Stone Capital

This capital follows the conventions of the Corinthian order with two tiers of eight acanthus leaves from which rise the four volutes of the abacus, or upper part of the capital. In this Islamic version the projecting spiky acanthus leaves are reduced in size, giving prominence to the intricately carved background of looped stems that seem almost like ribbons in their twists and folds. The deep drilling of the background reflects the influence of Byzantine artisans or Muslims trained by Byzantine carvers.
At the centre of each side, the upper edge of the capital is carved with a small projecting support, giving the upper surface of the capital the shape of an eight-pointed star. The upper edge of the capital, normally plain in classical examples, carries a calligraphic inscription band giving the name of the patron, the supervisor or master of works and the date of manufacture. One of the projections in the upper centre of the capital carries the name of the carver, a certain Fulayh al-Asir.