A., \"Summary report on the Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan. Introduction to the Excavations at Ghazni\", *East and West*, 10 (1959): 3-22.  \nDi Flumeri Vatielli, G., \"Islamic Archaeology in Afghanistan - Ghazni\", in P. Torre, G. Di Flumeri Vatielli and M. Jung (eds), *Arte dell'Islam, catalogue Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale*, Rome: Artemide, 2010: 65-72, fig. 66.  \nGiunta, R., \"New epigraphic data from the excavations of the ghaznavid palace of Mas'ud III at Ghazni (Afghanistan)\", in P. Callieri and L. Colliva (eds), *South Asian Archaeology 2007*, vol. II, Ravenna: Archaeopress, 2010: 123-131.  \nRugiadi, M., *Architectural decoration in marble from Ġaznī (Afghanistan)*, Doctoral Thesis, Bologna 2012: 1107-9, 1234.","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","author":"Michael Jung","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Marble; carving, open work"]},"72cc9bba-ac66-5c38-9182-60aa70e5cc53":{"name":"Betrothal of Mary (after Albrecht Dürer)","short_description":"This stained glass panel was produced at the Kellner Workshop in Nuremberg, German in 1838 and is one of the earliest 19th century glass paintings. The composition is based on a copperplate engraving by Albrecht Dürer.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1838","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 42.5cm","provenance":"Nuremberg, Germany","obtention":"Collection of the Empress Frederick (1840–1901), Friedrichshof Castle (Germany); gift from the Empress Frederick to the Swiss architect Hermann Ritter (1851–1918) in c. 1900. Purchased in 2009 from the descenants of Hermann Ritter.","artist_birthdate":"1788","artist_birthplace":"Nuremberg, Germany","artist_deathdate":"1873","artist_deathplace":"Nuremberg (?), Germany","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"736574db-9cd1-5e72-95d5-f1860d3596ad":{"name":"*Mashrabiyya*","short_description":"The *mashrabiyya* is a decorative architectural element characteristic of residences in the Arab world. It was generally used on windows or balconies on the second floor or above. As well as being a natural ventilation device, the *mashrabiyya* served the purpose of shielding the occupant from the vision of passers' by, whilst still allowing natural light to pass through the gaps. This particular piece is square shaped and made of limestone, sculpted in floral patterns.","type":"Architectural sculpture; stonework","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"`Ayn Najm","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Floral decoration; floral art; Architecture"],"materials":["Limestone; engraving"]},"76f2b2fe-3a46-55c5-9ef0-fc7350403192":{"name":"Pair of Doors with Design of Ten-Pointed Stars and Geometric Motifs","short_description":"Double doors of hollow-core construction. Posterns are centered in the lower section of each door. Decorated overall with elaborate marquetry of small inlaid wood pieces (lazo-work). Each piece is decorated with an arabesque in white and black, painted on an overall red ground in a ten-pointed star motif with an infinite geometric design. The doors and each postern are secured with a iron throw-bolt lock. Each throw-bolt is made of three iron eyelets connected to a hanging lever. The main throw-bolt is large and elaborate, forged with a twisted spiral lever joined at a square panel with a carved crest on the surface. The postern bolts are smaller and plain. Studded iron rivets fasten wide iron strapwork that reinforces the doors horizontally. Some traces of gilding remain on the iron rivets.","type":"Architectural Element; Sculpture","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Mid 9th to early 11th century / AD 15th–16th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Height: 455cm x Width: 269.2cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","provenance":"Toledo, Spain, Europe","obtention":"Museum Purchase, 1937","dynasty":"Mudéjar","keywords":["Door; Architecture; Sculpture; Paint; Wood; Gilding; Toledo; Spain; Europe; Mudéjar"],"materials":["Painted wood, iron; gilding"]},"78426513-4220-51b8-99aa-4f7ba05f6c3a":{"name":"*Muqarnas* decoration","short_description":"Developed in Iran, the *cuerda seca* technique was designed to produce multicoloured glazed tile decoration quickly, efficiently and cheaply. It was introduced to western Anatolia in the Hegira early 9th century / AD 15th century, probably by a group of Iranian master artists, whose work decorates the Ottoman royal mosque complex in Bursa known as the Green Mosque. An important example of *cuerda seca* tilework, possibly from the same building complex, is this ceramic revetment moulded in the form of *muqarnas* (stalactite- or honeycomb-like elements used as decoration in Islamic architecture). It is painted in a typical colour scheme of dark blue, turquoise, white and yellow. *Muqarnas* elements such as this one were produced in modular units and later set into place on building façades.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 9th century / AD 15th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"Height: 34cm","method_for_datation":"The color scheme and cuerda seca technique relate this *muqarnas* element to the tile decoration of the Green Mosque Complex, Bursa, built between 822-827 Hegira / AD 1419–1424.","method_for_provenance":"The glazing technique and colors are comparable with the tile decoration in the so-called Green Mosque Complex in Bursa.","provenance":"Turkey, Bursa","obtention":"Possibly from the Green Mosque complex in Bursa, Turkey.  \nJoseph Soustiel (1939 - 1999), until 1973 (sale, private sale, Paris, August, 1973, sold to); Edwin Binney, 3rd (1866-1934), Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd, Portland, ME, until 1985 (gifted to); LACMA, The Edwin Binney, 3rd, Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.","bibliography":"Binney, Edwin, 3rd and Denny, Walter B., *Turkish Treasures from the Collection of Edward Binney, 3rd*, Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1979: 204.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Rev. ed., Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 37, fig. 33.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo divino: Arte islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles*, Santiago, Chile: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 95.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 164-165.","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Earthenware; cuerda seca; Iranian influence; tilework; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Earthernware, *cuerda seca* technique"]},"78a0a931-9669-5643-bd59-4f57da550407":{"name":"Relief","description":"Cereals and olive oil were the bases of the local diet, wealth and trade. Their production expanded in al-Andalus thanks to technical innovations such as hydraulic and irrigation systems. Their implementation facilitated the control of agricultural cycles and changed working methods. Farming expanded into arid lands, increasing and diversifying harvests. The diversity of cultivated grains –wheat, rye, etc.– made it possible to develop multiple recipes for bread, an essential food shared by the whole of society.","type":"Relief","holder":"National Archaeological Museum","initial_owner":"Unknown","dates":"Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height: 30cm, Width: 22.2cm, Thickness: 7.5cm","place_of_production":"Madinat al-Zahra","method_for_datation":"The piece came from archaeological excavations at Madinat al-Zahra.","method_for_provenance":"The piece came from archaeological excavations at Madinat al-Zahra.","provenance":"Córdoba, Spain","obtention":"The fragment was given to the National Archaeological Museum by the Comisión Provincial de Monumentos of Córdoba on 18 April 1901.","bibliography":"Hidalgo López, R. et al., “Elaboración de pan según indicaciones documentales hispanas de fines de la Edad Media”, *Meridies. Estudios de Historia y Patrimonio de la Edad Media*, 14, 2023: 7-33.  \n  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *El Patio arabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*. Descriptive catalogue, Madrid: Imprenta de Estanislao Maestre, 1932: 19, fig. 17.","workshop":"Madinat al-Zahra workshops","dynasty":"Umayyads of al-Andalus","author":"Helena Lahoz Kopiske","copy_editor":"Alvaro Miranda","keywords":["Agriculture; Technical innovation; Diet; Trade"],"materials":["Limestone; carved, bevelled"]},"7964e3a8-783a-51ab-9860-eeac7d68256b":{"name":"Capital","short_description":"This capital probably came from the splendid palace city of Madinat al-Zahra, which the Umayyad caliph ‘Abd al Rahman III founded in 936 near Córdoba. Consisting of administrative buildings, reception halls, residential quarters, courtyards, pavilions, mosques, and markets, its architecture featured row after row of horse shoe arches on slender columns with exquisitely carved and drilled capitals such as this one, abstracted from classical Corinthian forms. A boss at one side of this capital bears the inscription “Made by Khabara[?]”.","type":"Architectural sculpture","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira late 3rd–4th century / AD 10th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 36.8cm, W: 34.3cm, D: 34.3cm, Wt: 140lbs.,63.5kg","provenance":"Probably Córdoba, Spain","obtention":"Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915  \nFormer owner: Theodore M. Davis, New York (by 1914–d. 1915; bequeathed to MMA)","bibliography":"Dimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 106, ill. fig. 60 (b/w).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Sheila R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 72, no. 40, ill. 72 (colour).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam and Moore, Claire (ed), *Art of the Islamic World. A Resource for Educators*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 116–17, ill. pl. 21 (colour).","dynasty":"Spanish Umayyad","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915","keywords":["Umayyad of Cordoba; Cordoba; Spain; capital; acanthus; acanthus leaves; architectural decoration; architectural element; carved decoration; carving; column capital; corinthian; Madinat al-Zahra; marble; plant decoration; vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Marble; carved"]},"79d94344-032b-525f-b128-8fb188be3ce6":{"name":"Red sandstone panel","short_description":"This panel – one of two in the collections – originally formed part of an inscription frieze giving verses 21 and 22 of *sura Al-Hashr* from the Holy Qur’an. This fragment shows part of the last sentence of verse 21 and the first phrase of verse 22: \"\\[Such are the parables which We put forward to\\] Mankind that they may reflect. He is Allah…\".","type":"Stonework","holder":"Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation","dates":"Hegira 8th – 9th century / AD 14th – 15th century","location":"Sharjah","provenance":"India, Delhi","dynasty":"Delhi Sultanate","keywords":["Panel; kufic; Qur'an; sandstone; calligraphy; inscription"]},"7bf56987-b874-51e5-91e1-bf19f3afba07":{"name":"*Tabica* (small board).","description":"The splendid collar-beam framework of Teruel Cathedral, which has been erroneously described as a coffered ceiling, is one of the examples of Mudéjar carpentry most studied by art critics for several reasons, including its extraordinary iconographic and iconological complexity and its significance in the social context, and the interest generated by its style and dating, which has been helped by analysis of the wood. Among other items, the National Archaeological Museum holds two *tabicas* (small wooden boards) from the gables or planking, one of which shows a male figure and the other, the one examined here, a female figure.  \nThe woman is from the working class, a water bearer dressed in a long-sleeved, corded tunic or dress tied at the waist. The decorative horizontal lines give her a characteristic air. Her hair is short and her head appears to be uncovered, uncommon in figures on ceilings. She is carrying a two-handled jar. The flat colours are dominated by reds, whites and black outlines.  \nIt is possible to determine the *tabica*'s original position in the eighth section on the left, in the very place where a bomb fell during the war in 1936","short_description":"This *tabica* (small wooden board) decorated the planks in the roof of Teruel Cathedral, showing the different classes of Mediaeval society. The figure is a water bearer dressed in contemporary costume: a long-sleeved dress tied around the waist.","type":"Woodwork, board, tabica, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Late 13th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 36 cm, width 23.8 cm, depth 1.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"From its style and from dendrochronological analysis of the wood.","method_for_provenance":"When giving this and three other pieces to the National Archaeological Museum, the donor, Pablo Gil y Gil, a professor at the University of Saragossa in 1869, reported that they came from the roof.","provenance":"Cathedral of Santa Maria de Mediavilla, Teruel, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"Alquézar Yáñez, E., Arias Sánchez, I. and Franco Mata, A., “Carpintería y Elementos Arquitectónicos Mudéjares en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional Procedentes de Aragón”, in *Actas del VI Simposio Internacional de Mudejarismo, Teruel, 16–18 September 1993*, Teruel, 1996, p.874.  \nRabanaque, E., Novella, A., Sebastián, S. and Yarza, J*., El Artesonado de la Catedral de Teruel*, Saragossa, 1981.  \n*Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art*, pp.82 and 107–10.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Tabica; collar-beam roof; wood; polichromy; Teruel; Mudéjar"],"materials":["Wood; polychromy."]},"7c3a4cbc-d305-5a96-aabc-cbcebe9d6397":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"After Jerusalem was restored to the Muslims under the leadership of Salah al-Din Ayyubi (Saladin) in AH 583 / AD 1187, he quickly tried to restore the Islamic character of Jerusalem generally, and that of the Haram al-Sharif specifically. The Muslims undertook the destruction and removal of Crusader additions to buildings, icons and decorations within the holy areas, until what remained was likely to be found only in the secular buildings. This operation provided a large quantity of building materials, especially invaluable marble and decorative stone fragments, most of which were re-used in the Ayyubid architectural projects in Jerusalem and outside. Some of these edifices are still standing and may still be seen today.  \nThis column capital is a good example of the process of the effacement of Christian representational iconography. Despite the preservation of most of the constituents of the capital, which clearly manifest its origins and epoch, the animated features on it have largely been obliterated. The process of effacement may have taken place hurriedly, or it may have been a symbolic act, since clear traces of the birds' features remain in addition to vegetal decoration.","short_description":"With the fall of Jerusalem under Salah al-Din Ayyubi (Saladin), many Crusader additions were removed from al-Haram al-Sharif. This left behind many building materials including this carved marble capital. It was adorned with many vegetal, animal and human motifs and demonstrates the iconoclastic process in sacred Islamic sites.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 32 cm, horizontal cross-section 20 cm x 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"The capital was dated by comparison of its carving and decorative themes with other Crusader pieces in Palestine.","method_for_provenance":"Similar capitals remain in different areas of the Haram al-Sharif and Jerusalem. Some of these capitals remain *in situ*, while others were re-used in other buildings. Only some capitals were defaced, while others were largely untouched. It is probable that this capital was produced in Jerusalem.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"This column capital was probably transferred from the Haram al-Sharif to the Islamic Museum during restorations, a process that is still underway. The Museum owns other Crusader column capitals that were exposed to iconoclastic acts.","bibliography":"Hunt, L. A., “Crusader Sculpture and the so-called Templar Workshop: A Reassessment of Two Carved Panels from the Dome of the Rock in al-Haram al-Sharif Museum in Jerusalem”, in *Palestine Exploration Quarterly*, No. 132, 2000.  \nJacoby, Z., “The Workshop of the Temple Area in Jerusalem in the Twelfth Century: Its Origin, Evolution, and Impact”, *Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte*,No. 45, 1982.  \nJacoby, Z., “The Provencial Impact on Crusader Sculpture in Jerusalem: More Evidences on the Temple Area Atelier”, in *Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte*, No. 48, 1985.","dynasty":"Crusader","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Carved decoration; column capital; Crusader; carved marble, iconoclasm; figurative representation"],"materials":["Hewn marble."]},"7e932bea-47e5-5386-9498-0e48388f3e95":{"name":"Fountain","short_description":"Water fountains such as these were common in Ottoman government buildings in Lebanon, and were turned on whenever there was a meeting to prevent outsiders overhearing or eavesdropping. This marble fountain is octagonal in shape and is decorated with embossed semi-cylinders on each side. The exterior of the structure is decorated with a mosaic of black, white, beige and brown marble organised in geometric designs. A second, circular level of the fountain rests on this first octagonal structure.","type":"Stonework","holder":"Lebanese Heritage Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"`Ayn Najm","provenance":"Turkey","author":"Marie Therese Moujabber","copy_editor":"Flaminia Baldwin","keywords":["Geometric decoration; Mosaic; Marble"],"materials":["Marble; mosaic"]},"81acb278-b50c-55e2-a7e9-2609f1bc2386":{"name":"Marble frieze.","description":"A section from an ash-grey marble frieze, the provenance of which is uncertain but which might have been one of a number of marble pieces crafted in a workshop within the Haram al-Sharif in around AH 555 / AD 1160, during the Crusader period (AH 492–583 / AD 1099–1187), when the workshop became renowned for its marble carving. The frieze is classified as an example of Romanesque art. It was probably used as a lintel for an entrance to one of the buildings at the Haram al-Sharif or the area around it. It continued to be used as a lintel for the southern portals of the Dome of the Rock for an unspecified period, which led to it being disfigured with cement. The frieze was damaged further by obliteration of the facial features of some of the carved figures, and it is possible that the partial removal of the figurative motifs was done in order to use the work within the Dome of the Rock. The remaining animal forms survived intact, thereby enabling easy identification.  \nThe decorative themes include human forms likely to be of religious personalities, but the defacement has made identification difficult. There are also animal forms such as hunting dogs, dragons and birds such as ducks, and a mythical bird-like character that resembles a turkey. The Vegetal decoration assumes the form of a laurel wreath which wraps itself around the other motifs, entering into their spheres.  \nThis piece consists of a number of decorative units, each of which contains a complete decorative theme. For example one theme appears to show men and boys hunting animals and birds, each theme is connected to the next by means of the laurel wreath. The piece ingeniously appears, therefore, as one work; a collection within a single decorative panel, while a spiral-patterned frame in high relief marks the borders. The high level of skill in the Haram al-Sharif workshop is manifest in the skilful carving of this work, affirming that the frieze was produced to decorate the entrance of an important building, perhaps a religious one.  \nA break may be observed which divides it into two unequal parts.","short_description":"This is a grey marble frieze with carved decoration in the Romansque style. It was probably made during the Crusader period in al-Haram al-Sharif. Its decorative themes represent human and animal forms such as hunting dogs, dragons and birds. It also contains vegetal motifs forming a laurel wreath that wraps around the other forms.","type":"Frieze, marble","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 258 cm, width 37 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"Dating of this marble piece was possible by comparison of decorative themes and carving techniques with other pieces, particularly those present at the Holy Sepulchre Church (*Kanisat al-Qiyama*) and the Church of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem.","method_for_provenance":"It is likely that the piece was produced in the workshop at the Haram al-Sharif, known to have been operational at the period.","provenance":"Possibly Jerusalem.","obtention":"The piece was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Islamic Museum in around 1959.","bibliography":"Hunt, L. A., “Crusader Sculpture and the So-Called Templar Workshop: A Reassessment of Two Carved Panels from the Dome of the Rock in al-Haram al-Sharif Museum in Jerusalem”, *Palestine Exploration Quarterly,* No. 132, 2000.  \nJacoby, Z., “The Provincial Impact on Crusader Sculpture in Jerusalem: More Evidence on the Temple Area Atelier”, *Zeitschirft für Kunstgeschichte,* No. 48, 1985.  \n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_, “The Workshop of the Temple Area in Jerusalem in the Twelfth Century: Its Origin, Evolution and Impact”, *Zeitschirft für Kunstgeschichte*, No. 45, 1982.","dynasty":"Crusader","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Frieze; carved marble; Romanesque; figurative decoration; Crusader"],"materials":["Hewn and carved marble."]},"845d1c41-c319-5cf8-a8a3-2a59a0cbc517":{"name":"Capital.","description":"The shape of this capital suggests that it might have been used to crown the top of a half-column. Its surface is decorated with three ornamental bands. The topmost band reflects the ancient abacus: at its top it bears a half-palmette tendril covered in blossoms. This tendril is framed above and below by two smoothly finished but well-defined lines. The middle section is decorated with stylised interconnecting half-palmette tendrils that cover its entire area. These tendrils curl out into volutes at the corners, thus echoing the acanthus decoration of the capitals of Antiquity. However, while Antique ones were modelled three-dimensionally, the foliage here is completely two-dimensional. A simple astragal delineates the lower border of this principal motif. Beneath it is a thinner band with a further half-palmette tendril that decorates the lower end of the capital. Given its overall design, this capital is in the tradition of Byzantine examples that borrowed and abstracted from Antique representations. This tendency to borrow and abstract led, within the evolution of Islamic Art, towards an arabesque form. This capital, with others that are decorated in a very similar way, must have been used for a monumental building, of which little is known, located in the short-lived Abbasid residence of Raqqa.  \nThe acanthus plant is a type of thistle still frequently found around the Mediterranean. It was first employed in Greek art from as early as the 5th century BC, as a decorative element for burial stelae. It was later adopted in Roman art, and then evolved in Islamic art into a versatile half-palmette form, which was used as a basic motif for decoration in art and architecture.  \nAlabaster is a naturally sourced type of plaster that is pure white and very fine-grained. It is easy to work with and has therefore been used since Antiquity for architectural ornamentation, panelling and sculpture.","short_description":"This alabaster capital, produced for an early Abbasid palace in Raqqa, Syria, shows a design of undulating stems with half-palmettes. It thus demonstrates a stage of the typical Islamic decorative repertoire before it developed into more abstract patterns such as the arabesque.","type":"Capital, alabaster","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 27 cm, width 29 cm, depth 29 cm.","method_for_datation":"According to information given by F. Sarre and E. Herzfeld, the capital originated from the town of Raqqa, which was only temporarily inhabited, and where the Caliph al-Rashid built palaces *c.* 185 / 800. It is possible that the capital comes from a Caliphate building from this period, which would date it to the beginning of the 2nd / 9th century.","method_for_provenance":"As this capital, according to the information offered by Sarre and Herzfeld, originates from the temporarily inhabited residential town of Raqqa, it is probable that it is part of the ruins of a Caliphate building.","provenance":"Raqqa, Syria.","obtention":"Bought from Friedrich Sarre via an art dealer in Aleppo.","bibliography":"Dimand, M. S., “Studies in Islamic Ornament I: Some Aspects of Omaiyad and Early ‘Abbasid Ornament”, *Ars Islamica* 4, 1937, pp.293–337.  \nHillenbrand, R., *Islamic Art and Architecture*, London, 1999, pp.38–61.  \nKautzsch, R., *Kapitellstudien*, Berlin; Leipzig, 1936.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst*, Catalogue, Mainz, 2001, p.28.  \nSarre, F. and Herzfeld, E., *Archäologische Reise im Euphrat- und Tigris-Gebiet*, Berlin, 1911–20, Vol. 2, p.352, ill. 321; Vol. 4, plate 140, 1.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Alabaster; acanthus; Byzantine; antique; stylised; capital; half-palmette."],"materials":["Alabaster, relief-cut, engraved."]},"85acf1b7-5e53-59d4-aaea-ce86103574d8":{"name":"Painted wooden board.","description":"Painted on this board in *kufic* script is part of the eighteenth verse of *sura* 3. The vertical lines of the letters have a chamfered effect and some are finished off with a bi-lobed fleuron. The background is punched into a simple floral design.  \nThe angles of the letters *waw* and *mim* develop into scrolls which fill the empty space between them. The characters are carefully designed, precisely drawn, and finished with a chamfered effect. The yellow-ochre outside edging makes the letters stand out from the background. This technique, which substitutes for carving letters in relief, is known to have been used in the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan since the AH 3rd / AD 9th century.","short_description":"This board bears a *kufic* inscription consisting of part of a Qur'anic verse from the *sura* Al-Imran. The inscribed field is decorated with floral motifs. This technique replaced the inscriptions carved in wood in relief and can be seen in the ceilings of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.","type":"Woodwork, board, wood","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","initial_owner":"Ordered on behalf of the Zirid prince, al-Mu‘izz ibn Badis by his minister, Muhammad ibn Abi al-Arab.","dates":"Hegira 413–14 / AD 1022–3.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 141 cm, width 16 cm, thickness 4 cm.","method_for_datation":"A still intact section of the painted ceiling of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan with the same decorative and calligraphic characteristics as this board is part of the work ordered by the minister, al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Arab (period of office 413–14 / 1022–3) on behalf of the Zirid prince, al-Mu'izz ibn Badis. The lettering and the motifs used date this board from the end of the 4th to the beginning of the 5th century (10th–11th century).","method_for_provenance":"A still intact section of the painted ceiling of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan has the same decorative and calligraphic characteristics as this board.","provenance":"Kairouan.","obtention":"During the restoration of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in the 1960s some beams and boards from the ceiling of the prayer hall, considered to be too old, were removed and conserved in the storerooms of the National Institute of the Patrimony of Kairouan. When the second section of the Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada was refurbished in 1999 this board was selected for display there.","bibliography":"*Tunisie: du Christianisme a l'Islam* (exhibition catalogue), Lattes, 2001, pp.191–2.  \n*Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia*, pp.159–62.","dynasty":"Fatimid–Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Calligraphy; floral decoration; furnishing; painted wood"],"materials":["Painted wood, floral design."]},"86141f73-f2d4-5de6-b66c-a5955dcb470a":{"name":"Public drinking fountain.","description":"This fountain was designed for the Mosque of Mustafa Lala Pasha. It resembles a bench and is made of fine marble decorated with calligraphic carving and geometric mosaics composed of coloured marble and mother-of-pearl. The upper section consists of a marble panel grandly engraved with two lines of Arabic inscriptions written in the busy and rhythmically over-lapping *diwani* script, a calligraphic type popular during the Ottoman era. A thin band of vegetal motifs divides the two lines of inscription. This central panel is flanked by a pair of curvilinear brackets that are also heavily ornamented with vegetal and calligraphic carvings.  \nThe inscription conveys that the fountain, referred to as a *rub*' (a unit of water measurement), was built and made available to the public in honour of Sultan Sulayman by the High Aristocrat Mustafa Pasha in AH 971 / AD 1564. The date seems to have been important as it is written numerically and alphabetically in three different locations within the inscription. This is the date upon which Mustafa Lala Pasha became the governor of Damascus and he would remain in this prominent position for the next five years. Of his *waqf* endowments to Damascus, he built a new mosque and a new *khan* with lavish water supplies. During the reign of Sultan Salim II (AH 973–81 / AD 1566–74) Mustafa Lala Pasha was assigned as the military commander to conquer Cyprus in AH 977 / AD 1570, one of the greatest victories of the Ottoman military.  \nThe inscription on this fountain translates as follows:  \n“The one who built this public *rub'*, may God make it the most useful, during the era of the most God-fearing sultan, the Sultan Sulayman Khan son of the Sultan Salim Khan, may God the Most Exalted raise him to the throne of the sultanate, is the High Aristocrat Mustafa Pasha, may God include him in the intercession of his mediator, the heir of the Ottoman kingdoms of the Sultan Salim Khan, the most God-fearing, may God light up his realm with his brilliant light, the utterance of this text was dictated and inscribed in the year nine hundred and seventy-one, 971 \\[1564\\].”","short_description":"An important marble fountain made in Damascus and dedicated to Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent by the powerful military aristocrat and governor of Damascus, Mustafa Lala Pasha.","type":"Marble, mosaic, public monument","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","initial_owner":"The ruler of Damascus Mustafa Lala Pasha (r. AH 971–6 / AD 1563–9) in honour of Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent (r. AH 926–74 / AD 1520–66).","dates":"Hegira 971 / AD 1564.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Height 78.5 cm, width 1.50 m.","method_for_datation":"The inscription on the object includes the date of its completion in 971 (1564).","method_for_provenance":"The fountain is dated by the documentary records at the Museum.","provenance":"Mosque of Mustafa Lala Pasha, Damascus, Syria.","obtention":"The Mosque of Lala Mustafa Pasha in Damascus was demolished between 1928 and 1930 so that the Suq al-Hal could be built. However, this piece along with a number of other archaeologically valuable objects, were relocated to the Museum for preservation. This piece was registered at the Museum in 1931.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,* Damascus, 1969, p.183, p.244.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Marble; mosaics; public fountain; Damascus; Mustafa Lala Pasha; Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent; Selim II"],"materials":["Carved marble inlaid with marble mosaic and mother-of-pearl mosaic at the base."]},"893326f6-9a4d-57db-bdf6-56796de6ef99":{"name":"Fragment from a carved wooden piece.","description":"In the Raqqa region one can find fragments of wood that once decorated the formal halls of its Abbasid royal palaces. It is possible to classify these fragments into three types according to their techniques of decoration. The first group is adorned with relatively realistic coloured and gilded carved ornamentation that includes floral and calligraphic motifs. The second group is carved in a slanted manner so that the edges of the carved objects appear curved and not sharp. The examples of this group are influenced by the Abbasid Samarra motifs identified as \"Samarra Style C\". The third group, to which this piece belongs, has decorative motifs carved in a vertical manner so that the panel appears to have an upper surface and a lower background. The decorative carving is flat with sharp edges and the groove to the background is deep, as can be seen in the small deep holes indicating the circular part of the calligraphic letters. The piece is decorated with Arabic *kufic* script that reads “Commander of the Faithful.” It seems to have been partially burned in a fire.","short_description":"This calligraphic wooden panel with its sharp vertically carved angles and deep circular grooves is one example of the many carving styles that were developed in the Abbasid period and spread throughout the region.","type":"Woodwork, panel, wood","holder":"National Museum of Damascus","dates":"Around hegira 4th–5th century / AD 10th–11th century.","location":"Damascus","dimensions":"Length 43 cm, width 13 cm.","method_for_datation":"The carving technique used on this wood fragment is distinctly Abbasid-Islamic and was developed during the Abbasid period in Iraq and Syria.","method_for_provenance":"The wooden piece was discovered in the vicinity of the Abbasid palaces in the Raqqa region, and therefore it is assumed that it was made *in situ*.","provenance":"Raqqa region, Syria.","obtention":"The piece was accidentally discovered by a resident of the Raqqa region during the early 1950s. He presented it to the archaeological expedition working there at that time.","bibliography":"Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., *A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus,* Damascus, 1969, p.158.  \nAndalucia, J., de- (ed), *El esplendor de los Omeyas cordobeses*, exhibition catalogue, Granada, 2001.  \nDaiber, V., and Becker A., *Raqqa III*, Mainz, 2004.","dynasty":"Abbasid","author":"Mona al-Moadin","translator":"Hilary Kalmbach (from the Arabic)","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Wood; carved; Raqqa; Samarra; kufic script"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"8c014da5-017c-55b6-8f07-95eca4b0b551":{"name":"Stalactite element (*muqarbas*).","description":"*Muqarbas* are ornaments with an alveolate structure in the form of stalactites that are used to decorate domes or corbels, notably within Arab–Maghrebi architecture. The ceramic pieces in the shape of parallelepipeds that compose the whole consist of two parts: one plain, and the other formed by four vertical flutes. The cruciform base of each piece and the fluted part are covered by very light-coloured green enamel; traces of yellow appear on some of the sides. The pieces are assembled together as a pyramid, with cement on the plain parts whilst leaving the fluted parts visible.  \nThis type of stalactite was the first vestige that was brought to light in the Muslim West that can be attributed to the Hammadid Calif al-Mansur (r. AH 481–98 / AD 1089–1105).  \nThis *muqarbas* element was probably used to ornament the upper part of the exterior wall that looked onto the courtyard of the Dar al-Bahr; undoubtably, the decoration was applied.","short_description":"This *muqarbas* is an ornamental wall-covering in the form of a four-level parallelepiped made up of a number of ceramic pieces and divided into two parts: one full and the other fluted, with traces of green enamel. The pieces are bound to one another using cement.","type":"Muqarbas, ceramic","holder":"National Museum of Setif","dates":"Hegira 5th–6th centuries / AD 11th–12th centuries.","location":"Setif","dimensions":"Total height 41 cm, total length 21 cm, height of each piece 16 cm, dimension of each side of the pieces 5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Stalactite found in the Dar al-Bahr of the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / 11th–12th centuries), according to Kitab al-Istibsar: 'The Banu Hammad built some important constructions in the *qal'a*…including \\[the palace\\] known as Dar al-Bahr, at the centre of which was a vast basin'.","method_for_provenance":"From de Beylié documents, which indicate that these stalactites were recovered from the foot of the wall looking over the southern side of the Dar al-Bahr courtyard.","provenance":"Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (De Beylié excavations, 1908).","bibliography":"Beylié, général de, *La Kalaa des Beni Hammad, une capitale berbère de l'Afrique du Nord au XIe siècle*, Paris, 1909.  \nFernandez-Puertas, A., “Muqarnas”, *Encyclopédie de l'Islam*, Vol. VII, 1993, pp.501–2.  \nGolvin, L., *Recherches archéologiques à la Qal'a des Banû Hammâd*, Paris, 1965.  \nMarçais, G*., L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Houria Cherid","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Muqarbas; stalactite; ceramic; fluting; enamel; Hammadid; architectural decoration; palatial architecture"],"materials":["Enamelled moulded ceramic."]},"8cc707f2-d298-51b9-8969-c697a25d982e":{"name":"Alliance coat of arms panel with the couple Johann Jakob Walter Baumann and Maria Müller, in Zurich, Switzerland","short_description":"Johann Jakob Walter Baumann, an important textile industrialist in Zurich from Horgen (Switzerland), and his wife Maria Müller from Mobile (United States) had themselves portrayed standing behind their coat of arms in Renaissance costumes and accompanied by their dogs.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1901","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 86cm","provenance":"Zurich, Switzerland","obtention":"Probably house of Johann Jakob Walter Baumann and Maria Müller, Zurich, Switzerland","artist_birthdate":"1864","artist_birthplace":"Ürikon-Hombrechtikon, Switzerland","artist_deathdate":"1906","artist_deathplace":"Zurich, Switzerland","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"8e03281b-5db8-5add-af17-03023a6e6b31":{"name":"Stucco window with coloured glass","description":"A carved stucco panel decorated with coloured glass. The composition consists of an arch on two columns enclosing two superimposed motifs a footed vase with flowers on top and two cypress trees below.","type":"Stucco; glass","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"17th - 18th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"Height: 117cm, Width: 36cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Donated by Phokion Tanos","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["Benaki Museum; window; stucco; stained glass; carving, mounted; Egypt; Ottoman"],"materials":["Stucco, coloured glass"]},"8f3fbed4-a26e-5d72-b28e-27517640d4e9":{"name":"Stucco Fragments with Inscription","short_description":"Bahla Grand Mosque, with a construction date attributed to the reign of Caliph Omar bin al-Khattab (13-24 AH / 634-644 AD) is located near Bahla Fort. The mosque has many cylinders connected with mud joints which act as pillars to support the ceiling in addition to their decorative function. The inscriptions on the cylinders and on the inner walls of the mosque have historic, cultural and social importance. They are considered historic registers as they document important events of Bahla and of Oman, including the dates of battles, the elections and deaths of local dignitaries and the names of imams, scientists and scholars who lived in the country, taught at the mosque or visited the town. The oldest written inscription revealed so far on one of the cylinders is marked with the date, 528 AH / 1133–34 AD.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"1000-1500 AD / Middle Islamic Period","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Length: 29cm, Width: 23cm","place_of_production":"Nabhani Kingdom","provenance":"Bahla Grand Mosque","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","materials":["Stucco and natural ink"]},"91030e4c-8b3a-5929-b2b4-2378b9d2d71e":{"name":"Element of architectural decoration","short_description":"The fragment of architectural decoration was originally placed above the marble plinth in the palace’s courtyard. There is a carved inscription in Arabic, auspicious and written in foliate *kufic* letters that were once painted, as evidenced by traces of remaining colour.","type":"Decoration","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira early 6th century / AD Early 12th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 52cm, Width: 47cm, Thickness: 15cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation finding","provenance":"Palace in Ghazni, Afghanistan","obtention":"Deposit IsIAO, excavation IsMEO","bibliography":"Artusi S., file MNAO Archive code nr. 1201064886, 2011.  \nBombaci, A., \"Summary report on the Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan. Introduction to the Excavations at Ghazni\", *East and West*, 10 (1959): 3-22.  \nDi Flumeri Vatielli, G., \"Islamic Archaeology in Afghanistan - Ghazni\" in P. Torre, G. Di Flumeri Vatielli and M. Jung (eds), *Arte dell'Islam, catalogue Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale*, Rome: Artemide, 2010: 65-72, fig. 68.  \nScerrato, U., \"Summery report on the Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan. The two first excavation campaigns at Ghazni\", *East and West*, 10 (1959): 23-55.","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","author":"Michael Jung","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Terracotta, stucco, mortar; carving, mould, painting"]},"91ba81da-7434-5df8-aca2-80b5a5992ade":{"name":"Heraldic panel of Christoph Froschauer","short_description":"In 1530, famous Zurich printer Christoph Froschauer donated a heraldic panel depicting three scenes from the Tell legend of the Old Confederacy: Tell’s apple-shot, Wolfenschiessen in the bath and Gessler’s hat on the pole.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","initial_owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"c. 1530","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 35.5cm","provenance":"Probably Zurich","obtention":"Purchased in 1913 from the estate of the art historian Johann Rudolf Rahn (1841–1912)","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"960bfc1d-9402-5dd9-8ca8-b45d29502961":{"name":"Carved Stone Tablet From al-Hijrah Mosque","short_description":"This carved stone tablet from the four century old al-Hijrah mosque is comprised of circular shapes carved on one side and the construction date of the mosque (1070 AH / 1659-60 AD), the proclamation of Imam Sultan bin Saif bin Malik bin Abi Al-Arab al-Yarubi as successor to Imam Nasser bin Murshid al-Yarubi and the engraver\\`s name, Khamis bin Ali bin Nasser al-Ayni ar-Rustaqi, engraved on the opposite side.  \n  \nThe al-Hijrah mosque was built during the al-Yarubi Dynasty. Prior to its demolition and subsequent reconstruction it was designed as an open courtyard structure with a plaster niche beautifully crowned with the Islamic declaration of faith (*ash-shahadatan*). The mosque was roofed by *al-alalan* wood (Juniperus) supported by solid mounted marble columns and walls containing inscriptions that record local dates and historical events. These features interspersed with motifs and beautiful geometric ornaments emphasized the al-Hijrah mosque's magnificence and beauty.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"1070 AH / August - September 1660 AD","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Length: 32.5cm, Width: 16.6cm, Weight: 1255g","provenance":"Ayni, al-Rustaq, al-Batinah South Governorate","dynasty":"Al-Yarubi","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","materials":["Stone carving"]},"98ab5d11-187b-555d-a0a1-f233cb406b51":{"name":"Fragment of a commemorative plaque.","description":"A fragment of a large rectangular mural plaque originally composed of six blocks of different sizes. Only four remain. The incised surface carries a text of five lines carved in relief in a floral *kufic* style with grooves and chamfered ends.  \nThis inscription is one of the most beautiful epigraphic works of the Zirid era. Its lettering is perfectly balanced, outlined with grooves and surrounded with arabesques (spiral fleurons) and various kinds of palm-leaf motifs (plain or heart-shaped).  \nThe text is of great historic importance. The name of the town, Madinat Izz al-Islam (Town to the Glory of Islam), fortified on the order of al-Mu'izz ibn Badis, is a place-name appearing on the *dinar*s that the same prince minted as from AH 439 / AD 1048. It replaced the old Fatimid name of the town, Sabra al-Mansuriyya, which figured on earlier *dinar*s, and ushered in a new era of confrontation with the Fatimid *caliph*s of Cairo.  \nThe demonstrative *hadhi-hi* (this is) preceding the name of the town suggests that this plaque was originally fixed to the external façade of the ramparts or perhaps over one of the five city gates mentioned by the Andalusian geologist al-Bakri.","short_description":"Inscribed with a text in *kufic* script, this piece is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of epigraphic work from the Zirid period. The inscription tells of the existence of Madinat Izz al-Islam, a town fortified on the orders of al-Mu'izz ibn Badis and previously known as Sabra al-Mansuriyya.","type":"Plaque, marble","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art.","dates":"Hegira 437 / AD 1046.","location":"Raqqada., Kairouan.","dimensions":"Length 284 cm, height 110 cm, thickness 21 cm.","method_for_datation":"The date is mentioned in the part of the inscription referring to the completion date of the ramparts of Sabra al-Mansuriyya in 437 / 1046.","method_for_provenance":"The plaque was not actually found at Sabra al-Mansuriyya but the fortifications are mentioned in the text and so is the new town name, Madinat Izz al-Islam (Town to the Glory of Islam). The four blocks were re-used during the 18th century as piers in the side door of the Bab Tunis in Kairouan. In 1998 they were taken down and stored at the Raqqada Museum. Made from local stone, the plaque was probably carved *in situ* by Ifrqiyan masons in the service of the Zirid prince, al-Mu'izz ibn Badis.","provenance":"Sabra al-Mansuriyya.","obtention":"During the restoration work on the side door of the Bab Tunis in 1996 the four fragments of the commemorative plaque were acquired by the Raqqada Museum. After the extension of the museum this plaque was included among the objects chosen to create a room dedicated to Arab epigraphy.","bibliography":"Roy, B. and Poinssot, P., *Inscriptions arabes de Kairouan*, vol. II, fasc. 1, Paris, 1950, no. 42.","dynasty":"Fatimid-Zirid","author":"Mourad Rammah","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"David Ash","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Epigraphy; floral decoration; Zirid; inscription; calligraphy"],"materials":["Carved and incised marble."]