Tombstone

A marble tombstone decorated with a pointed arch resting on two columns with stylized floral capitals. The area above the arch is decorated with foliate scroll with five-lobed leaves and on either side is a multi-petalled flower with long leaves. The text is written in the Kufic script, giving the name of the deceased Ism‘ail ibn ‘Abd al-Salam ibn Sawwar and making declarations of faith on the uniqueness of God and references to the prophet Muhammad and the afterlife. The last lines are illegible and, as this is only a fragment, the date (which would appear at the end) is missing. From Egypt, 9th century. H. 71,5 cm., W. 28 cm. (ΓΕ_10783).