Publication Date
589 / 1193
Publication Place
-
The National Museum in Damascus
Subject
Die cast bronze.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول الكامل: 37 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
ع / 2798
Record ID
object;ISL;sy;Mus01;25;ar
Library Location
The National Museum in Damascus
Date
589 / 1193
Notes
This piece is a door knocker for the Shadbakhtiyya Madrasa, which was built in the city of Aleppo during the reign of King al-Zahir Ghazi. It was ordered to be erected by Shadbakht, an ancient slave (a freed slave), by King Al-Adil Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zengi (reigned 541-569 / 1146-1174). The knocker is a rose-shaped bronze metal ring with six semi-circles between them, small corners, with a screw-like top at the top. Installed in the door. On this ring, there is an inscription in easy-to-read thuluth script that reads: “In the days of King al-Zahir al-Faqir, to the mercy of God, Shazbakht Atiq, the just king Nur al-Din, may God have mercy on them.” There are some simple floral decorations between the words. Education in the early Islamic eras was linked to mosques, and it remains so to some extent today. But the Seljuk, Atabeg, and Ayyubid eras witnessed a flourishing of buildings dedicated to religious and sectarian education, and these buildings were known as schools.
Sample Text
Mona al-Moadin “Knocking on the Door” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;sy;Mus01;25;ar