},"9b3c6ff0-65d5-57ce-9392-fed35ca7e770":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"A column capital made from local limestone cut from a quarry in the Jerusalem region. It appears that the carving of the capital into its complete form was never finished, or that it was carved in this manner with the aim of economising on time and cost. The style of this capital imitates the capitals in the Abbasid Corinthian style that were used in the restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque in the period of the Abbasid caliph, al-Mahdi (r. AH 158–69 / AD 775–85), following the earthquake that tore away large parts of the mosque. The Abbasid capitals in al-Aqsa Mosque are large, and in this way they resemble the capitals of the Greek period. The column capitals of the Umayyad period were smaller than those of the preceding era, the Byzantine period, and although they resembled the latter, they were not in fact produced during that period.  \nThe mosque was witness to another earthquake during the Fatimid period in AH 424 / AD 1033, which caused extensive damage. The restoration took place during the rule of the Fatimid caliph, al-Zahir bi-Amrillah (r. AH 411–27 / AD 1021–36). The damaged capitals were replaced by some that were made in the style of the earlier Abbasid ones, especially evident amongst those capitals of the pillars in the central colonnade of the mosque.  \nOnly some of the decoration on the capital is carved. Other parts were prepared and gilded ready to be dressed with acanthus leaves that were executed in stucco and mounted on to the capital. The hollows in the stone were, therefore, where the stucco decoration was fixed directly on to the stone. A great many stucco acanthus leaves were found on the site which had been mounted on the capitals using the same technique as described above.  \nThe Islamic Museum holds a number of pieces in this style, in addition to a large and varied collection of marble and limestone capitals of different sizes dating back to the Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid periods. The Museum also has a smaller group of capitals dating to the Crusader period.","short_description":"This limestone column capital imitates the Corinthian style used in the restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque at the time of Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi. Its carving appears not to have been completed. Only some decoration is carved; other parts were prepared and gilded ready to be covered with acanthus leaves executed in stucco and affixed to the capital.","type":"Capital, stone","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Al-Aqsa Mosque.","dates":"About hegira 424 / AD 1033.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 101 cm, top 148 cm x 148 cm, bottom: 96 cm x 96 cm.","method_for_datation":"The capital was dated based on a study of its production techniques and by comparison with similar pieces; this analysis is supported by historical sources.","method_for_provenance":"It is likely that the capital was made from local limestone and hewn and carved on site at a quarry in the Jerusalem region. There are still similar column capitals in the vicinity of the Haram al-Sharif.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"This capital was transferred – in addition to a number of other capitals dating to different periods – from al-Aqsa Mosque to the plaza of the Haram al-Sharif during a restoration program of the 1940s. The capital was transferred to the Islamic Museum in 1978.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.  \nWilkinson, J., *Column Capitals in al-Haram al-Sharif,* Jerusalem, 1987.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Acanthus; stone capital; column capital; Fatimid architecture; stucco decoration"],"materials":["Carved limestone, stucco, formed and mounted on stone."]},"9c700bb2-5d48-5ba0-9ba7-87bc128ebc4e":{"name":"Capital.","description":"The decoration on the acanthus capital clearly demonstrates that the capital is based on examples from Antiquity. It has two wreaths of leaves and four volutes that run diagonally. Over the volutes lies the abacus, the top slab of the capital. The volutes end in four-petalled blossoms. Acanthus leaves cover the protruding volutes. The leaves terminate under the abacus and appear to be holding it up. On top of the abacus one can see an architectural design that was obviously drawn using square and compasses. An inscription, encircling the abacus, refers to the capital’s artists, patron and builders.  \nThis explicit reference to the craftsmen and builders involved in the building is exceptional for buildings of this period. Abd al-Rahman III (AH 300–50 / AD 912–61) is referred to in the inscription: ‘In the name of God, a blessing from God for the leader of the believers. May God endow Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad with a long life’. Later it declares: ‘\\[This forms part of what\\] he commissioned to be executed under the direction of his slave Shunaif, made by Fath, the marble specialist’. Shunaif was the foreman, and Fath was identified for the first time in an inscription on a building in AH 318 / AD 930. He had originally been a slave in the court of the caliphs and was not of Arab descent. As is testified by numerous building inscriptions, Fath worked over decades on various Caliphate buildings in Andalusia. His name is also associated with the enlargement of the great mosque in Córdoba and the castle complex of Madinat al-Zahra. It is not possible to determine whether this capital comes from one of these architectural complexes. However, it has been determined that the foreman Shunaif worked on the Salon Rico, the reception hall of Madinat al-Zahra in AH 342–3 / AD 953–4. Abd al-Rahman had declared himself Caliph of the western Islamic world in AH 317 / AD 929.  \nAcanthus capitals were also symbols of wealth and of immortality, ever since their use from the 5th century BC in Ancient Greece. The acanthus thistle, with its opulent and thick, well-defined leaf margins was therefore a popular decorative form also employed in the Greek provinces such as Spain.","short_description":"Marble capitals with ornament influenced by the Classical period were used in the palaces of the Umayyad rulers in al-Andalus. Although some capitals have inscriptions it is exceptional to find the names of the patron, the overseer and the marble-worker who chiselled the capital out of a marble block.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"Hegira mid-4th century / AD mid-10th century (AH 300–50 / AD 912–61).","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 33 cm, diameter of the abacus 31 cm.","method_for_datation":"The object has been dated to between 300 and 350 / 912 and 961 through the inscription dedicated to the Caliph Abd al-Rahman III and citing the name of Fath the craftsman.","method_for_provenance":"The provenance from the Caliphate of Córdoba, Spain has been securely established through the inscription citing to Caliph Abd al-Rahman III.","provenance":"Madinat al-Zahra, Córdoba, Spain.","obtention":"From a gallery in New York.","bibliography":"Barrucand, M. and Bednorz, A., *Maurische Architektur in Andalusien*, Cologne, 1991, pp.59–69, 71–9.  \nDodds, J., *Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain*,New York, 1992, pp.27–39, ill. 35–9.  \nGladiss, A. v., “Das Spanisch-Arabische Kapitell”, in *Schätze der Alhambra. Islamische Kunst aus Andalusien*,(ed. Haus der Kulturen der Welt), Berlin, 1992, pp.138–87, ill. 144–5.  \nKautzsch, R., *Kapitellstudien*, Berlin; Leipzig, 1936.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst*, Catalogue, Mainz, 2001, pp.91–2.","dynasty":"Andalusian Caliphate","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Acanthus; capital; abacus; caliph"],"materials":["Marble."]},"9cc9092e-917f-5963-aa95-2f593ab99290":{"name":"Wooden beam.","description":"A wooden beam taken from the Dome of the Rock during restoration works of the 1960s. The beam is made from cedarwood, likely to have been imported from Lebanon. It contains an epigraphic inscription written in Fatimid foliated *kufic* script. The inscription is placed inside a rectangular frame that begins and ends with a tapered niche, and which is adorned with decoration carved in relief. It includes the name of the craftsman who made it and participated in the restoration works in the Dome of the Rock during the Fatimid period in the reign of Caliph al-Zahir bi-Amrillah (r. AH 411–27 / AD 1021–36). It is likely that this craftsman undertook the decoration of other artefacts inside the Dome of the Rock. The inscription beginning with the *Basmala*, reads: “In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. The Work of 'Abd al-Baqi bin al-Hasan bin Ismai'l al-Dimashqi. May God support him”. Despite our lack of knowledge about this craftsman, the fact that his name contains the title “al-Dimashqi” indicates that there was a continual flow of craftsmen from Damascus into Jerusalem during the Fatimid period. Damascus was (and is still) famous for its wood-carving, and Jerusalem was supplied with a steady stream of skilled Damascene craftsmen to work on the construction of the Dome of the Rock at the end of the AH 1st /AD 7th century.  \nThe beam does not contain any other decoration. It has fortuitously preserved its splendour without damage, which confirms the skill of its workmanship in the treatment of the wood before it was mounted at the Dome of the Rock.","short_description":"This beam from the Dome of the Rock was made from cedarwood that was probably imported from Lebanon. The beam bears an inscription in Fatimid foliated *kufic* script within a rectangular frame that begins and ends with a tapered recess. It is decorated and the text is carved in relief. The piece records the carver who made it in the time of Caliph al-Zahir.","type":"Woodwork, beam, wood","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","initial_owner":"Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem.","dates":"About hegira 424 / AD 1033.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Length 183 cm, width 18.5 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"The beam was dated by way of reliable knowledge concerning the areas that underwent restoration in the Dome of the Rock during the Fatimid period. In addition, the Fatimid script used in the epigraphic inscription is a reliable distinguishing mark.","method_for_provenance":"It is not known whether this beam was crafted in Jerusalem or at another site. Usually, however, the piece would be carved and constructed on site. It is likely, therefore, that it was carved in Jerusalem, while the cedarwood was imported from Lebanon. The craftsman was probably from Damascus, as is evident from the inscription.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"According to the registers of the Islamic Museum, the piece was transferred from the Dome of the Rock to the Museum in 1960.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Wood; carving; cedar; kufic script; wooden beam"],"materials":["Carved and finished wood."]},"9ce61178-e421-548d-99f8-805b537a5ef8":{"name":"Column capital.","description":"A marble column capital, which is typical of the capitals associated with the Mamluk period, especially the second half of it. This style of column capital endured for a long time during the Ottoman epoch in Palestine. The capital is elongated in form and consists of rows of *muqarnas* that diminish to the point of almost disappearing. In this way the capital makes the transition from one level to the next, and one extension to the other, in a flowing manner rather than in a sudden leap as in many other forms of capital. The capital exhibited here is characterised by its simplicity, elegance and the intricacy of its design, not to mention the technical difficulties its execution must have posed.  \nThe capital begins as a cylinder and is of the same diameter as the pillar on which it would rest. The cylindrical form narrows by degrees, facilitating the transition to a multi-sided column, and within which is an inscription in *naskhi* script. The inscription is difficult to read because it is damaged, as well as having a proliferation of gilding and colours, but perhaps it is a quote from the Qur'an. Each side forms the beginning of a *muqarnas*, diminished, simple and progressive. Each elevation of the *muqarnas* increases its size to end at the apex of the capital. The capital widens without any transitional decoration except with facets of marble that reach a square ledge above the capital. Traces of gilding remain on the capital, which may indicate to us that it was affixed to one of the *mihrab*s of the mosque, as many of the *mihrab*s were gilded.","short_description":"This elongated marble capital alludes to the prevailing style of capitals during the Mamluk period. It is decorated by a rows of muqarnas that diminish to the point of almost disappearing. This gives a beautiful fluency in the transition between levels and from one extent to the next without forcing a sudden leap. The capital contains inscriptions that are difficult to read.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif.","dates":"Hegira 8th–9th century / AD 14th–15th century.","location":"Jerusalem","dimensions":"Height 36 cm, base 33 cm x 33 cm.","method_for_datation":"Dating of the capital was possible by comparing it with similar ones; the manufacturing technique and form of *muqarnas* used bears a resemblance to capitals that are still *in situ* in a number of Mamluk buildings in Jerusalem.","provenance":"Probably Jerusalem.","obtention":"It is not known exactly how the Museum acquired this column capital, but it is likely that it was brought from a Mamluk building within the environs of the Haram al-Sharif.","bibliography":"Hamilton, R. W., *The Structural History of al-Aqsa Mosque: A Record of Archaeological Cleaning from the Repairs of 1938–42,* London, 1949.  \nWilkinson, J., *Column Capitals in al-Haram al-Sharif*, Jerusalem, 1987.","dynasty":"Mamluk","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Nazmi Al-Ju'beh","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Marble capital; column capital; muqarnas; Mamluk capital; marble."],"materials":["Hewn marble."]},"9d2deaea-eeb3-5b49-bc73-3dda66bf24ef":{"name":"Four basalt reliefs.","description":"Four Basalt reliefs that are fine illustrations of the 'minor arts' and which borrow their themes from the classical world prior to the Islamic conquest: a hunting dog; a griffon; a Pegasus and an amphora decorated with flowers. Such images find their parallels not only in earlier Byzantine mosaic church floors and in contemporary mosaics of the AH 1st–2nd / AD 7th–8th centuries, but earlier than that, in the periods from which they originate: the Greek, Roman and Sassanid. The skill used to make these carvings has given them a lively, even playful, appearance. It seems that these reliefs, along with others still *in situ* at Qasr al-Azraq, formed an arch over a viewing platform where spectators would sit to watch the water sports played out in the water reservoirs near Qasr al-Azraq.","short_description":"Four basalt reliefs from an arch over a viewing platform where spectators would watch the water sports played out in the water reservoirs near Qasr al-Azraq. Probably Umayyad, the images depicted have late Byzantine and Umayyad parallels but they originate in the Greek, Roman and Sassanid periods.","type":"Reief, stone","holder":"Museum of Jordanian Heritage, Yarmouk University.","owner":"Department of Antiquities, Jordan.","dates":"Thought to be hegira 2nd century / AD first half of the 8th century.","location":"Irbid","dimensions":"a: Height 13 cm, width 46 cm, depth 18 cm; b: Height 41.5 cm, width 47.5 cm, depth 19 cm; c: Height 34 cm, width 45 cm, depth 13 cm; d: Height 52 cm, width 58.5 cm, depth 17.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The date of production for these reliefs is uncertain, but stylistic analysis of the griffon identifies it as an image used decoratively in other Umayyad palaces: Khirbat al-Mafjar in Jericho, Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi in Syria, al-Mushatta and al-Hallabat in Jordan, and this may give vital clues to the accurate dating of these objects. The same thing could be said about the Pegasus which is a Sassanid decorative element but also represented in Umayyad palaces. Historical sources also mention that al-Walid ibn Yazid (or Walid II, d. 126/ 744) spent time at Qasr al-Azraq.","method_for_provenance":"The reliefs were found in a one of the water reservoirs near Qasr al-Azraq in 1983.","provenance":"Al-Azraq, Jordan.","obtention":"The reliefs were recovered in the course of reed clearance in the water reservoirs near Qasr al-Azraq in 1983. They were then put on loan to the Museum of Jordanian Heritage from the Department of Antiquities in 1988.","bibliography":"بيشة. غازي، \"ملاحظات متفرقة حول إكتشافات أثرية أموية حديثة\"، حولية دائرة الآثار العامة، المجلد 30، 1986، ص 12-14 ، اللوحات 11-أ ، 12-أ،ج.  \n  \n*Gesichter des Orients: 10,000 Jahre Kunst und Kultur aus Jordanien*, exhibition catalogue, Bonn, 2004, p.242, fig. 11.9.  \n  \nKennedy. D. L., 'Archaeological Explorations on the Roman Frontier in North-East Jordan', *BAR International Series* , 134, Oxford, 1982, pp.96–107, Plates XXIII-B, XXIX-B (for more information on the water reservoirs).","dynasty":"Thought to be Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Pegasus; griffon; relief decoration; sport; animal decoration; imaginary animal; zoomorphic imagery; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Carved basalt."]},"a16a6766-7c75-5cbd-9606-e910423fd3b2":{"name":"Spandrel.","description":"This spandrel fragment, curved on the bottom right-hand side, is framed on the top by a ribbon of small and four-leaf rosettes and the fillet in the form of a thick strip sculpted in relief, and in the bottom right by an arch segment strip.  \nIts surface is decorated with compact floral decoration distributed over two areas in low relief. The lower area consists of floral motifs attached to interlaced foliage: smooth, simple or double palms with round lobes and three-leaf fleurons reminiscent of *fleurs-de-lys*. The upper part is filled with floral arcatures made up of palms, one of which, doubled, contains pseudo-*kufic* characters tracing the mirror image of a eulogy, *al-Mulk* (power of God) and ends in a pointed summit that crowns a fleuron and encroaches on the rosette ribbon. The other, which contains a floral composition, is topped with a crown. This spandrel fragment, originally from a Sa'did building in Fez, was part of the wooden facing of a peristyle arch.","short_description":"This spandrel fragment was part of the wooden panelling on a gallery arch. It is decorated with compact floral sculptures and floral arcatures containing pseudo-*kufic* characters presenting a mirror image of the word '*al-Mulk*' (power of God).","type":"Woodwork, spandrel, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 10th-11th centuries / AD 16th-17th centuries.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 47.5 cm, length 64.5 cm, thickness 4.6 cm.","method_for_datation":"From stylistic analysis. The inventory register states that it belonged to a building from the Sa'did era, and this is confirmed by the choice of particular floral motifs and their composition, as well as the technique for carving in low relief.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged *in situ*.","provenance":"A house in Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged by the Historical Monuments Department and deposited with the museum in 1930.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1954.  \nTerrasse, H. et Hainaut, J., *Les arts décoratifs au Maroc*, Paris, 1925.","dynasty":"Sa'did","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["vegetal decoration; floral decoration; pseudo-inscription"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"a1ecccac-7c93-51a2-925d-06173dfe0ef5":{"name":"Merlon.","description":"This merlon, with its rectangular base prolonged on both sides by two projecting notches, is crowned by an element in the shape of a leaf whose concave surface has two perforations at its centre. The green-coloured enamel that covers the surface runs over the edge onto the lateral sides. Fragmented into two parts, the piece was restored with plaster on its posterior side.  \nThis merlon, along with other similar elements, constitutes one of the friezes that crowned the summit of the façades of Hammadid palaces.  \nThe holes that can be seen on the surface of the leaf might have been used to accommodate the fixing of bolts.","short_description":"Rectangular-base merlon topped with a leaf-shaped object, the concave surface of which has two holes for attaching it. It is coloured with a blue-green glaze that has disappeared in places. This merlon was part of a frieze used to adorn Hammadid palaces.","type":"Merlon, ceramic","holder":"National Museum of Setif","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"Setif","dimensions":"Height 64 cm, width 24 cm, depth 7.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Merlon was found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / AD 11th–12th centuries).","method_for_provenance":"The merlon was found by Golvin in the palace of Manar. Furthermore, these merlons have appeared in abundance in the palace of Manar, but have not appeared elsewhere.","provenance":"Qasr al-Manar, Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R, *Les H'ammadites*, Algiers, 1984.  \nGolvin, L., *Recherches archéologiques à la Qal'a des Banû Hammâd (Algérie*), Paris, 1965, pl. LXV.  \nInstitut du Monde Arabe, *L'Algérie en héritage*, *art et histoire*, catalogue, Paris, 2003.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Palace; merlon; glazed; Hammadid; façade; ceramic; palatial architecture; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Enamelled ceramic."]},"a248d8b4-e492-5f6d-bdb7-ab94d668d922":{"name":"Aleppo Room.","description":"A prosperous broker and a Christian citizen of the town of Aleppo commissioned the painted panels of the walls of the entrance room in his house at the beginning of the 17th century. The paintings within the Aleppo room thus make up the oldest collection from a Syrian dwelling house from the Ottoman period. The Christian patron engaged craftsmen from the best workshops of the time in his desire for the entrance room, into which his guests would first arrive, to be painted in a variety of themes. These themes were based on contemporary Islamic book illustration, consisting of floral and geometric compositions, rendered in the best traditional Ottoman style. Christian themes from the Old and New Testaments, and the depiction of Mary with Child, sit alongside courtly scenes like those portrayed in Persian book illustration. The selection of encircling Psalms, Arabic proverbs and Persian principles further add to the impression of a peaceful community of different religious beliefs living together.  \nThe central panels are found in the back part of the main niche, to the left and right of a wall cupboard. Courtly themes are repeated on the left-side panel, including a ruler sitting on a throne, a hunt and a hunting party with a prince holding a falcon. In contrast, Christian themes are portrayed on the right-side panel, and include the Last Supper, Salome’s dance in front of King Herod and the sacrifice of Isaac. Other panels around the room have individual depictions from either courtly or Christian subject matters, such as the love story of Leila and Majnun of Nizami (1141–1202) from the Haft Paykar, or the Virgin Mary and Child or Saint George. Real and imaginary animals are depicted alongside. It is the variety of the themes of these paintings that make these earliest surviving wall panels such a comprehensive collection, a variety that could perhaps only have arisen in the Syrian trading town Aleppo.  \nThe name Halab Shah ibn Isa, one of the craftsmen, appears on the cornice.  \n  \nClick [here](https://youtu.be/4toX47mtAIE) to **watch a video presentation** of this artefact.","short_description":"The painted wooden panels belong to the audience room in a house of a Christian merchant in Aleppo, Syria, which is the only surviving example of a painted and dated room from the 17th century. Its ornamental and figural repertoire includes Christian themes as well as Arabic verses.","type":"Woodwork, painting, architectural decoration","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Isa ibn Butrus (Jesus, son of Peter).","dates":"Hegira 1009 or 1012 / AD 1600–01 or 1603.