Publication Date
Year 490-541 AH / 1097 - 1147 AD
Publication Place
-
Udaya Museum; Rabat
Subject
White marble imported from Almería, carved and carved. — Marble workshop in Almería; Andalusia.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 14.5 سم؛ الطول: 90 سم؛ العرض: 21 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
D. 4409
Record ID
object;ISL;ma;Mus01_B;37;ar
Library Location
Udaya Museum; Rabat
Date
Year 490-541 AH / 1097 - 1147 AD
Notes
This prismatic tombstone, whose marble may have come from the Almería region, has a break on one end. It appears that it was carved for one of the nobles of that period, as was the custom for this type of funerary stele reserved for figures belonging to the elite. An inscription in one line covers both sides and the two triangular sections. On the first side, the basmalah, prayer, and peace be upon the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, and his family, were carved in relief. The oneness of God was declared on the triangular section, and the identity of the deceased was indicated on the second side: “This is the grave of (…) [Ibrahim Ibn al-Aqra’ (…)” followed by a religious phrase common in inscriptions in Muslim Spain: “May God have mercy on him and have mercy on those who prayed for him (= prayed for him) with his mercy, he is safe (= Amen).” However, the breakage that occurred at the end of the piece caused the stele to lose its execution date. The very high tails of the Kufic letters end in an oblique expansion, resembling the letters of the inscriptions in Almeria and Java (Niger). The spaces on the writing floor were decorated with a thin, wavy branch that included a double stem bearing leaves and buds. This funerary stele, which constitutes the only example from the Almoravid period discovered to this day in Morocco, in terms of its religious wording and writing style, remains similar to the tomb stele in the Almería region, dated to the first half of the AH 6th century / AD 12th century. Which suggests that the piece was the work of a workshop from this city. In terms of its floral decoration, it also resembles the Almoravid-era pulpit in the Great Mosque in Algeria, dated 490 AH/1097 AD.
Sample Text
Naima El Khatib-Boujibar “Tombstone” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;ma;Mus01_B;37;ar
