Publication Date
558/ 1163
Publication Place
-
Hama Museum
Subject
Carved and inlaid wood. — Possibly a carpenters’ workshop from Aleppo.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع (في أعلى نقطة): 430 سم؛ الطول: 320 سم؛ العرض: 85 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
3266
Record ID
object;ISL;sy;Mus01_B;44;ar
Library Location
Hama Museum
Date
558/ 1163
Notes
The pulpit, which is a wooden platform used to deliver the sermon on Fridays, is considered one of the oldest furnishings used in religious rituals, and it appeared in the period of the Prophet (PBUH). When Nur ad-Din, who died in 569 / AD 1174, ruled Syria and the Jazira, he ordered the making of a number of important wooden pulpits as part of his plan to promote jihad and piety, and he entrusted this task to the modern carpenters in Aleppo. Nur al-Din ordered the manufacture of this pulpit, which is currently in the Hama Museum, to be part of the new mosque that he built in Hama in 558 / AD 1163. It consists of a narrow stairway that leads up to a covered chair. Although it has lost its original staircase and surrounding walls, the upper part is original. The high chair is square, has a back, and the other three sides are open and carried on brackets. It is surmounted by a horizontal surface that is densely decorated and crowned with a dome. The arabesque floral and geometric decorations indicate the high level of woodcarving. The pulpit bears two historical inscriptions along the two friezes on either side of the plaque. The inscription on the left side, which was taken out and installed above the entrance to the mosque, mentions “Jihad and Justice.” As for the right side, which is still in place, it emphasizes piety and humility. The frieze also bears a Qur’anic inscription about creation and Paradise, while the back of the chair bears the Shahada written on two lines in third-broad script within a decorative frame. The pulpit emphasizes the status of Nour al-Din. Political and religious, a situation confirmed by the writings in the mosque as well. The importance of the pulpit stems from its being a symbol of authority. The inscriptions engraved on it, and the speeches that were delivered from above, are a visual and audible manifestation of society’s vision and leadership. In the case of Nur al-Din, historical references mention that he was very careful about what was said about him in many of the mosques built in his name, and the image he wished to project was piety versus greatness, humility versus wealth, and devoting himself to jihad. Nur al-Din expressed his dream of liberating Jerusalem through a similar platform, but more Richly decorated, he ordered it to be made for the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem before Saladin recovered it from the hands of the Franks. Unfortunately, the pulpit was recently destroyed during a fire in 1969.
Sample Text
Waal Hafian “Minbar” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;sy;Mus01_B;44;ar