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 260 cm, total length 35 metres.","method_for_datation":"Two dates are inscribed in different places in the Aleppo Room: 1009 (1600–01) and 1012 (1603).","method_for_provenance":"The Aleppo Room was obtained in 1912 by Friedrich Sarre in Aleppo. The deeds certify that the room was originally in House Wakil in Aleppo, where it was also photographed *in situ* prior to 1912.","provenance":"Aleppo, Syria.","obtention":"Acquired in Aleppo by Friedrich Sarre for the Museum of Islamic Art in 1912.","bibliography":"Duda, D., *Innenarchitektur Syrischer Stadthäuser des 16. bis 18. Jahrhunderts: Die Sammlung Henri Pharaon in Beiru*t, Beiruter Texte und Studien, 12, Wiesbaden, 1971.  \nGangler, A., *Ein Traditionelles Wohnviertel im Nordosten der Altstadt von Aleppo in Nordsyrien*, Tübingen, 1993.  \nGonella, J., *Ein Christlich-Orientalisches Wohnhaus des 17. Jahrhunderts aus Aleppo (Syrien)*,Mainz, 1996.  \nOtt, C., “Die Inschriften des Aleppozimmers im Berliner Pergamonmuseum”, *Le Muséon* 109(1–2), 1996, pp.185–226.  \nSarre, F., “Bemalte Wandverkleidung aus Aleppo”, *Berliner Museen, Berichte aus den Preußischen Kunstsammlungen* 41(4), 1919–20, pp.143–58.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Aleppo room; Ajami; Ajami room; Damascus room; Ceiling; Late Ottoman; Syria; wood; architectural decoration; wood paneling; painted wooden wall paneling; interior ornament; Syrian craft"],"materials":["Wood, multi-layered painting using a variety of pigments and metal coatings."]},"a488d457-650b-5f4c-b27b-4e2bcbd9ff6d":{"name":"Tile Panel for a Spandrel","short_description":"Buildings in Isfahan, capital of the Safavid dynasty in the seventeenth century, were lavishly decorated with tilework. An innovation of this period, found in palaces and other secular structures, was the use of individually painted square tiles, which were combined to form a larger pictorial scene and employed the *cuerda seca* technique. First developed in Iran in the later 14th century, *cuerda seca* was designed to produce multicolored glazed tile decoration quickly, efficiently, and cheaply. To prevent the different glazes from running during the (single) firing process, the decorative motifs were outlined with a greasy pigment that burned off in the firing, leaving behind a dull, dark line. This tile panel is half of a pair of spandrels that was once set above an archway in a palatial pavilion known as the Hasht Bihisht, completed in Hegira 1080 / AD 1669-70. Here, amid a tranquil floral landscape filled with birds, a lion attacks a stag, a motif that can perhaps be interpreted as a visualization of a contemporary poetic metaphor for the arrival of spring. Other contemporaneous spandrels from the Hasht Bihisht on the eastern facade include animal combats, for example, a leopard and a gazelle and a tiger and a gazelle.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 1080 / AD 1669-1670","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"114.9 x 105.4cm","method_for_datation":"The tile panel is very closely related in terms of style, subject matter (animal combat), technique and dimensions to other spandrels still in situ at the Hasht Bihisht pavilion in Isfahan, which dates to Hegira 1080 / AD 1669-70. It may have come from the western façade of the structure.","method_for_provenance":"The technique, style, and dimensions are consonant with tilework from the Hasht Bihisht.","provenance":"Iran, probably Isfahan, Hasht Bihisht, West façade","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 191, 214.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 54, fig. 50.  \nLuschey-Schmeisser, Ingeborg, *The Pictorial Tile Cycle of Hašt Behešt in Isfahan and its Iconographic Tradition*, Rome: IsMEO, 1978: 211.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 64-65, cat. no. 117.","dynasty":"Safavid","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Ceramics; fritware; cuerda seca; Iran; Safavid; animal decoration; floral motifs; lion; bird"],"materials":["Fritware, *cuerda seca* technique"]},"a89685ed-d6b6-5d4f-ba6b-53f166d90f5d":{"name":"Fragment of lintel (*izar*).","description":"This lintel, which has been slightly damaged on the lower right-hand side, is sculpted with an inscription interrupted by a section in an architectural style filled with vegetal motifs.  \nThe inscription reproduces a Qur'anic text, the beginning of verse 47 of Sura 11 'the Messenger', which suggests that this lintel was originally used in a religious building. The upstrokes of the angular *kufic* characters end in concave bevels. Only the upstrokes of *nun* and *ha* finish with a simple movement, mimicking the elegant appearance of a swan's neck. The low letters, such as *dal* and *waw*, are crowned with decorative motifs formed of joined concave and bevelled upstrokes. All of the letters sculpted in the round are surrounded by a raised line that amplifies their edges.  \nThe vegetal background behind the script seems to play a secondary role to the letters themselves. The movement of the stem, the number of floral motifs and their silhouettes are all made to fit the height, spacing and shape of the up strokes. This large and sober decoration, sculpted in champlevé, uses the thick stem and single palm in all of their forms: curved at the base into a ring, with triangular calyxes, and fanned. Smooth symmetrical palms with lower lobes with pointed edges, similar to fleurons, are also used. The outer edges of all of the lobes of these different types of flowers are decorated with small festoons that appear to be a simplification of the digits of acanthus leaves.  \nThe sobriety and elegance of the *kufic* characters and the rigour and simplification of the vegetal forms used in the decoration of this lintel are characteristic of Almohad aesthetics, to which this piece appears to be linked.","short_description":"The sobriety and elegance of the *kufic* characters used in the Qur'anic inscription, and the rigour and stylisation of the plant forms that decorate this lintel, originally from a religious building, are characteristic of Almohad aesthetics.","type":"Woodwork, lintel, izar, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira second half of the 6th century / AD second half of the 12th century.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Height 16 cm, length 106.5 cm, depth 7.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The elegance of the calligraphy characters and the understated plant decoration belong to an artistic style identifiable on dated Almohad monuments.","method_for_provenance":"Salvaged in Fez.","provenance":"Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *Le décor sur bois dans l'architecture de Fès*, Paris, 1989.  \nMarçais, G., *L'architecture musulmane d'Occident*, Paris, 1959.  \nTerrasse, H., *L'art hispano-mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle*, Paris, 1932","dynasty":"Almohad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["religion; vegetal decoration; floral decoration; epigraphic decoration; architectural element"],"materials":["Carved cedarwood."]},"aa67ee01-78e4-5518-9d67-9f76947805b3":{"name":"al-Bab as-Saghir (*ad-Dirwazah*)","short_description":"The precise origins of this gate are unknown. However, it appears on De Resende’s drawing of Muscat in a Portuguese manuscript by António Bocarro entitled *Livro do Estado da India Oriental* (Hegira 1041–42 / AD1632). Literally meaning “the Small Gate”, it provided entry from the south and led directly into *Suq Muscat* (or market area) and featured a walkway over the moat. It is assumed that this gate was originally the main entrance into town before the expansion of Bab at-Tuyan – later renamed *al-Bab al-Kabir* – in Hegira 14th century / AD 20th century. This is attested by the *Plan of the Port of Muscat* by Louis-François-Grégoire de Lafitte de Brassier, a French lieutenant engineer and geographer, dated Hegira 1191–92 / AD 1778.","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 322cm, Length 120cm","dynasty":"Al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood and iron"]},"ab174424-adb1-5b57-8894-d4b10135d015":{"name":"Cornerstone of an arch.","description":"Cornerstone of an arch sculpted from grey marble. Its perimeter is decorated with a linear motif in the form of a granulated chain links. The corner of the cornerstone is ornamented with a six-petal rosette that is decorated on each side with foliage ending in a fleuron. The segment of arch below the rosette is emphasised by a design composed of interlacing foils.  \nThis archway cornerstone probably belonged to the entrance of a palace room.","short_description":"Sculpted spandrel of an arch that decorated the entrance of a palace room. Its perimeter is decorated with linear motifs in the form of granulated chain links. The corner of the spandrel is decorated with a six-petal rosette, the edges of which are decorated with foliage ending in a fleuron.","type":"Arch, marble","holder":"National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 6th century / AD 12th century.","location":"Algiers","dimensions":"Height 48 cm, length 48 cm, depth 7 cm.","method_for_datation":"By G. Marçais, who dates it from the 6th / 12th century.","method_for_provenance":"By G. Marçais, who attributes it to the town of Béjaia.","provenance":"Béjaia, Algeria.","bibliography":"Marçais, G., *Le musée Stéphane Gsell, musée des antiquités et d'art musulman d'Alger*, Alger, 1950.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Cornerstone; arch; marble; floral decoration; geometric decoration; Hammadid; sculpture; palatial architecture; Béjaia; palace; architectural element"],"materials":["Grey marble, sculpted."]},"ab4c5d91-3eb6-5a81-9faa-2a5c739113b8":{"name":"Architectural element, plinth","short_description":"The slab was likely part of a carved marble plinth in one of the rooms surrounding the central courtyard of the palace. It was found in front of the XXI niche of the southern facade of the courtyard whose central *iwan* gave access to the throne room. The plinth is divided into three horizontal bands. The central band has an architectural decorative motif consisting of two mirrored trilobed arches that connect through segments of bilobed and trilobed palmettes. The bottom horizontal band features two interwoven vines with arabesque leaves, while the upper band contains superb calligraphy in foliated *kufic* script. The inscription of the panel is in Arabic and reports the basmalah: Bi-smi 'llahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahimi (بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْم = In the name of God, Clement, Merciful). In the past, this inscription was thought to have been part of the text, about 250m long, which unfolded along the four facades of the courtyard, with a poem in praise to the Ghaznavid sultans and to the magnificence of the palace itself. However the different dimensions of the slabs bearing the poem could cast doubt on this assumption.  \nUnfortunately, there the colour is no longer present on the slab with the rich polychromy that once completed the panel now lost. However, we know from the minute traces of colour left on portions of other marble slabs decorating the courtyard that the pigment used for the inscriptions was lapis lazuli, while the background surrounding the letters was carmine. According to Umberto Scerrato it was actually a red bole, which was used as a preparation prior to gilding, so as to appear as a manuscript illuminated with gold.","type":"Plith","holder":"Museum of Civilisations/ Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira early 6th century / AD Early 12th century","location":"Rome","dimensions":"Height: 73cm, Width: 58cm, Thickness: 5.5cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation report","provenance":"Palace in Ghazni associated with Mas'ud III (1099-1115), Afghanistan","obtention":"Deposit IsIAO, excavation IsMEO","bibliography":"Bagnera, A., \"Ghaznavidi e Ghuridi\", s.v., *Encyclopedia of Medieval Art*, VI, Rome (1995): 601s., photo 603.  \nBombaci, A., *The Kūfic Inscription in Persian Verses in the Court of the Royal Palace of Mas'ūd III at Ghazni, IsMEO, Reports and Memoirs, V*, Rome: Is. M.E.O, 1966: 10, 65, table XL, fig. 140 and fig, 4 for the location of the niche.  \nRugiadi, M, *Architectural decoration in marble from Ġaznī (Afghanistan)*, Doctoral thesis, Bologna, 2012: 1146, cat. no. 597.  \nVentrone Vassallo, G., \"Panel of sculpted marble cladding\", in G. Curatola (ed), *Eredità dell'Islam. Islamic Art in Italy*, Milan: Silvana, 1993: 102.","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","author":"Michael Jung","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Marble, bas-relief"]},"ae6c89dd-38fa-5357-b1bd-8536d9d0c3b9":{"name":"Fragment (from a wooden frieze) with an inscription in kufic script.","description":"A fragment of a wooden frieze inscribed with large *kufic* characters. When the NMS acquired this piece it was thought to have come from Tulunid Egypt and it was suggested at the time that the inscription read: ‘*baraka wa yumn wa sa’ada wa ghibt lisahibii’* (‘blessing and good fortune and happiness and joy to its owner’). However on closer inspection, the surviving lettering does not stand up to such a reading, and although the inscription has not yet been re-deciphered, it appears more likely that it originally formed part of a quotation from the Qur’an.","short_description":"The little that survives of Fatimid wood carving is characterised by its intricate high relief technique and the vibrancy of its epigraphic or figurative decoration. Occasionally the final panels, which were meant to grace contemporary interiors, were painted, varnished and treated to be fire retardant.","type":"Woodwork, carved wood","holder":"National Museums of Scotland (NMS).","dates":"Hegira, late 2nd–5th century / late AD 9th–11th century.","location":"Edinburgh, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 12 cm, length 117 cm.","method_for_datation":"At one time this fragment was thought to originate in Tulunid Egypt (3rd–4th / 9th–10th centuries), it is now believed to be a product of the Fatimid period (4th–6th / 10th–12, due to certain stylistic similarities with a wooden panel excavated in Raqqa, Syria.","method_for_provenance":"Although it was assumed at one time that the object was produced in Egypt, a Syrian provenance may now also be feasible, given certain stylistic similarities between this fragment and a panel excavated at Raqqa in Syria dating to the Fatimid period.","provenance":"Possibly Syria or Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by the NMS from Lisbet Holmes Textiles, London, in 1984.","dynasty":"Tulunid or Fatimid","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Wood; kufic script; epigraphy"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"b22fae1f-5786-5085-b517-2f8291d7ddab":{"name":"Fragment of choir parapet.","description":"Panel of the frieze that formed part of the parapet of the choir of the Monastery of Santa Clara, on the inside. It is decorated with tracery work in the shape of teardrops carved in a frame with a smooth moulding on the inside juxtaposed with an acanthus-leaf border of the upper edge, which gives it a classical air.  \nThe right side, partially lost, is made up of undulating lines with tracery work, while the left side is decorated with 'x' shapes. The teardrops face each other in pairs within circular structures, the ends of which continue out to form more winding teardrop structures. This decorative motif was imported from Flanders by Hannequin of Brussels, who used it in St James' Chapel in Toledo Cathedral. The edges are decorated with balls characteristic of the reign of the Catholic Kings. This type of decoration, which is mixed harmoniously with Gothic structures in plaster, was widespread in Castile in the last Gothic period. An interesting example are the banisters of the University of Alcala de Henares, contemporary to this piece.","short_description":"The originality of this chorus parapet from a monastery in the city of Palencia lies in the fact that the Gothic decorative motifs from the AH 9th / AD 15th century, such as the tracery work drawing sinuous tears, was done in plaster instead of stone, suggesting it was done by a Mudéjar craftsman.","type":"Choir parapet, plaster","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"15th century.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 101 cm, length 122 cm, depth 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"The style derives from 15th-century Gothic forms.","method_for_provenance":"The piece remained in its original position until 1969, when it came to the National Archaeological Museum.","provenance":"Monastery of Santa Clara, Palencia, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was obtained on 20 October 1969 after the Governor of Palencia gave it to the Scientific Commission of the National Archaeological Museum composed of Juan de Dios de la Rada and Juan de Malibrán.","bibliography":"Franco Mata, á., *Catálogo de la Escultura Gótica del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, 2nd edition, Madrid, 1993, pp.200–1, no. 256.  \nRada y Delgado, J. de la and Malibrán, J. de, *Memoria Que Presentan al Excmo. Sr. Ministro de Fomento, Dando Cuenta de los Trabajos Practicados y Adquisiciones Hechas para el Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1871, pp.41 and 80–1, no. 305.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Choir parapet; plaster; moulding; Mudéjar; Palencia; Catholic Kings"],"materials":["Plaster; moulding."]},"b2622fa1-69d2-576f-a92d-7b7e0bbf3c7e":{"name":"Frieze.","description":"This fragment of extravagantly carved decorative plasterwork comes from the north hall in the Aljafería Palace. Its central part is made up of a combination of intertwined, mixtilinear horseshoe arches supported on columns with composite capitals and shafts decorated with zigzags. The gaps are filled with plant arabesques, forming scrolls where palmettes, pomegranates and other floral elements are inscribed. Above the arcade are the remains of a *kufic* inscription where 'the faithful' can be read. In the lower part there is a wide strip with geometric, vegetal and inscribed elements. The plasterwork preserves remains of red, blue, white and black colouring.  \nIn this plaster panel, the architectural, geometric and vegetal forms are combined in a complex manner. The delicate engraving of the vegetal motifs is almost reminiscent of a chest and reflects a taste for sumptuary arts. In the Taifa of Saragossa there clearly existed a specific taste and independent style, nonetheless linked to the previous Caliphate.  \nThe north hall of the Palace, also called the 'Golden Hall' or 'Marble Hall', whose decoration was formed in part by this frieze, was undoubtedly the throne room, reserved for ceremonial usage. The architectural and decorative remains, as well as literary references, give us an understanding of what the original ornamentation was like. According to a poetic text belonging to al-Muqtadir, this hall was splendidly decorated.","short_description":"This fragment of frieze, which was part of the decorative wall covering of the Throne Room in the Aljafería Palace, reproduces an architectural arcade on a small scale. It is an excellent example of the baroque style seen in the carved, multicoloured plasterwork decoration of the time.","type":"Frieze, plaster","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 437–73 / AD 1046–81.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 162 cm, width 151 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Aljafería Palace was constructed under the patronage of Abu-Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (437–73 / 1046–81), the second monarch in the Banu Hud dynasty, which governed the Taifa of Saragossa from 432 to 503 / 1040–1110.","method_for_provenance":"The piece was taken from the Aljafería Palace to the National Archaeological Museum by the Provincial Commission of Monuments in 1867. According to Revilla (see Bibliography), this frieze belonged to the 'Golden Hall' or the 'Marble Hall' in the Aljafería Palace in Saragossa, the best-preserved palace complex from all of the Taifa era.","provenance":"Aljafería Palace, Saragossa, Spain.","obtention":"The frieze was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.256. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain* (ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nGómez Moreno, M., *El Arte árabe Español Hasta los Almohades. Arte Mozárabe*, Ars Hispaniae, Vol. III, Madrid, 1951, p.229.  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *Catálogo de las Antigüedades que se Conservan en el Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, 1932, p.22.*","dynasty":"Taifa kingdoms; Banu Hud dynasty, Abu Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. AH 437–73 / AD 1046–81)","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Floral decoration; geometric decoration; palatial architecture; patronage"],"materials":["Carved polychromatic plaster."]},"b3e62fd2-6577-5d66-8b8b-0a02eabf19a6":{"name":"Balastrade","short_description":"This elaborately carved stone probably was once part of a staircase railing or balustrade in a multistory building. It is one of perhaps one dozen such architectural elements preserved in museums in the United States and Europe, one of which is inscribed with the date Hegira 703/AD 1303–4. As is typical of this closely related group, a lion carved in relief on either side forms a pair when the stone slab is viewed head-on. On one face of the LACMA stone is a carved niche with a pair of columns supporting a *muqarnas* hood, while others in this group have depicted on their short front ends two-story kiosk-like structures, in both instances perhaps alluding to their original architectural contexts.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira early 8th century / AD early 14th century","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"66.68cm","method_for_datation":"A stone balustrade in the Metropolitan Museum dated Hegira 703 / AD 1303-4, is very similar in configuration, decoration and size, which along with a second similar slab in the Metropolitan Museum, was said to come from Hamadan, Iran.","method_for_provenance":"The LACMA balustrade belongs to a group of very similar architectural elements that have been ascribed to Iran.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, until 1973 (sold to); LACMA, The Nasli M. Heeramaneck collection, gift of Joan Palevsky.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles*, Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 106.  \nPal, Pratapaditya, Lentz, Thomas W., Canby, Sheila R., Binney, Edwin, 3rd, Denny, Walter B. and Markel, Stephen “Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art,” *Arts of Asia*, 17 : 6 (1987): 94, figs. 33-35.  \nPal, Pratapaditya (ed), *Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection*, Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973: 179, cat. no. 355.","dynasty":"Seljuq","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Limestone; carved; carved decoration; architectural decoration; animal decoration; lion; muqarnas; Iran; Seljuq"],"materials":["Limestone; carved"]},"b6b6edab-ebe1-5d00-b219-8de53446fae4":{"name":"Welcome panel between two pairs of brothers","short_description":"The inscriptions on this panel explain the unusual composition of two pairs of brothers greeting one another: Hans and Ulrich Brand, and Hans and Barthlome Wächli. The panel represents the subjects of brotherly love and community.","type":"Engraved glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1766","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 33cm","obtention":"Purchased in Willisau, Switzerland, in 1892","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Polished colourless glass; engraved"]},"b9121ce3-b4a5-5b98-93ab-b74dd4c75a5e":{"name":"Arch.","description":"This arch was part of the arcade of the southern portico of the Aljafería Palace in Saragossa. The whole consists of a 13-lobed arch supporting a series of small hollow arches formed by the crossing of other larger arches, which are also poly-lobed. The upper part is decorated with plant arabesques interrupted by four small scalloped cupolas. It is completed by a large arch that appears to be supported on columns, with their shafts and capitals. In this arch we can see how certain structural elements (arches, columns or small cupolas) are used as purely decorative elements, a common practice in the art of the Taifa kingdoms. The fretwork in these arcades, created by a series of arches that multiply harmoniously, produces an effect of light and shade. It is an art that places more importance on visual impact than on the materials or even the architecture. The artistic forms of this period follow the caliphal tendencies of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, but in the Taifa kingdom of Saragossa there is a special tendency towards more elaborate designs, which would later be adopted in various Andalusian and Mudéjar buildings.","short_description":"The south side of the Aljafería courtyard was decorated with an arched portico similar to this one, built for effect and for decoration and with no real structural function. It was inspired by the intertwining arcades of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, but its complexity makes it singularly baroque in style.","type":"Arch, plaster","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 437–73 / AD 1064–81.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 611 cm, width 452 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Aljafería Palace was constructed under the patronage of Abu Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. 437–73 / 1046–81), the second monarch in the Banu Hud dynasty, which governed the Taifa of Saragossa during the years 432–503 / 1040–1110. In the southern portico of the Palace, where this arch belongs, there are two inscriptions that include the title adopted by al-Muqtadir after the conquest of Barbastro in 456 / 1064.","method_for_provenance":"In 1867, before the demolition of the Palace's San Jorge Chapel and the adjacent areas, the recently created Commission of Monuments managed to salvage some architectural elements of the Palace and move them to the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid and the Provincial Museum of Saragossa.","provenance":"Aljafería Palace, Saragossa, Spain.","obtention":"The arch was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 19 August 1869.","bibliography":"Beltrán Martínez, A., *La Aljafería*, Saragossa, 1998, p.106.  \nGomez Moreno, M., *El Arte árabe Español Hasta los Almohades. Arte Mozárabe*. Ars Hispaniae, Vol. 3, Madrid, 1951, p.239.  \nRevilla Vielva, R., *Catálogo de las Antigüedades que Se Conservan en el Patio árabe del Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, 1932, p.24.*  \nSavirón y Estevan, P., “Fragmento de Estilo árabe Procedente del Palacio de la Aljafería de Zaragoza”, *Museo Español de Antigüedades*, Vol. I, Madrid, 1872, pp.145–7.  \nViguera Molins, M. J., *El Islam en Aragón*, Zaragoza, 1995, p.153.","dynasty":"Taifa kingdoms; Banu Hud dynasty, Abu Yafar Ahmad al-Muqtadir (r. AH 437–73 / AD 1064–81)","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Palatial architecture; floral decoration; lobed arch; architectural decoration; patronage"],"materials":["Carved plaster."]},"bb43f026-1a65-5250-959c-c4347189231f":{"name":"Wall panel with geometric interlace","short_description":"Polychrome marble mosaics adorned the interior walls of both religious institutions and palaces in Egypt and Syria during the Mamluk period. This example, from an unknown building, probably once decorated the lower register of a wall, but similar mosaics also appear on *mihrab*s, spandrels, and even cenotaphs of the period. The interlocking slabs in contrasting colours bordering this mosaic, as well as the rectangular baseboard panels below it, are also characteristic of Mamluk architectural decoration.","type":"Stone","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira 9th century / AD 15th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 118.1cm, W: 59.7cm, D: 12.7cm, Wt: 279lbs./126.6kg","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt","obtention":"Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970  \nFormer owner: The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, New York (until 1970; gifted to MMA)","bibliography":"Behrens-Abouseif, Doris, *Cairo of the Mamluks. A History of the Architecture and its Culture*, London/New York: I. B. Tauris, 2007.  \nBurgoyne, Michael, *Mamluk Jerusalem, an Architectural Study*, London: British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, 1987: 97.  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 79, no. 46, ill. 80.  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 165, no. 114, ill. 165 (colour).  \nWalker, Daniel S., Ponce Guadián, Arturo, Babaie, Sussan, Carboni, Stefano, Froom, Aimee, Swietochowski, Marie Lukens, Masuya, Tomoko, Daskalakis-Matthews, Annie Christine, Kahil, Abdallah and Kessler, Rochelle, *Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York. Colegio de San Ildefonso, Septiembre de 1994-Enero de 1995*, Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 1994: 106–7.","dynasty":"Mamluk","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970","keywords":["Mamluk; Cairo; Egypt; stone; marble; architectural decoration; architectural form; geometric decoration; geometric design; geometric patterns; mosaic; polychrome decoration"],"materials":["Polychrome marble; mosaic"]},"bbbe8a25-e73d-5418-91ea-dbe154c4effb":{"name":"Remnants of Jakob Eduard Polak's original gravestone","short_description":"With the revolution of 1848 and the fall of Metternich, Austria entered a new phase of encounters with the Orient. In 1851, the Bohemian-Jewish doctor Jakob Eduard Polak (1818–1891) accepted an invitation to Persia. He was to instruct surgery in Tehran. Polak stayed for nine years, learned Persian, became the personal physician of the Shah, and studied the land and its people on long journeys. Soon after his return to Vienna, he began to publish extensively. He wished to communicate knowledge between and about both cultures.  \nAs an epitaph for his gravestone, Polak selected a verse by the 13th century Persian poet Saadi. During the lifetime of Polak, no Persian in Vienna neglected to pay his respects to the former Hakim Bashi (personal physician) of the Shah. Recently, an Iranian doctor replaced the original gravestone in the Vienna Central Cemetery with a new one, as a mark of honour. The remains of the original gravestone found their way to the museum.","type":"Architecture","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"1891","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 66.5cm, W: 41.3cm, Diameter: 2.6-2.8cm","method_for_datation":"Personal documentation by the collector.","method_for_provenance":"Personal documentation by the collector.","provenance":"Austria, Vienna, Vienna Central Cemetery","obtention":"Donated by the collector, Dr. Afsaneh Gächter, Vienna, 2013.","bibliography":"Gächter, Afsaneh, *Briefe aus Persien. Jakob E. Polaks medizinische Berichte. With an English Summary and Translation of Polak's \"Letters from Persia\"*, Vienna: new academic press, 2013: 150, Plate 15.  \nSteinmann, Axel, \"At the Threshold of the Orient\", in Claudia Augustat and Reinhard Blumauer (eds), *In a Nutshell, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 90-95.","materials":["Marble"]},"bd295ac6-c84c-53d6-a527-b56db5a312f7":{"name":"Stucco panel.","description":"This panel has several different decorated sections. The upper section consists of a protruding band with a double grooved braid above a large frieze with palmettes and acanthus leaves. Sculpted in relief, the lower two lobes of the seven-lobed palmettes are rolled and the upper one marked with a central slot. They alternate with and are framed by bouquets of acanthus with digitate leaves and disc-shape calyxes.  \nThe lower section consists of a spandrel and an arcature. The triangular spandrel, surrounded by a double braid, is marked with a medallion made up of a fleuron consisting of three acanthus leaves. The central veined digitate leaf includes offshoots and is seen from the front, while the two side ones, bent to form a calyx, are seen from the side. This medallion is surrounded by two interlaced stems bearing acanthus leaves beside to pinecones set obliquely.  \nThe arcature is crowned by two bands. The upper band consists of a crown of veined acanthus leaflets above the second arched band decorated with a double braid. Alternating below this band there are smooth voussoirs and projecting voussoirs sculpted in relief that are reminiscent of the voussoirs of the arch of the mosque of Córdoba. Intertwined foliage with axillary buds, with some side branches that interrupt the rectilinear frame of the voussoirs, decorate the protruding voussoirs. Their coils tightly surround symmetrical and asymmetrical palms with acanthus leaves and three-leaf fleurons.  \nAll of this ornamental flora, as well as the deep carving technique which is found in the plaster work ornamentation of the Almoravid *qubba* at Marrakesh and the domes from the same period in the Qarawiyyin mosque, suggest that this arcature facing comes from the Almoravid period.","short_description":"This panel is a piece of carved stucco cladding. It comes from an arch, probably a *mihrab* arch. The composition of its decoration, its geometric and floral motifs inspired by Taifa art, and the deep sculpting technique date it to the Almoravid period.","type":"Panel, plaster","holder":"Museum of Archaeology.","dates":"Hegira 6th / AD 12th century.","location":"Rabat.","dimensions":"Height left 107 cm, height centre 110 cm, height right 163 cm, length 62 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through stylistic and comparative analysis. The type of decoration and the carving technique are similar to the plasterwork decoration at the Almoravid *qubba* of Marrakesh and the Almoravid domes in the Qarawiyyin mosque, which can be dated to the reign of 'Ali ibn Yusuf ibn Tashufin, 500–37 / 1106–1142.","method_for_provenance":"Archaeological object found *in situ.*","provenance":"‘House of the Plain’, Chichaoua, Morocco.","obtention":"Excavated.","bibliography":"Berthier, P., “En marge des sucreries marocaines. La maison de la plaine et la maison des oliviers à Chichaoua”, *Hespéris-Tamuda*, 1062, III, fasc. 1, pp.75–7.  \nMeunié, J. et Terrasse, H., *Nouvelles recherches archéologiques à Marrakech*, Paris, 1957.  \nMeunié, J. et Terrasse, H., *Recherches archéologiques à Marrakech*, Paris, 1952.  \nTerrasse, H., *La mosquée Al-Quaraouiyin à Fès*, Paris, 1968.","dynasty":"Almoravid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["vegetal decoration; floral decoration; architectural decoration; mosque interior decoration"],"materials":["Sculpted and carved plaster."]},"bdae3379-6d92-508e-9471-03fb9980c87e":{"name":"Ceiling fragment.","description":"This trapezoidal side fragment of a ceiling consists of a series of small wooden planks and strips arranged in a pre-set geometric pattern to make a three-dimensional mosaic and cover the joists and beams of the ceiling. Its repetitive geometric composition follows a theme based on an eight-pointed star developing into rectilinear knotwork that forms various different shapes: hexagons, seven-pointed stars and cruciform nodes. The interstices formed by the knotwork are either filled by pieces with chamfered edges that protrude slightly above the knotwork lines, or left empty.  \nThe lines of the knotwork have a central groove and are painted with a red line next to a white braid on the inside and a green transparent fillet on the outside. The bottoms of the hollow shapes are covered with a coat of red paint on top of a white base coat. The surfaces of the pieces in relief that are not covered with a base coat are surrounded by chamfers consisting of a red background and a white coat marked with small alternating blue and red zigzags.  \nThe very balanced compositions, alternating filled and empty spaces, and the decoration based on contrasting colours make this fragment of a ceiling from al-Misbahiya Madrasa in Fez particularly interesting. Known as trough or *jefna* in Morocco and *artesonado* in Spain, this type of ceiling was already used in Almohad times. It was very popular in Marinid times for covering prayer rooms.","short_description":"The well-balanced composition of wooden planks and battens arranged in a geometric design with alternating filled and empty spaces, as well as areas of decoration based on colour contrasts, make this fragment of ceiling, known as *jefna*, particularly interesting.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"Batha Museum.","dates":"Hegira 747 / AD 1346–7.","location":"Fez.","dimensions":"Length 285 cm, width 125.5 cm, depth 7.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"Same date as the *madrasa* it came from.","method_for_provenance":"Fragment salvaged from a ceiling of the monument.","provenance":"Al-Misbahiya Madrasa, Fez.","obtention":"Salvaged following the restoration of the *madrasa*.","bibliography":"Cambazard-Amahan, C., *6000 d'art au Maroc*, catalogue, Paris, 1990.  \nGallotti, J., *Le jardin et la maison arabes au Maroc*, Vol. I, Paris, 1926.  \nTerrasse, Ch., *Médersas du Maroc*, Paris, 1927.  \n*Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art*, pp.104–6.","dynasty":"Marinid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_MA_EN_001","author":"Naima El Khatib-Boujibar","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["religious building; geometric decoration; ceiling"],"materials":["Joined, carved and painted cedarwood."]},"bdf5803d-997f-5030-8cd9-f6c1cf84691d":{"name":"Heraldic panel","short_description":"A sailing ship loaded with passengers and barrels is bound for the city depicted on the left of the panel. The coats of arms of the donors appear on either side of the sail. The marks on the oars correspond to the symbols in the coats of arms.","type":"Stained glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1679","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 43.5cm","provenance":"Wil, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland","obtention":"Exchange with Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1925","artist_birthdate":"1633","artist_birthplace":"Wil, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland","artist_deathdate":"1699","artist_deathplace":"Wil, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"bf493827-b9c5-5274-9a0c-39fb761a93e1":{"name":"Figurative architectural fragment.","description":"An architectural fragment with figures made of limestone and carved in low relief. It is rectangular in shape, with two crowned arches on the bottom side. On the upper section there are various figures in rectangular cartouches. In order, these include symmetrically placed birds, human figures, peacocks, and winged lions (griffins). The birds are shown in profile; their upper parts each have a rosette motif. The human figures each hold a rosette in one hand and an object resembling a ball in the other. They are shown from the front, sitting cross-legged in the traditional Turkic posture of authority. The peacocks, shown in profile, have tails which end in volutes and bodies with rosettes on them. The griffins face each other in a walking stance and have the characteristics of Seljuq lions: their hind feet are on the ground, while one of their front feet is drawn back toward the body at chest level, and the other is extended forward. The upper part of each griffin's body has a wing motif which extends upward from the front leg. Their tails pass between their hind legs to end above the body. Two bird motifs (eagles) are seen at the tops of the arches. The eagles have thick beaks, pointed claws, and short tails; the one on the right is broken at body level.  \n  \nThe arches are like those found in Artuqid architecture, with their crowns of sharp 'teeth' and the spiralling columns that support them. Between them, surrounded by a chain-motif border, is an inscription in *naskhi* script. The inscription reads, 'May the owner's honour and fortune continue. May God make his life and those of his *amirs* long'. Below the inscription are two kneeling figures holding spears in their hands and facing each other. Between them is a spiralling column. These figures, which we can identify as the guardians of the Tree of Life, are a symbolic expression rooted in shamanistic beliefs.  \n  \nThe inscription suggests that the object may have come from a tomb or a charitable structure such as a fountain.","short_description":"Anatolian Seljuq stonework of the AH 6th–7th / AD 12th–13th centuries displays extensive figurative decoration. Human and animal figures assuming symbolic meanings from pre-Islamic faiths are rendered exhibiting central Asian influences both in technique and style.","type":"Fragment, stone","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul","dimensions":"Height 55 cm, width 96.5 cm, depth 7 cm.","method_for_datation":"There is no documentary evidence indicating exactly where the object was produced or found, however, the composition, placement of figures, symbolic meaning, technique and architectural elements, as well as the fact that the craftsmanship exhibits all the characteristics of 7th / 13th century Artuqid work, allow us to date the object to that period.","method_for_provenance":"Inventory documents indicate that the object was initially brought to the Tiled Pavilion (çinili Köşk), from Diyarbakır. For this reason it is probable that the object was produced in southeastern Anatolia, in Diyarbakır or the region around it.","provenance":"Southeastern Anatolia (probably Diyarbakır), Turkey.","obtention":"The object was transferred from Diyarbakır to the Tiled Pavilion (çinili Köşk), Istanbul, in 1898 as part of the 19th-century initiative to collect artworks from across the country. The object was transferred to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in 1941.","bibliography":"Glück, H., Diez, E., *Die Kunst des Islam*, Berlin, 1925, p.236.  \n  \nOgan, A., Kühnel, E., *İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzelerindeki Şaheserler, Vol. 3: çinili Köşk'te Türk ve İslam Eserleri Koleksiyonu*, Berlin-Leipzig, 1938, p.36.  \n  \nölçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.103-5.  \n  \nöney, G., “Artuklu Devrinden Bir Hayat Ağacı Kabartması Hakkında”, *Vakıflar Dergisi*, VII (1968) Istanbul, pp.117–20.","dynasty":"Artuqid period","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Chain motif; figurative decoration; limestone; low relief; stone carving; human representation; animal decoration; imaginary animal; zoomorphic imagery; relief"],"materials":["Carved limestone (low relief)."]},"bf62b9f4-0b35-5814-b5b7-9a9fb9eba327":{"name":"Decorated pillar.","description":"Fragment of a pillar that presumably stood between the naves of a small monastic church, in the eastern suburb of the city of Lisbon. The relics of St Felix and St Adrian were venerated in this Mozarabic sanctuary.  \nThe fragment is decorated on its four sides with griffins and centaurs within medallions, formed by interlaced laurel wreaths set vertically on top of each other, on each side of the pillar. Five of these medallions have survived intact today along with fragments of another two, on the second ornamental row. Like other sculptures from the same period in Lisbon, these bas-reliefs express a highly decorative sense and show evidence of the *horror vacui* or fear of emptiness, such is the density of ornamentation on each panel. This sensation of decorative abundance is reinforced by the filling of the corners and intercalary spaces of the laurel wreaths with whimsical palmettes, which sometimes appear to derive from the *fleur-de-lys*, with the number of leaves of foliar lobes multiplied. The fantastical animals, in various positions and facing each other, are sculpted by cutting away the surrounding stone, creating a relief in two planes, the upper face of which, corresponding to the actual body of the animal, is livened up by lines sculpted in the stone to highlight the anatomical details. The crowns of laurels and the palmettes are, in turn, bevelled in a similar way to other pieces from Lisbon found in various locations, but which were undoubtedly produced by the same workshop of craftsmen.","short_description":"Fragment of a pillar presumed to have served to divide the naves of a small monastic church in the eastern suburbs of Lisbon. The motifs (fantasy animals, laurel wreaths and palmettes) and the decorative repertoire used suggest parallels with Sassanid, Byzantine and Umayyad art.","type":"Pillar, stone","holder":"Carmo Museum of Archaeology.","owner":"Association of Portuguese Archaeologists.","initial_owner":"Monastery of São Félix and Santo Adrião, in Chelas (Lisbon).","dates":"Hegira 3rd–4th century / AD 9th–10th century.","location":"Lisbon.","dimensions":"Height 95 cm, width 43 x 41 cm.","method_for_datation":"The pillar and other decorated pieces found in Chelas present a decorative structure and a sculptural effect very similar to certain Umayyad bas-reliefs, namely the winged quadrupeds in the laurel wreath from the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar, near Jericho (2nd / 8th century). The analogy that has been established with woven materials of Sassanid origin produced in Byzantium, which spread throughout the Mediterranean basin during the 3rd–4th / 9th–10th centuries, is also useful. An example is the Byzantine silk in the Cooper-Hewitt Museum (New York), whose decoration is identical to the bas-reliefs from Chelas and to those on the Casa dos Bicos in Lisbon.","method_for_provenance":"An account made in 1864 by I. de Vilhena Barbosa states that this piece was found embedded in a wall of the kitchen garden of the sacristy.","provenance":"Lisbon.","obtention":"Acquired by the Association of Portuguese Archaeologists after having been identified in the AD 19th century by I. de Vilhena Barbosa.","bibliography":"Barbosa, I. V., “Fragmento de um Roteiro de Lisboa (unpublished). Arrabaldes de Lisboa”, *Archivo Pittoresco*, 7, Lisbon, 1864.  \nCaballero Zoreda, L., “Sobre Santa Comba de Bande (Ourense) y las Placas de Saamasas (Lugo)”, *Galicia no Tempo*, Santiago de Compostela, 1992, pp.75–115.  \nFernandes, P. A., “Escultura de Alta Idade Média Cristã”, in *Roteiro da Exposição Permanente. Museu Arqueológico do Carmo*, Lisbon, 2002, pp.63–7.  \nReal, M. L., “Os Moçárabes do Gharb Português”, in *Portugal Islâmico: Os últimos Sinais do Mediterrâneo*, exhibition catalogue, Lisbon, 1998, pp.35–56.  \nValdez, J. J. A., “Monumentos Archeológicos de Chelas”, *Boletim da Real Associação dos Architectos Civis e Archeologos Portuguezes*, Series 3, Vol. 8, nos. 3–4, Lisbon, 1898, pp.55–9.","dynasty":"Umayyads of Córdoba, Caliphate period","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Manuel Luís Real","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Limestone; Umayyad of Córdoba; bas-relief; laurel wreath; medallion; rosette; palmette; griffin; centaur; Mozarabic; imaginary animal; zoomorphic imagery; animal decoration; vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Limestone; bas-relief sculpture."]},"c2ef9761-dc84-511b-baae-6b0e8dee6b4e":{"name":"Panel fragment","short_description":"The panel probably comes from a kind of balcony. Other pieces of the same parapet were found in the Ghaznavids’ old capital of Ghazna. All show related motifs: hunting scenes, dancing women, battle scenes or tournaments, and processions of exotic animals. This range of motifs was exceedingly popular in the early and medieval Islamic world.","type":"Panel, marble","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira c. 490 / AD c. 1100","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Afghanistan, Ghazna","dynasty":"Ghaznavid","keywords":["Panel; Popular motifs in the early and modieval period; Ghaznavid; Marble; architectural element"],"materials":["Marble, carved on both sides"]},"c4648474-e922-5da3-817d-b501e5d61af0":{"name":"Three pieces of a wall decoration","short_description":"Three architectural wooden fragments are part of an interior wall decoration, acquired in the Armenian town of New Julfa near Isfahan. They are painted in lacquer and plaster in the *ablaq* technique.