Lintel

This monumental wooden panel is carved in bold relief with a pattern that repeats small and large lobed arches, an ornamental inscription, scalloped palmette, and a network of split-leaf scrolls on multiple levels. The larger lobed arch encloses a Kufic inscription in mirror repeat in which the ascenders are plaited at the axis of repeat and the extension of the final letter (nun) breaks out of the arch, to terminate at the upper border in a foliate motif. The inscription is a decorative formula based on the Arabic word for prosperity (al-yumn). The decorative frieze is topped by a narrow border consisting of a band of quatrefoils. The panel is made up of four distinct timber sections, joined top and bottom, and left and right. The panel served as an architectural element. Although the wood has been carbon-dated to the 12th -13th century, the closest parallels so far can be found in the wooden lintels preserved in madrasas built during the Marinid period in Morocco, that is, early 14th century. The lintels appear in the façade of the courtyard of these madrasas, where they span the openings of the arches on the ground floor.