Beam

• Accession Number:AKM632
• Place:Syria
• Dimensions:11.2 x 122 cm
• Date:1100s–1200s
• Materials and Technique:Wood, carved

Between the two smooth ends, which have holes for fasteners, extends a long cartouche with a raised inscription that stands out from the finely sculpted background consisting of plant foliage, punctuated by small whorls, bifid leaves or palmettes with a long, curved tip, fairly typical of the Syrian repertoire. This epigraphic carved wooden beam may have belonged to the small side of a cenotaph. The inscription contains part of verse 255 of al-Baqara (The Cow), the second chapter of the Qur’an: “[His is what is in the heavens and what is in] the earth! Who is it that intercedes with Him save by His permission?” Known as the “Throne verse”, this is one of the passages of the Qur’an most often used in a funerary context or for decorating mihrabs. The script is highly representative of the Ayyubid naskh script, a form of cursive marked by its elegant simplicity and compact, dynamic nature. The same combination of a softly rounded letters standing out from slender foliage is found in some Syrian and Egyptian pieces. A fragment of an epigraphic frieze preserved in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo (David-Weill 1931, pp. 34-5, no. 2118, pl. 21), which was discovered in Imam al-Shafi'i’s mausoleum and certainly comes from a cenotaph, is very similar to this piece.

References
Jean David-Weill, Les bois à épigraphes jusqu’à l’époque mamelouke. Cairo, 1931.