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Diameter: 16cm / 17cm / 8.5cm","method_for_datation":"Acquired in the Armenian town of Daelulfa near Isfahan.","method_for_provenance":"Gift from Reg Baumeister-Breslauer, Berlin.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Endowment.","dynasty":"Qajar","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Wall decoration; Iran"],"materials":["Wood, lacquer"]},"c4ac31eb-6f1b-5165-aa8c-6ca2a725eb94":{"name":"Elements of a shutter.","description":"Four elements of a shutter, each in the shape of a cross and pierced by a circular hole at its centre. They are covered in green enamel, some of which has disappeared from certain parts.  \nGolvin (se Bibliography) mentions that the elements that compose this type of ceramic partitioning are usually assembled together with metal studs, and that, in contrast to plaster ones, those of this type do not include any fragments of coloured glass.","short_description":"These four parts of a screen wall are cross-shaped with a circular hole in their centre. They are covered with a green enamel that has disappeared in places. These parts were usually joined together using metal dowels.","type":"Shutter, ceramic","holder":"National Museum of Cirta","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"Constantine","dimensions":"For each element: diameter 13 cm, depth 3 cm.","method_for_datation":"Elements found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / 11th–12th centuries).","method_for_provenance":"Elements found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad.","provenance":"Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (Blanchet excavation, 1897).","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R., *Les H'ammadites*, Algiers, 1984.  \nGolvin, L., *Recherches archéologiques à la Qal'a des Banû Hammâd (Algérie*), Paris, 1965.  \nInstitut du Monde Arabe, *L'Algérie en héritage*, *art et histoire*, catalogue, Paris, 2003.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Ceramic; cloister; enamel; Qal’at Bani Hammad; Cross-shaped shutter; circular hole; ceramic partitioning"],"materials":["Moulded and enamelled ceramic."]},"c5070245-7d2c-55a5-bf28-dc6513ffa7ed":{"name":"Capital.","description":"An astragal, decorated with arcs adorned with flower-shaped ornaments, sits on top of a plinth with chevron mouldings. These two elements are surmounted by a double row of folded acanthus leaves; caulicole leaves that are superimposed over each other, whose surface is embellished with digitations and eyelets, grow out between the acanthus leaves of the second row. The whole is surmounted by a curved abacus ornamented with milled edges, at each corner centrally presenting a projecting decoration that consists of double palmettes.  \nThis capital was discovered in the great hall of the palace of Manar, which Bourouiba affirms was divided into two levels that were separated by a step flanked on each side by a column. The author also indicates that it was the first time in the history of the Qal'at Bani Hammad excavations that columns were found both in their entirety and remaining in their original positions, along with all the pieces of which they consist.  \nThe presence of traces of blue paint should also be noted.","short_description":"Capital consisting of a plinth decorated at its base with juxtaposed broken lines beneath an astragal (semi-circular moulding) decorated with an arcature, two rows of acanthus leaves, and other floral motifs. The whole is crowned by an ornate curved abacus. It was discovered in the ceremonial hall of the Manar Palace.","type":"Capital, stone","holder":"Museum of M’sila (National Agency of Archaeology)","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"M’sila","dimensions":"Height 43.5 cm, sides 35.5 cm, diameter of the base 24.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"Through having been found on the site of the Qal'at Bani Hammad.","method_for_provenance":"Found in the great hall of the palace of Manar in the Qal'at Bani Hammad.","provenance":"Qasr al-Manar, Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (Bourouiba excavations, 1971).","bibliography":"Bourouiba, R., *Cités disparues: Tahert, Sédrata, Achir, Kalaâ des Beni Hammad*, Algiers, 1982.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les H'ammadites*, Algiers, 1984.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Leila Merabet","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Hammadid; capital; sculpture; floral decoration; geometric decoration; acanthus; palace; palace of Manar; palatial architecture; architectural element"],"materials":["Sculpted stone."]},"c7057540-3049-55c4-895f-145533aab6a6":{"name":"Tile","short_description":"This square tile is decorated with a checkerboard pattern in yellow, black, green and white and was reportedly used to create a star-shaped frame. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds identical tiles which were made in Toledo.","type":"Architecture fragment","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 880-905 / AD 1475-1500","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Length: 10.5cm, Width: 10.5cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects e. g. Victoria and Albert Museum (see Ray 2000, p. 331).","method_for_provenance":"Unknown.","provenance":"Spain, Toledo","obtention":"Catalogued in 1974; accession unknown.","bibliography":"Ray, A., *Spanish Pottery 1248-1898. With a Catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum* ,London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2000.","dynasty":"Nasrid","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Tile; Spanish"],"materials":["Glazed ceramic"]},"c75e08e3-5ec9-52f9-afaa-c08cc9e88567":{"name":"Pair of inscriptions.","description":"Two fragments of an inscription in cursive Arabic characters (*naskhi*), found in the crypt of the Palatine Chapel in Palermo but probably originally from a different building. The translation of the inscription is as follows: ‘(Come close), kiss the corner of this (building) once you have embraced it and contemplated the beautiful things that it contains – To God the power and the duration. Of his creatures it is written that they will perish; of this we have the example and the comfort of his Prophet’. The reference to the Ka’ba – which the faithful flock around in order to kiss, out of respect, the black stone built into a corner – can be understood in terms of the Norman sovereigns’ attempts to identify with the divine authority. If the inscription does indeed come from one of the halls of the Royal Palace in Palermo (its presence was reported around the second half of the 19th century in the crypt of the Palatine Chapel but this was not its original location, and it may have come from the palace itself), it was probably King Ruggero (Roger) who took it to his residence to allude to the divinity of sovereigns through the traditional Fatimid link between palace and sanctuary.","short_description":"These beautiful inscriptions in cursive *naskhi* characters were most likely intended to embellish and celebrate the beauty and splendour of the Royal Palace, to which they may have been taken by King Ruggero (Roger).","type":"Inscription, marble","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicily, Abatellis Palace","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 32 cm, width 185 cm; height 32 cm, width 192 cm.","method_for_datation":"Comparison of material and content with the two inscriptions in Messina at Santa Maria Annunziata and the cathedral.","method_for_provenance":"See Bibliography.","provenance":"Crypt of the Palatine Chapel, Norman Palace, Palermo.","obtention":"Donated to the Royal Museum of Palermo by King Victor Emanuel in 1863.","bibliography":"Amari, M., *Le Epigrafi Arabiche di Sicilia*, new edition (ed. F. Gabrieli), Palermo, 1971, no. VI, p.46.  \nAurigemma M. G., *Il Cielo Stellato di Ruggero II: Il Soffitto Dipinto della Cattedrale di Cefalù*, Cinisello Balsamo, 2004, p.28.  \nDelogu, R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Roma, 1977, pp.10, 58.  \nLagumina, B.,“Iscrizione Araba del Re Ruggiero Scoperta alla Cappella Palatina in Palermo”, *Atti dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rendiconti della Classe di Scienze Morali*, 1893, pp.231–4.  \nScerrato, U., “Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia*, (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, p.302 and figs. 175, 176.","dynasty":"Fatimid / Norman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_IT_EN_001","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman; naskhi; calligraphy."],"materials":["White marble with serpentine and porphyry inlay."]},"c8611ac1-8c86-5516-902f-55987d9022e3":{"name":"Capital.","description":"Capital made of white marble profusely decorated with acanthus leaves. The basket and abacus of the capital are entirely decorated with interlaced plant motifs. Its decoration is similar to others from the same period. Its artistic quality suggests that it was probably part of the architectural structure of an important palace or religious building.","short_description":"White marble capital profusely decorated with acanthus leaves, dating back to the AH 4th / AD 10th century. Its artistic quality suggests that it came from a palace or religious building of great importance. It was found in urban Silves in the late 19th or early 20th century.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"Silves Municipal Archaeology Museum.","dates":"Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century.","location":"Silves., Faro.","dimensions":"Height 23 cm, width 22 x 21 cm.","method_for_datation":"By comparison with identical pieces from the same period.","method_for_provenance":"The date of the find is unknown. It was found in the urban area of Silves and passed on to the National Archaeology Museum in the late 19th or early 20th century.","provenance":"Urban area of Silves.","obtention":"Donation from the National Archaeology Museum in Lisbon.","bibliography":"*Portugal Islâmico: Os últimos Sinais do Mediterrâneo*, exhibition catalogue, Lisbon, 1998,  \nGomes, R. V., *Palácio Almóada da Alcáçova de Silves*, Lisbon, 2001, p.61.","dynasty":"Umayyad of al-Andalus, Caliphate period","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Maria da Conceição Amaral","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["architecture"],"materials":["Sculpted white marble."]},"c8b58d34-3254-5337-ac50-fa15d0da0fba":{"name":"Set of six columns","short_description":"In the early 1940s, Doris Duke purchased this group of six Nasrid columns, as well as other fine examples of art from Islamic Spain (Andalusia), at the Hearst sales in New York City. Shortly thereafter, the columns were installed in the private hall leading to Shangri La’s Mughal Suite. The appearance of the private hall’s arcade and columns had previously been Indian-inspired, thereby directly complementing the Mughal Suite.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; column; architectural element","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Each column: 219.7 x 33.7 x 33.7 cm","provenance":"Spain, Andalusia","dynasty":"Nasrid","keywords":["Spain; Nasrid; marble; column; William Randolph Hearst; architectural element"],"materials":["Marble"]},"c9ec39c2-939a-5f52-a861-5f554111d598":{"name":"Monolithic column.","description":"A very simple monolithic column, sculpted from a block of grey marble. An undecorated shaft rises from a square base and is topped by a capital featuring three rows of acanthus leaves.  \nThis component fulfils both a functional and a decorative role; it would have served to consolidate and support the construction whilst at the same time decorating one of the two sides of openings (windows).  \nThe National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts of Algiers houses another similar column.","short_description":"Very simple, sculpted monolithic column. On top of the square base, a plain shaft is crowned with a capital decorated with three rows of acanthus leaves. This column was both functional and decorative: it supported the building while adorning the sides of the windows.","type":"Column, marble","holder":"Museum of M’sila (National Agency of Archaeology)","dates":"Hegira 406–547 / AD 1015–1152.","location":"M’sila","dimensions":"Height 69.3 cm, length 27 cm, width 11 cm.","method_for_datation":"The piece was found in the Qal'at Bani Hammad (5th–6th / 11th–12th centuries).","method_for_provenance":"According to General de Beylié, this column was donated by the local marabout (Muslim saint); it therefore probably once formed part of the Palace of the Amirs.","provenance":"Palace of the Amirs (?), Qal’at Bani Hammad, Algeria.","obtention":"Archaeological repository (De Beylié excavations, 1908).","bibliography":"Beylié, général de, *La Kalaa des Beni Hammad, une capitale berbère de l'Afrique du Nord au XIe siècle*, Paris, 1909.  \nBourouiba, R., *Cités disparues: Tahert, Sédrata, Achir, Kalaâ des Beni Hammad*, Alger, 1982.  \nBourouiba, R., *Les H'ammadites*, Alger, 1984.","dynasty":"Hammadid","author":"Ali Benbella","copy_editor":"Margot Cortez","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Hammadid; column; marble; sculpture; floral decoration; acanthus; palace; palatial architecture; architectural element"],"materials":["Sculpted grey marble."]},"cce3a0c8-0096-5ec4-8323-9daea09d8912":{"name":"Two wooden columns.","description":"Two wooden columns with square-prism bodies, each with two sides decorated with deep carving. The sides are divided into a series of rectangular panels. Within the panels a text of 16 lines has been carved in floriated *kufic* script, eight lines per side.  \n  \nThe column with inventory number 145 features the text from Qur'an *sura* 19, verses 96–8. The verses begin on one side of the column and are read downward, continuing on the other side.  \n  \nThe column with inventory number 146 features text from the Qur'an *sura* 2, verse 285. Different from the other column, after the first lines on each side finish, they continue from the second panel on the first side, to the other side, and so on down to the panels below.  \n  \nAlthough it is not known from which building these wooden columns came, or what purpose they served, the fact that Qur'anic verses are found on them suggests that they were used as architectural elements in a religious building.","short_description":"These wooden columns are decorated with carved Qur'anic verses in floriate *kufic* script. They date to the Ayyubid period, a dynasty that ruled in Syria and Egypt during the AH 6th–7th / AD 12th–13th centuries. Technical and stylistic features of this period's woodwork reflect Fatimid influence.","type":"Column, wood, woodwork","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Height 85 cm, width 19 cm, depth 19 cm.","method_for_datation":"The objects are not dated, however, judging from the stylistic characteristics of the inscription, they can be dated to the 7th / 13th century and attributed to the Ayyubids, who ruled Damascus and Syria in this period and who are known for their woodwork.","method_for_provenance":"According to inventory documents, the columns were transferred to the Museum from Damascus, where it is likely they were produced.","provenance":"Syria.","obtention":"The columns were among the objects transferred to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts from Damascus in 1914.","bibliography":"Ölçer, N. *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, pp.76–7.","dynasty":"Ayyubid","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood, İnci Türkoğlu","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Calligraphy; carving; wood"],"materials":["Carved wood."]},"cd79fa0f-0118-5b34-a444-8b2b248fdc5d":{"name":"Panel from a Ceiling","short_description":"Despite the end of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, an Islamic style of art and architecture continued to be popular among the ruling elite, and many Muslim craftsmen remained in Spain to meet the enduring demand for their services. This community of Spanish Muslims and the hybrid style that they developed came to be known by the term mudéjar. Made to decorate the palaces of wealthy Spanish notables, ceiling panels of this type are an example of the mudéjar style in their combination of Islamic and European designs, seen here in the respective star-inspired geometric decoration and the heraldic lion and castle, which help to link the ceiling to a building in Toledo. The provenance of the ceiling makes for a compelling story; its last home was the UCSB Faculty Club, where it was installed in the kitchen and service areas, from 1968 until 2014. It is not known how it came to the attention of Charles Moore, who designed the club, but UCSB legend has it that the ceiling had once belonged to W.R. Hearst. Our research has shown that Hearst had indeed acquired the ceiling in the 1920s and had it shipped to San Simeon. Although it may have been intended for Hearst Castle, it was never installed there and Moore likely purchased it from Hearst's warehouses in 1967. The remaining ceiling panels will undergo conservation so that they may be displayed as a near-complete ceiling in the 2020s.","type":"Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira mid-8th (panel); Hegira 1436 (*muqarnas* element) / AD Mid-14th century or later (panel); AD 2015 (*muqarnas* element)","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"200.66 x 132.08 x 77.47cm","method_for_datation":"The ceiling is related in style and structure to several ceilings in Toledo, Spain, including that of the Sinagoga del Tránsito built around 1356 and the main hall of the Convent of Santa Isabel de Los Reyes, built between 1453 and 1458.","method_for_provenance":"Although such ceilings were popular amongst Christian and Muslim nobility in medieval Spain, the heraldic emblems related to Castile and Léon suggests that it was commissioned for a Christian patron’s home, most likely in Toledo, which was intermittently the center of Castilian power until 1561.","provenance":"Toledo, Spain","obtention":"Possibly from a fifteenth century palace in Toledo, Spain. Probably removed in 1920s (sold to); Collection of William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), until 1967 (sold to); University of California Santa Barbara (displayed in the Faculty Club), until 2014 (gifted to); LACMA, gift of The Faculty Club, University of California, Santa Barbara, Inc., in honor of the museum's 50th anniversary.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 262, 272, 273.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 34, 36-37.  \n*Gifts on the Occasion of LACMA's 50th Anniversary*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2015: 76-77.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Panel; ceiling; wood; Mudéjar; lion; pine; heraldry; muqarnas; silver leaf; Andalucía; Andalusia; Al-Andalus; wood paneling; interior ornament"],"materials":["Wood (Pine) with colored pigments and silver leaf"]},"cd91ae9e-1fc1-553d-beee-78044093b4bf":{"name":"Capital","short_description":"Marble column captial based on the Corinthian order, featuring 'lacey' design of acanthus leaves with frilly edges, 'bead and reel', 'egg and dart' and other classical art-derived motifs.","type":"Architectural","holder":"Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah","dates":"Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century","location":"Kuwait City","provenance":"Spain","dynasty":"Umayyads al-Andalus","keywords":["Corinthian; marble; engraving; acanthus leaves; bead and reel; egg and dart; vegetal decoration"]},"cdb8ea7d-4aae-5a2b-a21d-baa7d31aede4":{"name":"Panel from the Ibn Tulun Mosque","short_description":"The panel was originally part of a frieze with passages from the Koran that is some two kilometers long. The inscription is in a simple and robust *Kufi* script whose only decorative element is a little increase in width at the end of the letters.  \nThe panel was purchased in Cairo in 1848 by the French consul Delaporte, after restoration work on the Ibn Tulun Mosque.","type":"Woodwork, panel wood","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira c. 265 / AD c. 879","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","dynasty":"Tulunid","keywords":["Panel; Koran; Ibn Tulun Mosque; Wood; Qur'an; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Wooden panel, carved with a Kufi inscription"]},"d0a3b10b-ba8a-5ee3-9680-fb2f69ed64e7":{"name":"al-Bab al-Kabir","short_description":"Until the construction of the road between Muscat and Mattrah in Hegira 1347–48 / AD 1929, the western gate in the Muscat Wall was usually called the at-Tuyan Gate, after the *wadi* leading to the at-Tuyan Quarter of Muscat. As the gate became more important, Sultan Sayyid Said bin Taimur al-Busaidi had it rebuilt in Hegira 1354 / AD1935–36. As a result, the gate was renamed *al-Bab al-Kabir*, literally meaning \"the Big Gate\".  \nThe marble plaque that was placed over the outside entrance has an Arabic black-incised inscription that reads:  \n*In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful  \nRebuilt by order of Sultan Said bin Taimur  \nSultan of Muscat, Oman, Dhofar, and Gwadur  \nin the year 1354 AH*","holder":"National Museum Oman","dates":"Hegira 1354 / AD 1935-1936","location":"Muscat","dimensions":"Height: 427cm, Length: 143cm","dynasty":"Al-Busaid","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Teakwood, bronze and iron"]},"d463baad-7676-559c-97ef-63e33e76211d":{"name":"Two carved limestone blocks.","description":"During an archaeological excavation and restoration works at the palace at al-Qastal in 1983 eight carved limestone blocks with floral and geometric patterns were recovered. They had once decorated the palace at al-Qastal and some of them were re-used in the restoration work that took place in 1983. Carved stone reliefs were a favourite decorative feature of Umayyad palaces, using a decorative repertoire of geometric and vegetal motifs to the exclusion of almost anything else.  \n  \nThese two carved limestone blocks are fragments from a frieze and a lintel that formed part of the middle niche at the eastern side of the palace. One block is decorated with four carved rosettes that are divided into two panels by a decorative divider; the other has a simple carved rosette of six petals set in a circle surrounded by flowers.","short_description":"Two carved limestone blocks from a frieze and a lintel that formed part of the middle niche at the eastern side of the Umayyad palace at al-Qastal. Carved stone reliefs were a favourite decorative feature of Umayyad palaces, mainly using a decorative repertoire of geometric and vegetal motifs.","type":"Block, stone","holder":"Museum of Jordanian Heritage, Yarmouk University.","owner":"Department of Antiquities, Jordan.","initial_owner":"Probably Al-Walid II (d. 126/ 744).","dates":"Hegira first quarter of the 2nd century / AD first half of the 8th century.","location":"Irbid","dimensions":"a: Height 46.5 cm, length 57.5 cm, depth 40 cm; b: Height 51 cm, length 70.5 cm, depth 33.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Palace where these carved limestone blocks were found has been dated to the Umayyad period.","method_for_provenance":"The limestone blocks were found in the Umayyad palace at al-Qastal.","provenance":"Al-Qastal, Jordan.","obtention":"The limestone blocks were removed in 1983 during archaeological excavations and restoration of the Umayyad palace at al-Qastal.","bibliography":"Carlier, P. F., 'Recherches archéologiques au château de Qastal (Jordanie)', *ADAJ* Vol. XXVIII, 1984, pp.343–83, figs. 27, 29.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Aida Naghawy","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Floral decoration; geometric decoration; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Carved limestone."]