Publication Date
437 AH / 1046 AD
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Arts; Raqqada; Kairouan
Subject
Carved marble decorated with inlays.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول: 284 سم؛ الارتفاع: 110 سم؛ السماكة: 21 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
MR 003
Record ID
object;ISL;tn;Mus01;33;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Arts; Raqqada; Kairouan
Date
437 AH / 1046 AD
Notes
A piece of a large rectangular wall painting, originally composed of six blocks of varying dimensions, of which only four pieces have survived. The incised surface contains a text consisting of five lines carved in relief, in a lush Kufic script, with incised and beveled letters. This inscription is considered one of the most beautiful works of calligraphy and calligraphy dating back to the Zirid period. Its inscription is extremely balanced, defined by a furrow, surrounded by floral decorations (spiral branches) and various shapes of palmettes (simple or heart-shaped). From a historical perspective, the text of this inscription is of great importance, as the name of the city, “The City of the Glory of Islam,” which was fortified by order of Al-Mu’izz Ibn Badis, is the name of a place that was documented on the dinars that the Emir himself ordered to be minted. As of 439 AH/1048 AD, it replaces the old Fatimid name for the city, “Al-Mansuriyya,” which we find on dinars prior to this date, and announces the beginning of a new era, the era of confrontation with the Fatimid caliphs in Cairo. This sign name, which precedes the name of the city, leads to believe that this plaque was originally installed on the outer façade of the city wall, or that it was located at the top of one of its five gates that the geographer indicated. Al-Bakri Andalusian. The inscription, which is only an excerpt from a longer text, includes the following phrases: 1- “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. There is no god but God alone, with no partner, Muhammad is the Messenger of God. May peace and blessings be upon him”; And to compel his renegade enemies, at the hands of his servant and mamluk, the Secretary of State and Wasfi al-Khasa, Ahmad Ibn Zahir al-Katib, in the year four hundred and thirty-seven. The rest of the text indicates the name of the writer, Ahmad Ibn Zahir al-Katib, who supervised these works, and the date of their completion.
Sample Text
Mourad Rammah “Piece of a commemorative inscription” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tn;Mus01;33;ar
