Publication Date
397 AH/1007 AD
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Arts; Raqqada; Kairouan
Subject
Engraved white marble.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 41 سم؛ العرض: 34،5 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
M.R. 010
Record ID
object;ISL;tn;Mus01;31;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Arts; Raqqada; Kairouan
Date
397 AH/1007 AD
Notes
This stele, written in Latin, with its upper part broken and engraved with cursive letters, dates back to the Christian and Islamic periods at the same time. The name of the deceased has disappeared, but we are certain that he was a Christian and that he was buried in Kairouan. The last section of the stele includes a supplication related to resurrection “resurgat in vita eternal” = “resurrection in eternal life” and a mention of the worship of the saints “cum omnibus sanctis.” However, the most notable aspect of this funerary inscription of all lies, without a doubt, in the joint presence of the Christian and Islamic traditions in dating the stele at the same time. Likewise, despite the ancient legacy in the field of calligraphic form and the possible Mozarabic influences, and in the decorative research that characterizes the engraving of letters and which brings it closer to the art of Arabic writing in Kairouan. Finally, and most especially, if the phrase “annorum infidelium” was normal to refer to Muslims in a Christian environment, there is no doubt that this was not the case in an Islamic capital. The date, expressions, calligraphic form, and comparison with two other Christian stele from Kairouan allow to show the spiritual atmosphere that prevailed in Kairouan during the rule of the Zirid dynasty, which was characterized by tolerance and cultural interactions.
Sample Text
Mourad Rammah “Latin tombstone” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tn;Mus01;31;ar