},"d4949137-9f0a-5361-8deb-7fef31ef1e01":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"This Ottoman-period Damascus room typifies a life of luxury in Ottoman Syria. Hospitality has always been central to the Muslim way of life; a room such as this would have been intended for entertaining honoured guests. This room identifies itself as a *qa’a* (hall), by being the largest and most lavishly decorated room in the house. The room itself is made of painted wood panels that compose the four walls and ceiling with a profusion of painted flowers, fruits and architectural scenes. Ornately decorated with motifs inspired with the Islamic Chinese and European tradition. The wooden panelling and ceilings of this interior are embellished with gesso relief decoration, called *'ajami*, which is gilded, tin-leafed, glazed and painted to create a complex interplay of reflective or matte and intensely colored surfaces. The ceiling has three distinct chandelier-like ornaments.","type":"Architecture","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"Hegira 1235 / AD 1820-1821","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"400 x 900cm","provenance":"Syria","bibliography":"*Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, IAMM Guide Book*, Kuala Lumpur: IAMM Publications, 2005 & 2014.  \n*Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia*, Volume 1, Kuala Lumpur: IAMM Publications, 2015: 118-121.","dynasty":"Ottoman","keywords":["Ajami; Ajami room; Aleppo room; Damascus room; wood paneling; painted wooden wall paneling; interior ornament; Syrian craft; Ottoman architecture; calligraphy; domestic furnishing; architectural decoration; geometric decoration; geometric patterns"],"materials":["Carved wood paneling and ceilings with gesso relief decoration (called *'ajami*) with marble mosaic floor"]},"d88746c7-cbe9-5e02-9b69-27f81f2ed7e5":{"name":"Nilometer","description":"The Nilometer is the oldest extant Islamic structure in Egypt, built on the Nile island of al-Rauda in Cairo in AH 247 / AD 861. It consists of a shaft that is connected with the Nile through three channels. In the middle of the shaft stands a column, and its markings from the bottom up make it possible to measure the water level, providing information that is of fundamental importance for people and crops in the Nile river valley.  \n  \nThe Nilometer’s interior is decorated with inscriptions that primarily consist of passages from the Koran. Similar friezes, since demolished, once embellished the entrance, from which this inscription frieze probably came.  \n  \nIt was purchased in Cairo in AH 1240 / AD 1824 by F. C. Münter, Bishop of Zealand, Denmark.","type":"Inscription frieze","holder":"The David Collection","owner":"The David Collection","dates":"AH 247 / AD 861-862","location":"Copenhagen","dimensions":"Height: 23cm; Width: 104.5cm","place_of_production":"Cairo","bibliography":"Meyer, J., *et al.*, *Beyond words: calligraphy from the World of Islam*, Copenhagen: Strandberg Publishing, 2024: fig. 12, 22 and 25.","dynasty":"Tulunids","copy_editor":"Zeina Al Amad","materials":["Marble"]},"daa61140-8ec8-5f6f-b568-7900bd5327e7":{"name":"Window grill (*Jaali*)","short_description":"This object is a pointed window grill, or *jaali*, made of red sandstone. *Jaali* literally means a net or fine web. Windows of perforated stone were typical features of royal palaces façades in Mughal India. These windows had several important functions, helping to protect against environmental conditions, providing shade, and using traditional means to regulate indoor temperatures. The patterns of light and shade created on walls and floors and the artistic interpretation of this light imagery gave *jaali*s a religious aspect. Additionally, due to their double-sided design, they were used both in interior and exterior architecture.  \nThis *jaali* has a repeating design of hexagon shapes, which was very popular during the Mughal empire. According to the Qur’an God created the world in 6 days, represented by the hexagonal, six-sided shapes.","type":"Stonework","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 1014-1060 / AD 1605-1650","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"Height: 139cm, Width: 105cm, Depth: 8cm","method_for_datation":"Typical design during Mughal period.","method_for_provenance":"Purchased from von Alexis Renard, Paris.","provenance":"India","obtention":"Purchased in 2013.","bibliography":"von Achenbach, N., *Vier Objekte anlässlich der Neueinrichtung der Sammlung Islamische Kunst*, Hamburg: Stiftung für die Hamburger Kunstsammlungen, 2015.  \nGandhi, D., \"The Stone Jaali: A Critical Inquiry into Daylight Performance,” *Indian Architect and Builder Magazine* , 28 : 4 (2014): 79-90.  \nGangwar, G., \"Sustainability Lesson Learnt from the Traditional and Vernacular Architecture,” *Journal of Civil Engineering and Environmental Technology*, 3 : 2 (2016): 106-111.  \nKamath, L. G. and Daketi, S., \"Jaalis: A Study on Aesthetics and Functional Aspects in Built Environment,\" *International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Applied Science*, 2 : 2 (2016): 98-104.","dynasty":"Mughal","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["Moghul; Jali"],"materials":["Red sandstone"]},"dbaf64d8-8c35-5357-b8f2-f283d7c34f4d":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"The room was dismantled intact from a courtyard home in the al-Bahsa quarter of Damascus, which was torn down in 1978 to make way for a road. Except for its paneled wood ceiling, which has not survived, the room is largely in its original state, with one of the best-preserved painted surfaces—including brilliant pinks, oranges, blues, and greens—of any similar room of the period. As is characteristic, it is comprised of colorful stone floor tiles, painted and carved wood walls, elaborate cupboard doors and storage niches, a high arch of plaster voussoirs decorated with stone paste inlays, which served to divide the room into upper and lower sections separated by a single, tall step; and unusually, an intricately inlaid stone wall fountain with a carved and painted stone hood. Much of the painted wood surfaces are embellished with a particular type of relief decoration known in Arabic as al-‘ajami, which is typical of the period. This technique produces raised designs of gypsum (mixed with glue), which are then covered with metal leaf, colored glazes, and matte paint. A calligraphic band of Arabic poetry, abridged from the Hamziyya, by the Egyptian poet Sharaf al-Din Muhammad b. Sa‘id al-Busiri (d.c., 696/1297), circumscribes the upper register of the walls. The main floral decoration is likely based on textile designs, while the room’s cornices incorporate detailed depictions of platters of fruit and pastry.  \n  \nClick [here](< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY90jtuEFBs>) to **watch a video presentation** of this artefact.","type":"Architecture; Architectural Elements","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 1180 / AD 1766–67","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"Installation: 609.6 × 457.2 × 600cm","method_for_datation":"The room bears a dated inscription on one of the cornices: Hegira 1180 / AD 1766-67. Although it remained in use in situ for over 200 years, the main decorative elements were not altered. The pilasters, dado and all other structural elements are modern replacements.","method_for_provenance":"Apart from information regarding the room's original location in a house in the al Bahsa section of Damascus, the overall style, materials and technique are typical of 18th-century Damascus.","provenance":"Syria, Damascus","obtention":"Constructed for a home in al-Bahsa, Damascus subsequently belonging to the family of Mohamad Salim El Mourabeh (b. 1932), until 1978 (removed from); home destroyed in 1978 (sold to); Mikhael Daher Al Haddad (b. 1920) and by descent, Daher Haddad (birth/death date unknown), Junyeh, Lebanon, until 2014 (sold to); LACMA (through Robert Haber & Associates, New York) in 2014. Conservation of the room was organized in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture; additional conservation support was provided by the Friends of Heritage Preservation.","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda, *Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016: 20-31; 287-297, figs. 3a, 3b, 4, 5.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective*, Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017: 10-16.  \nKomaroff, Linda, \"A Damascus Room in Los Angeleles,\" in Robert Hillenbrand (ed), *The Making of Islamic Art: Studies in Honour of Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom*, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2020 (In Press).","dynasty":"Ottoman","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["Ajami; Ajami room; Aleppo room; Damascus room; wood paneling; painted wooden wall paneling; interior ornament; Syrian craft; ceramic; Ottoman architecture; Arabic inscription; architectural decoration; calligraphy; domestic furnishing; geometric decoration; geometric patterns"],"materials":["Wood (poplar) with gesso relief, tin and brass leaf, glazes and paint, plaster with stone paste inlays, marble, and multicolored stones"]},"dc5b965f-e339-5f91-bede-06c101b7ce46":{"name":"Water mills","alternate_name":"Rḥa الرحى or maṭḥana المطحنة","description":"Water mills, locally known as *maṭḥana*, date back to the AH 5th-16th / AD 11th–12th centuries during the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties. They played a vital role in Morocco’s rural and agricultural history, supporting traditional economies where farming was the main livelihood. These dynasties promoted the development of hydraulic infrastructure and the rational use of water in both cities and countryside.  \nThe concept of the water mill was not new, but it was refined in Morocco through the blending of Berber, Andalusian, and Eastern influences, enriching local know-how in construction, hydraulics, and community organisation.  \nBuilt in rural regions near rivers and irrigation canals, these mills harnessed the power of flowing water to grind cereals such as wheat, barley, and corn: staples of Moroccan agriculture. Water was diverted through a small canal or pipe to a horizontal wheel, typically wooden or metal, which rotated and turned the upper stone. This efficient system turned grains into flour—an important step in preparing bread, the cornerstone of the Moroccan diet.  \nIn Morocco’s semi-arid climate, water management was always crucial to the survival of communities. Water mills were often integrated into larger hydraulic systems, linked to khettaras (traditional underground canals), norias (water wheels), dams, and retention basins. Beyond their agricultural function, water mills had a social and religious dimension. They might be incorporated into waqfs or habous (religious endowments), whose revenues were used to fund mosques, Quranic schools (madrasas), or hostels for travellers. The miller, often a respected figure in the village, played the role of mediator and overseer in ensuring fair access to milling services. More than functional structures, these mills served as social hubs and symbols of cooperation, sustainability, and spiritual value.  \nWith the advent of modern industry and the introduction of electric mills in the AH 16th / AD 20th century, the use of traditional water mills gradually declined. Some survive in mountainous areas, such as the Middle Atlas, or in remote regions of the Rif and Souss, preserved as part of Morocco’s cultural heritage. These mills stand as evidence of Moroccan hydraulic genius, of the ability of rural societies to adapt to their environment, and of the harmonious integration of nature, technology, and spirituality.","type":"Architectural water feature / Agricultural equipment","holder":"Mohammed VI Museum of Water Civilisation","owner":"Various local communities or preserved as heritage by Ministry of Culture and Islamic Affairs","initial_owner":"Community-owned or endowed through *waqf* (religious endowment)","dates":"AH 5th-6th / AD 11th–12th centuries","location":"Marrakech","place_of_production":"Rural regions of Morocco","provenance":"Originated during the medieval Islamic period as part of Morocco’s broader hydraulic infrastructure and agricultural practices","workshop":"Built by local rural craftsmen with knowledge of traditional Berber, Andalusian, and Eastern techniques","dynasty":"Almoravids  \nAlmohads","author":"MUSEUM Staff, Layan Shahin","copy_editor":"Judy Harter","keywords":["Waqf, community endowment, Islamic charity, ritual food production, sacred economy"],"materials":["Stone, wood, metal; hydraulic engineering using diverted water flows and gravity"]},"dc7a150a-22b9-5870-99a5-731a6c7242dc":{"name":"Façade of the Palace of Mushatta.","description":"The façade of the palace of Mushatta in Berlin is a section of the outer façade to either side of the entrance to the palace complex. Of the square surrounding wall, only this southern section was decorated between two circular towers. It was decorated with relief work consisting of a continuous band of zigzags that was originally 47 m long, bordered by a base with mouldings and a ledge. Large rosettes decorate the triangular corners formed by the zigzags. The background is covered in vine tendrils that spill out of basins. On the façade’s left side, a variety of animals and mythological creatures – such as birds, lions, griffins, a peacock dragon (Senmurw) and a centaur – can be found within the triangular spaces, living peacefully alongside one another as if in the Garden of Eden, mainly occupied in refreshing themselves with water from the large basins. The tower gateway on the right-hand side heralds a change in motif: instead of living creatures, there is now a small-scale plant-motif decoration. The background is filled with shoots and tendrils that rise up from vases or calyxes, spiralling in all directions. This change of motif can be understood by taking into account the fact that the Palace Mosque was situated behind this part of the façade: the depiction of pictorial images was at the time already prohibited in mosques. The triangular sections from the right-hand side of the façade that were not brought over to Berlin in 1903 remained there, where they were destroyed.  \nIt could have been the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid II (r. AH 125–6 / AD 743–4) who, during his short reign, commissioned the building of a palace in the Jordanian desert, southeast of the present capital Amman. The four-sided wall that was built around the palace complex – which included an auditorium, living quarters and a mosque and other buildings needed for temporary government activities there, although the wall looked more defensive and impregnable than it actually was. However, the construction was to remain incomplete, as is testified by the finished pieces pre-worked on the ground, and the sketched markings that are all that exist on the chiselled relief backdrop. A building inscription was never found.  \nMushatta was only rediscovered in the 19th century. The Ottoman Sultan donated considerable sections of the façade to the German Emperor. The rest of the ruin remained *in situ* in Jordan and can still be seen.","short_description":"The limestone façade of Mushatta comes from a desert palace in Jordan and was given as a present by the Ottoman sultan to the German emperor. It is part of the outer wall, which had a decoration of animals among plants. Because the caliph who built the palace was murdered, it was never finished.","type":"Façade; archaeological find","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Probably Caliph al-Walid II (r. AH 125–6 / AD 743–4)","dates":"Probably Hegira first half of the 2nd century/ AD 8th century, *c.* AH 125–6 / AD 743–4.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 5.07 m, length 33 m.","method_for_datation":"At present, on stylistic grounds, it has been dated, not without difficulty and controversy, to the Umayyad period. During the course of the 20th century, there have been several pre-Islamic (Sassanian, Ghaznawid, Byzantine) and early Islamic (Umayyad, Abbasid) suggestions as to its date. The discovery of an incomplete fragment of tile in 1964, on which is inscribed a name that appears in the literature of the period between 730 and 750, supports the suggestion that it is from the late Umayyad period.","method_for_provenance":"It originally belonged to the Qasr al-Mushatta building, which is *in situ*, before a section of the façade was removed.","provenance":"Mushatta, Jordan.","obtention":"Acquired as a gift from the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II to Emperor Wilhelm II, who presented it to the Royal Museums in Berlin in 1903.","bibliography":"Bisheh, G., “Qasr al-Mshatta in the Light of a Recently Found Inscription”, in *Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan* (ed. A. Hadidi), Vol. 3, Amman, 1987, pp.193–7, fig. 2f.  \nCreswell, K. A. C., *Early Muslim Architecture, Vol. 1 Umayyads, AD 622–750*, 2nd edition, Oxford, 1969, Vol. 1(2), pp.578–606, plates 112–36.  \nEnderlein, V., “Die Erwerbung der Fassade von Mschatta”, *Forschungen und Berichte* 26, 1987, pp.81–90.  \nMuseum für Islamische Kunst, Mainz, 2001, pp.117–25.  \nTrümpelmann, L., *Mschatta*, Tübingen, 1962.","dynasty":"Umayyad","linkcatalogs":"IAM_JO_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Palace façade; Relief decoration; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Limestone, decorated with relief work in block sections."]},"dccb922c-234b-572e-9706-0dff5a3747a3":{"name":"Plasterwork fragments.","description":"Fragments of plasterwork decorated with high-relief strap-work with a variety of structures and initially multicoloured, although now there are only traces of flat red and black. There is a predominance of eight-pointed stars of different sizes that generate geometrical structures (*azafates harpados*) and fanciful shapes that fill the spaces. Each star is separated from its neighbour by these types of figure, which form vertical and horizontal strips.  \nThe fragment with inventory number 50725 comes from one of the side panels of the great arch of the central rectangular hall, which was flanked by two square rooms. Fragment C, which has two and a half stars, may have come from the horizontal frieze placed above the arch. Fragment A, decorated with knotwork mixed with plant arabesques, undoubtedly came from the base. A third fragment, B, decorated with a geometrical rose, comes from the spandrels.","short_description":"The Christian aristocracy, appreciative of Muslim artistic refinement, incorporated the materials and motifs of the Andalusian palaces in their mansions. The walls of the Moor’s Workshop in Toledo were decorated with plasterwork like this, with its geometric interlacing designs developing from an eight-pointed star.","type":"Plasterwork","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1325–50.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"50713: A) height 17 cm, width 16.5 cm; B) height 17 cm, width 16 cm; C) height 24.5 cm, width 48.5 cm; framed set: height 48 cm, width 53 cm. 50725: height 16.5 cm, width 32 cm.","method_for_datation":"These plasterwork fragments decorated the walls of the Taller del Moro (Moor's Workshop), which was erected between 1325 and 1350.","method_for_provenance":"The fragments are from the main room of the Taller del Moro and were still in their original position in 1905 when they were photographed for the book by R. Amador de los Ríos (see bibliography).","provenance":"Taller del Moro (Moor’s Workshop), Toledo, Spain.","obtention":"The piece was purchased for the National Archaeological Museum on an unknown date after 1905.","bibliography":"Amador de los Ríos, R., *Monumentos Arquitectónicos de España. Toledo, Madrid, 1905, pp.326–6.*  \nFranco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas de los Siglos VIII al XV”, in *Guía General del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, II, 1992, p.96.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Plasterwork; modelled; Moorish; Toledo"],"materials":["Plaster; modelling."]},"def6faf0-d2a3-568b-8c50-84cb131331b0":{"name":"Capital.","description":"Capital inspired by the Corinthian order, very close in its proportions to the classical style. It has a single row of acanthus leaves and scrolls with a floral motif in the centre. The front of the abacus is decorated with a row of pearls and another of small leaves, arranged in a zigzag, which could reflect a Visigothic influence. On one of its sides there is a four-line inscription in archaic *kufic* characters, deteriorated but still legible, reading: 'In the name of God's grace / for Amir ‘Abd al-Rahman son of al-Hakam / honour him God\". The inscription refers to ‘Abd al-Rahman II.  \nThe location of the inscription is unusual in Andalusian capitals, but it is common in the East. However, it started the tradition of inscribed commemorative capitals, something very characteristic of Andalusian architecture.  \nIn the first Islamic constructions in the Iberian Peninsula, in the AH 2nd / AD 8th century, Hispano-Roman and Visigothic capitals tended to be reused. During the AH 3rd / AD 9th century the production of the first Andalusian capitals began with strong classical and Visigothic influences. However, by halfway through that century Andalusian artists had already absorbed the previous artistic legacy and the capitals start to acquire an Islamic air. This piece, sculpted delicately and deeply, presages the splendour that the architectural carving of the Caliphate would attain.","short_description":"The Umayyad Emirate of the West became a great power under ‘Abd al-Rahman II. During that time, the first Hispano-Muslim capitals were made, of which this is an example. The cone shape and realistic decoration were even then inspired by Roman capitals.","type":"Capital, marble","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"Hegira 207–38 / AD 822–52.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Height 28.5 cm, width 35 cm, diameter 30 cm.","method_for_datation":"The piece has caused considerable controversy since Amadro de los Ríos attributed it to the 4th / 10th century. Gómez Moreno attributed it to the 3rd / 9th century on the basis of its sculptural style, an opinion shared by most researchers.","method_for_provenance":"The capital comes from the ancestral home of the Gran Capitan de Córdoba, where it had been reused. It was probably one of the few capitals made during the reign of ‘Abd al-Rahman II for the expansion of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, built between 218–34 / 833–48.","provenance":"Córdoba, Spain.","obtention":"The capital was donated to the National Archaeological Museum on 6 November 1912.","bibliography":"*Al-Andalus: Las Artes Islámicas en España*, Exhibition catalogue, Madrid, 1992, p.232. English edition: *Al-Andalus: The Art Of Islamic Spain* ( ed. J. D. Dodds), New York, 1992.  \nCressier, P., “Le Chapiteau Emiral: les Problemes de son étude”, in *Coloquio Internacional Sobre Capiteles Corintios, Prerrománicos e Islámicos (ss. VI–XII d. C.)*, Madrid, 1990, p.102. XII  \nCressier, P. and Marinetto Sánchez, P., “Les Chapiteaux Islamiques de la Péninsule Ibérique et du Maroc, de la Renaissance émirale aux Almohades”, in *L'Acanthe dans la Sculpture Monumentale, de l'Antiquité a la Renaissance*, Paris, 1993, pp.211–46.  \nDomínguez Perela, E., “Los Capiteles en al-Andalus Durante los Siglos VIII–IX”, in *Coloquio Internacional Sobre Capiteles Corintios, Prerrománicos e Islámicos (s. VI–XII d. C.)*, Madris, 1990, p.106.  \n*El Esplendor de los Omeyas Cordobeses*, Exhibition catalogue, Granada, 2001.","dynasty":"Umayyads of al-Andalus, Emirate of ‘Abd al-Rahman II","author":"Margarita Sánchez Llorente","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Commemorative capital; religious architecture"],"materials":["Carved marble"]},"df4709cd-ab73-5f8f-9d79-ecac52cd3487":{"name":"Damascus Room","short_description":"The Damascus Room is a residential winter reception chamber (*qa‘a*) typical of the late Ottoman period. Among the earliest extant, nearly complete interiors of its kind, the room’s large scale and refined decoration suggest that it was part of the house of an affluent family. Poetry inscribed on the walls indicates that the patron was Muslim and possibly a member of the religious elite who claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad. Because wealthy homeowners periodically refurbished reception rooms in accordance with shifting trends, Damascene houses and their interiors rarely date to a single building phase. Although an inscription dates most of the woodwork to 1707, alterations were made to the room in subsequent years.","type":"Reproductions","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Dated Hegira 1119 / AD 1707","location":"New York","dimensions":"H: 671.6cm, W: 509.2cm, D: 804.2cm [from inside front entrance to back wall]","provenance":"Damascus, Syria","obtention":"Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Asfar and Sarkis, Damascus, Syria, until early 1930s; sold to Kevorkian\\]  \nFormer owner: Hagop Kevorkian, New York (early 1930s–d. 1962)  \nFormer owner: Kevorkian Foundation, New York (1962–70; gifted to MMA)","bibliography":"Burn, Barbara (ed), *Masterpieces of the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York/Boston: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993: 90-91, ill. (colour).  \nCampbell, Thomas P. (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 142-143, ill. (colour).  \nDaskalakis-Matthews, Annie Christine, \"Pearls from Water Rubies from Stone: Studies in Islamic Art in Honor of Priscilla Soucek,\" in Linda Komaroff and Jaclynne Kerner (eds), *Artibus Asiae, Vol. 66/2. Festschriften*, Zurich: Artibus Asiae Publishers, 2006: 69-96, ill. figs. 19, 20, 24. Mamluk Elements in the Damascene Decorative System of the 18th and 19th centuries by Annie-Christine Daskalakis-Mathews.  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: no. 238, 7,13, 14, 333-337, ill. 335 (colour).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam and Moore, Claire (ed), *Art of the Islamic World. A Resource for Educators*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 186-187, ill. pl. 38 (colour).  \nEttinghausen, Richard, \"Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 33/1 (Spring 1975): ill. 40-1 (colour).  \nde Montebello, Philippe and Howard, Kathleen (ed), The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992: 327, ill. fig. 37 (colour).  \nPeck, Amelia and Daskalakis-Mathews, Annie-Christine, *Period Rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996: 287–95, ill.  \nSwietochowski, Marie and Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn, *Notable Acquisitions 1965–1975*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975: 141, ill. (b/w).  \nWelch, Stuart Cary, *The Islamic World. Vol. 11*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 126-127, ill. fig. 97 (colour).","dynasty":"Ottoman","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970","keywords":["Aleppo room; Ajami room; Damascus room; Arabic inscription; architectural decoration; calligraphy; carpentry; brass; domestic furnishing; fountain; geometric decoration; geometric patterns; gold; gold leaf; marble; metalwork; mother-of-pearl; ceramic tiles; Ottoman architecture; stucco; Syrian tiles; wood paneling; painted wooden wall paneling; interior ornament"],"materials":["Wood (poplar) with gesso relief, gold and tin leaf, glazes and paint; wood (cypress, poplar, and mulberry), mother-of-pearl, marble and other stones, stucco with glass, plaster ceramic tiles, iron, brass"]},"df497ccb-7aa2-50fd-8a56-d90ab003137c":{"name":"Pelican","short_description":"During the Middle Ages, a pelican pecking at its breast to feed its young with its own blood was considered a symbol of Christ’s Crucifixion.","type":"Stained glass; church window","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"c. 1322","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 29cm","provenance":"Abbey Church of Hauterive, Switzerland","obtention":"Purchased in 1913 from the estate of the art historian Johann Rudolf Rahn (1841–1912)","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"e044cda8-3dd1-516b-b09e-20ca779903eb":{"name":"Ornamental pilaster.","description":"Fragment of a pilaster, found together with another smaller frieze – also now in the City Museum, Lisbon – which repeats the design of the side fascias of the front panel of this pilaster. Given that the central element of the plaque indicates that the motifs would have been repeated vertically, there seems little doubt that the piece in question is all that remains of an elaborate pilaster.  \nThe stone has three different vertical fields, separated by a simple corded design. The sides of the panel are filled with a frieze of finely cut *fleur-de-lys* rosettes. The inner fascia is decorated with four-lobed medallions, which are supported on almost imaginary lines, interrupted by the peripheral ornaments, but joined to one another in a repetitive quadrangular pattern, which gives the motif a quite dynamic design. The centre of the surviving medallion is distinguished by a circle with a radiating rosette, while the external area emerges filled with succulent bunches of fruit and small *fleurs-de-lys*, both arranged as a cross and enclosed in the curvatures of the medallion. The other medallions, only the edges of which can be seen, would have represented the imperial eagles of Sassanid tradition. In the upper part a fan-shaped tail can be seen and two claws rigidly supported on the corners of the medallion. The remaining lobe of the other ornament, in the lower part of the piece, shows the area of the creature's head, too damaged for us to tell whether or not it was bifid. The side spaces between the medallions are sculpted with very open palmettes, of oriental tradition, and which are also found on other sculptures in the city.","short_description":"This pilaster may have originated in the Episcopal Basilica of Lisbon. The plant and animal motifs suggest Sassanid origins, although close similarities can be found in the Umayyad palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar near Jericho. The pilaster is one of a group of pieces from Lisbon classed as Mozarabic.","type":"Pilaster, stone","holder":"City Museum.","owner":"Lisbon City Council.","dates":"Hegira 3rd–4th / AD 9th–10th century.","location":"Lisbon.","dimensions":"Height 54.5 cm, width 49 cm, depth 16 cm.","method_for_datation":"The two stones found in the house on Rua dos Bacalhoeiros are similar to others from the Cathedral, the Castle, the Casa dos Bicos and from Chelas (Lisbon), which must be considered to be from the Mozarabic period. In this specific case, both the ornamental schema, and some of the decorative motifs are reminiscent of certain stuccoes at the Umayyad palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar (Jericho), datable from the first half of the 8th century. These sculptures have no parallel in any other peninsular art attributable to the Visigoth period.","method_for_provenance":"Several pieces were found in the Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, next to the line of the wall, where they may have been re-used after being taken from a destroyed Mozarabic church. Their extraordinary decorative richness and relative proximity to the Cathedral suggest that these pieces may have come from the Episcopal Basilica.","provenance":"Lisbon.","obtention":"Presented to the Lisbon City Hall, after being removed from a building on Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, where it was found together with another piece.","bibliography":"Almeida, F. de, “Arte Visigótica em Portugal”, *Arqueólogo Português*, New series, IV, Lisbon, 1962, pp. 7–27.  \nFernandes, P. A., *Visigótico ou Moçárabe? O Núcleo de Alta Idade Média da Cidadede Lisboa no Museu Arqueológico do Carmo*,(forthcoming).  \nFerreira, O. V., “Acerca de uma Pedra Visigótica Ornamentada”, *Revista do Sindicato Nacional dos Engenheiros Auxiliares, Agentes Técnicos de Engenharia e Condutores*, 4, Lisbon, 1949, pp. 508–14.  \nPalol, P., *Arte Hispánico de la época Visigoda*, Barcelona, 1968.  \nReal, M. L., “Inovação e Resistência: Dados Recentes Sobre a Antiguidade Cristã no Ocidente Peninsular”, in *IV Reunió d'Arqueologia Cristiana Hispànica*, Barcelona, 1995, pp.17–68.","dynasty":"Umayyad of Córdoba, Caliphate period","linkcatalogs":"IAM_PT_EN_001","author":"Manuel Luís Real","translator":"Gilla Evans","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Umayyad of Córdoba; limestone; bas-relief, medallion; rosette; palmette; fleur-de-lys; grape design; Mozarabic; vegetal decoration"],"materials":["Limestone; sculpture in bas-relief."]},"e0d8deeb-f886-5cc2-84a5-fd934f5025aa":{"name":"Column with *kufic* inscription.","description":"Column with a slight entasis (swelling)and an echinus (convex moulding). On the top of the shaft, within a rectangular scroll, there is an Arabic inscription in *kufic* characters that recites a *basmala*, according to M. Amari’s interpretation (see Bibliography): ‘In the name of God, the merciful and compassionate’. In the centre of the column, within a square scroll, is inscribed the *shahada*, or profession of faith: ‘There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet’. Until 1874, it was outside the main gateway of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, on the right. It originally came from a religious building, a mosque possibly transformed into an oratory, that was probably erected in the vicinity of the medieval church. There is another column in the Regional Gallery of Sicilia (inventory no. 5100) with very similar inscriptions, also from a church in Palermo, which no longer exists: San Giacomo la Mazzara. The austere Fatimid style, offering almost no decoration, was also adopted in Sicily and remained in use during the Norman era.","short_description":"This column can be dated to the time of Islamic rule in Sicily by the *kufic* characters in the inscription that appears in the centre of the column inside a square scroll.","type":"Column, marble","holder":"Regional Gallery of Sicilia, Abatellis Palace","dates":"Around Hegira 5th / AD 11th century.","location":"Palermo","dimensions":"Height 166 cm, width 27 cm.","method_for_datation":"Attributable to the period of Islamic domination in Sicily due to the presence of the inscription in *kufic* characters.","method_for_provenance":"From documents that attest to the column originating from the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi.","provenance":"Uncertain, from near the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Palermo.","obtention":"Deposited with the Royal Museum of Palermo.","bibliography":"Amari, M., *Le Epigrafi Arabiche di Sicilia: Iscrizioni Edili*, New edition (ed. F. Gabrieli), Palermo, 1971, no. XX, pp.107–8.  \nDelogu, R., *La Galleria Nazionale della Sicilia*, Rome, 1977, pp.9, 58.  \nScerrato, U.,“Arte Islamica in Italia”, in *Gli Arabi in Italia*, (eds. F. Gabrieli and U. Scerrato), Milan, 1979, pp.282–3 and fig. 179.","dynasty":"Fatimid","author":"Rita Bernini","copy_editor":"Pier Paolo Racioppi","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Arab-Norman; mosque; kufic; column."],"materials":["Sculpted marble."]},"e18f8466-141f-5331-9f99-4c04baf54631":{"name":"Carved panel","short_description":"The marble panel is closely related to the reliefs that decorated facades and pillars in the palace city of Madinat al-Zahra. The city was built in the second half of the 10th century for the caliph Abd al-Rahman III, but already destroyed in 1010. Because of their very high quality, the city’s building materials were reused throughout southern Spain.","type":"Panel, marble","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 2nd half of the 4th century / AD 2nd half of the 10th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Spain, Cordoba","dynasty":"Umayyad of al-Andalus, Caliphate period","keywords":["Panel; Marble; palatial architecture; architectural element"],"materials":["Marble"]},"f066d3bf-136b-5661-b693-1a11ebfeb55e":{"name":"*Mashrabiyya* window.","description":"A stucco and coloured glass *mashrabiyya* window, which belongs to a set of openwork windows in the Kelvingrove Collection, each with a different design in the centre of the niche. This one shows a cypress tree surrounded by flower stems under a niche. The green, red, and yellow coloured-glass pieces have been imbedded in the stucco openwork from the back. During the Ottoman period in Cairo both mosques and private houses were adorned with such windows from as early as the AH 10th / AD 16th century. The tradition of setting coloured-glass in stucco has endured since its earliest days in the Abbasid capital of Samarra (AH mid-2nd / AD 9th century) to the present day.","short_description":"This stucco and coloured glass window is decorated with a cypress tree and floral arrangements, typical of AH 13th- / AD 19th-century Ottoman art. The cypress tree symbolises a true Muslim as it stands tall and bows in the wind gracefully. Windows such as this adorned both homes and mosques in Cairo.","type":"Stucco, Architectural decoration","holder":"Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Museums.","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century.","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"Height 72.5 cm, width 74 cm.","method_for_datation":"Artistic analysis: the style and technique of this window resembles many 13th- / 19th-century stucco windows still in place in Cairo today.","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased by Glasgow Museums / Kelvingrove Art Gallery in 1896.","bibliography":"Jenkins, M., *Islamic Glass, A Brief History,* Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1986.","dynasty":"Ottoman","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Architectural features; floral decoration; religious symbol; religious object; palatial architecture"],"materials":["Stucco; moulded and carved openwork with coloured glass."]},"f36f3cb1-3b23-5e30-ade4-e04fc827205f":{"name":"Panel of gratitude for Dr. Paul Meyer, Berne, Switzerland","short_description":"The wayfarer depicted in the mountains represents the recipient of this gift himself. The stained glass panel was given to Dr. Paul Meyer, the long-standing principal of the Gymnasium (grammar school) in Berne and \"deserving supporter of school outings\".","type":"Stained and painted glass","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"1920","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 37.5cm","provenance":"Berne, Switzerland","obtention":"Property of Dr. Paul Meyer, Berne, Switzerland.  \nGift of Martin Halter, Berne, Switzerland, grandson of the glass painter, in 2016.","copy_editor":"Liz Cooper","materials":["Stained and painted glass"]},"f88193ec-c618-5df9-8728-cdb15d419ec4":{"name":"*Alfarje* ceiling.","description":"From the room assumed to be the royal chamber of Alfonso XI (r. 1312–50), this is a flat *alfarje* ceiling with exposed beams, made up of four weight-bearing main beams placed across the room. Perpendicular to and above these beams runs a beam 504 cm long, extended on both ends by two shorter beams, all three with the same section. This structure creates a ten-caisson ceiling. The ceiling is covered with crossbeams, each with three cuts along its length, and boards with elongated-hexagon shaped *menado* decoration (simple decoration of wooden triangles in the corners, creating hexagons), with two thin boards on each side. The finish consists of base boards, flashing on the beams and the walls, *argeutes* (the boards placed between two corbels) and strips. The underside of the main beams is decorated with symmetrical plant motifs, Nasrid pepper-shaped leaves with central ornamentation, and medallions or eight-bow knots on the sides. In the middle of the beams there are single-tower castles, and banded coats of arms are painted on the ends. The elongated-hexagon tile (*alfardon*) motif appears on the sides painted with a cursive inscription in Arabic that reads 'There is no God but Allah' with the occasional addition of the word 'happiness'.  \nThe palace of King Alfonso XI was inhabited by Doña Leonor de Guzmán (the king's lover, 1310–50) and, according to the chronicler Teodomiro Ramírez de Arellano, both Don Fadrique and Don Enrique were conceived there, the latter being the future King Henry II of Castile, the founder of the House of Trastamara, conferring on the piece a certain documental importance.","short_description":"From a room thought to be the royal chamber of the palace of Alfonso XI (r. 1312—50) in Córdoba, this ceiling was covered with multicoloured heraldic, plant and Arabic epigraphic motifs.","type":"Woodwork, ceiling, wood","holder":"National Archaeological Museum.","dates":"1350–60.","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length 900 cm, width 400 cm.","method_for_datation":"It has been dated after 1360, as single-tower castles and banded coats of arms were not used during the reign of Peter I (1350–66), but they were from the reign of Henry II (1366–79). Nonetheless, it could be earlier as the style is typical of the 1350s.","method_for_provenance":"Appears in the piece's record, which is the only source of information on the piece.","provenance":"Córdoba, from the Palace of King Alfonso XI, subsequently the home of General Fresneda before its demolition.","obtention":"The piece was bought for the National Archaeological Museum from Luis Moreno de Cala on 29 September 1980.","bibliography":"Cuevas, S., “ADELPHA Denuncia el Traslado Irregular de un Artesonado Mudéjar”, *El País*, 2 September 1980.  \nFranco Mata, á., “Antigüedades Cristianas del Siglo VIII al XV”, in *Guía del Museo Arqueológico Nacional*, Madrid, 1992, Vol. II, p.96.  \nLópez Guzmán, R., *Arquitectura Mudéjar: Del Sincretismo Medieval a las Alternativas Hispanoamericanas*, Madrid, 2000, p.185.  \nMartínez Caviró, B., “Carpintería Mudéjar Toledana”, *Cuadernos de la Alhambra*, 12, Granada, 1976, pp.225–65.  \nRamírez de Arellano, T., *Paseos por Córdoba: O Sean Apuntes para Su Historia*, Cordoba, 1873–5.","dynasty":"Mudéjar","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Ángela Franco","copy_editor":"Rosalía Aller","translator":"Laurence Nunny","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Ceiling; alfarje; wood; carving; polychrome decoration; coat of arms; Mudeéar; Córdoba; Alfonso XI; Peter I"],"materials":["Wood; carving, polichromy."]},"f913a36e-6a1b-5710-a0b7-52e815a3703a":{"name":"Arab Room","description":"The Arab Room shows the collections of the Marquis coming not only from Arabia but also from China, Japan, the Philippines, Turkey, Morocco and New Zealand. He collected and displayed these works, similar to other European palaces of the 19th Century, because his taste ran to oriental, exotic, foreign or ancestral cultures. This room was also known as *fumoir*, associated with smoking, essentially thought for masculine use. The ceiling is decorated with interlacing designs and six-pointed star in the middle, from which hangs a superb Arab lamp. There are kilims on the walls and carpets on the floor and furniture. Among all, we can also find arms and armouries, musical instruments and six scale-model reproducing walls and windows from some rooms of the Alhambra palace.","type":"Architecture; Interior decoration","holder":"Cerralbo Museum","dates":"1893","location":"Madrid","provenance":"Madrid","author":"Cristina Giménez","copy_editor":"Anne Dowell","keywords":["Decorations; Design; models; Alhambra"],"materials":["Plasterwork, wood, fabric"]},"fb0d852c-219c-5753-93b5-9648fdd94679":{"name":"Alhambra cupola.","description":"The cupola in Berlin was once part of the Torre \\[tower\\] de las Damas in the Palacio del Partal, and was built above elaborate stuccowork. From the tower’s windows one could enjoy a view over the city of Granada as well as over the palace complex, including the parts of the Alhambra that no longer exist today, which were built by the Nasrid ruler Muhammad III (r. AH 701–708 / AD 1302–1308). The Nasrid rulers’ motto, ‘There is no victory other than from God’, which plays an important part in the cupola’s decoration, can be read as a proclamation of Islam, which was threatened by the approaching *Reconquista*.  \nThe cupola is, in its most basic form, a square, which then develops inwards, first into an octagon, and then into 16 trapezia. Each side of the square is decorated with a triangle that features woven geometric patterns complemented by plant motifs. A small miniature cupola sits at the centre of the triangles. The octagon is formed by panels with small arches, in which symmetrical *kufic* inscriptions lie on a red background, along with pinecones, small seashells and arabesques. The Nasrid motto ‘There is no victory other than from God’ is repeated on the rectangular panels of the 16-sided form. These are surrounded by small *muqarnas* (stalactite) arches. The subsequent 16 trapezia show the interlaced carvings that are typical of the Islamic world. Small polygons or stars repeat the Nasrid motto. A 16-sided horizontal panel, also decorated with interlaced carving, covers the cupola. The appeal of the decoration lies in the contrast between the strictness and severity of the flat bands of interlaced carvings and the raised levels of relief work. Wooden ceilings and cupolas of this kind are a particular feature of Islamic architecture in the Maghreb. Countless examples can be found, not just in the Alhambra, but also in many other buildings in Spain and in North Africa.","short_description":"This cupola is from a building in the Alhambra palace complex called the Palacio del Partal, which was once the private house of a German banker who was allowed to transfer the cupola to his Berlin villa. Wooden ceilings and cupolas of this kind are a feature of Islamic architecture in the Maghreb.","type":"Woodwork, cupola, Alhambra","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"In 1885, Arthur von Gwinner bought a piece of land in the Alhambra area, which included a section with buildings, streets and gardens. In 1891 he donated the Palacio del Partal to the city of Granada. In return, he was allowed to dismantle the wooden cupola, removing it from the Torre de las Damas and transporting it to Berlin. In 1892 he reassembled the cupola, incorporating it in his Berlin home. In 1921 he donated his property to the Spanish government.","dates":"Around hegira 719 / AD 1320.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Height 190 cm, width 355 cm, depth 355 cm.","method_for_datation":"The cupola can be dated through its provenance from the Palacio del Partal, which formed part of the Alhambra Palace and which was built under Muhammad III (r. 701–708 / 1302–1308).","method_for_provenance":"Documents show that the cupola came from the Palacio del Partal in the Alhambra Palace complex in Granada, Spain, from where it was removed in 1892. Its Spanish provenance is thus guaranteed.","provenance":"Part of the Torre de las Damas from the Palacio del Partal within the Alhambra palace complex in Granada, Spain.","obtention":"Acquired in 1978 from Arthur von Gwinner’s descendants.","bibliography":"Brisch, K., “Eine Kuppel aus der Alhambra in Granada”, *Berichte aus den Berliner Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz*, 3rd series, 14, 1978, pp.6–7, 10–11.  \nBrisch, K., “Eine Kuppel aus der Alhambra in Granada”, in *Jahrbuch Preußischer Kulturbesitz* 16, 1979, pp.169–76.  \nChmelnizkij, S., “Methods of Constructing Geometric Ornamental Systems in the Cupola of the Alhambra”, *Muqarnas* 6, 1989, pp.43–9.  \nDodds, J. D., *Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain*, New York, 1992, cat. no. 116.  \nFernández-Puertas, A., *The Alhambra I*, London, 1997, pp.235–9.","dynasty":"Nasrid","linkcatalogs":"IAM_ES_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides, Brigitte Finkbeiner","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Cupola; Alhambra; palatial architecture; muqarnas; geometric patterns; architectural decoration"],"materials":["Cedar and poplar wood, carved and joined together from individual pieces. Certain sections are painted (red, blue and green)."]}}