Box with a lid, 15th century; Mamluk
Syria
Brass, engraved and inlaid with silver; H. 4 in. (10.2 cm), W. 6 11/16 in. (17 cm), D. 3/8 in. (8 cm)
Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891 (91.1.538)
Technical Glossary
Syria
Brass, engraved and inlaid with silver; H. 4 in. (10.2 cm), W. 6 11/16 in. (17 cm), D. 3/8 in. (8 cm)
Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891 (91.1.538)
According to the inscription on its lid, this box was made for Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn cAli al-Hamawi, a timekeeper at the Umayyad mosque in Damascus who originally came from Hama, Syria. Timekeepers supervised the calls to prayer and observed the new moon, especially at the beginning and the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.
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