Qur'an or Amulet Box

Small boxes like this one were used to hold small Qur'ans, prayer manuals, or talismanic texts, which were written on long sheets of paper and folded repeatedly or rolled to fit the confines of their containers. The front of the box is decorated with a coin surrounded by stylized vine-and-leaf motifs in relief. The coin features a six-pointed star popularly known as the Seal of Solomon, which—since Solomon was believed to have authority over supernatural powers—often adorns talismanic objects and texts. The coin inscribed as the Dinar of Yusuf belongs to Yusuf bin Hasan, who ruled Morocco between 1912 and 1927 as a French Colony. Based on the reverse of another coin of the same type, the full inscription includes the minting date and place "1331 Paris" corresponding to 1912–1913, the year Yusuf b. Hassan ascended the throne. An arched lid closes the box; cords passed through its two handles would have allowed it to be suspended, providing protection to a place or a person.