Publication Date
357 / 968
Publication Place
-
National Archaeological Museum
Subject
Engraved marble.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 86 سم؛ العرض: 61 سم؛ السماكة: 17 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
1907/32/101
Record ID
object;ISL;es;Mus01;19;ar
Library Location
National Archaeological Museum
Date
357 / 968
Notes
A memorial plaque belonging to a defense building. The piece takes the shape of a rectangular prism; Its main facade is decorated with an inscription in relief, framed by an ornamental relief. The letters are old and influenced by the Orient, and are relatively broken starting from the fifth line, and therefore difficult to read. We can barely read the last line; The best-preserved part reproduces the following: “In the name of God, the Most Compassionate/the Most Merciful. This tower was built by Abdullah, Al-Hakam Al-Mustansir Billah, Commander of the Faithful, may God prolong his life, under the supervision of his master, the commander Mysore Ibn Al-Hakam. It was completed with God’s remaining help in the month of Ramadan in the year three hundred and fifty-seven.” The inscriptional decoration refers to Caliph Al-Hakam II (r. 350-366 / 961-976), On whose initiative the building was completed. The word “tower” (lighthouse, fortress) is linked to the beginning of the construction of this building, and the painting celebrates the founding of the Baths of La Encina (Jaine), which is one of the rare baths that we preserve from the Umayyad period. Since the middle of the second / seventh century, the construction of defensive buildings has become common in the Iberian Peninsula. It is certain that this was due to the numerical weakness of the Muslim population in order to defend the open sites. The fortifications were gradually multiplied later in order to ensure the protection of transportation routes and corridors, depending on the progress of the “reconquest.” It is likely that the wall of the Hammametla Encina fortress was intended to house soldiers and defend the road network that started from Cordoba.
Sample Text
Margarita Sánchez Llorente “Memorial Plaque” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;es;Mus01;19;ar
