Publication Date
6th/12th century or early 7th/13th century
Publication Place
-
Victoria and Albert Museum
Subject
Carved, stained and plastered wood.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
378B–1907 الارتفاع: 16.8 سم؛ العرض: 101.4 سم؛ العمق: 1.8 سم. 378C–1907 الارتفاع: 16.7 سم؛ العرض: 103 سم؛ العمق: 2سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
378B–1907 و 378C–1907
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus02;42;ar
Library Location
Victoria and Albert Museum
Date
6th/12th century or early 7th/13th century
Notes
Two panels of pine wood, carved in bas-relief, and a decorated floor lower than the inscription. Both levels of the excavation were decorated with plaster and green, red and white colors. The inscription, executed in lush Kufic script, consists of verses from the Qur’an. The first panel bears Sura 2, verse 164, while the second panel bears Sura 3, verse 191. It is clear that these two panels were part of a larger group, which may have been the upper part of the decoration of a building with religious uses, such as a school or a mosque. Friezes bearing Qur’anic verses were known in many parts of the Islamic world, and one of them was located in the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo and was originally more than 2 km long. The style of the two panels indicates that they were made in Spain or North Africa in the Almohad period, and the Almohads were known for their austere outlook towards art, and it is useful to mention here that for them, as a Berber family originating from the deserts, wood itself is considered a material. Luxurious.
Sample Text
Barry Wood “Pair of Friezes” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus02;42;ar
