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The wooden beam is ornamented with kufic-style decoration. Its surface bears a carved Arabic inscription repeating al-mulk [illah] or "Sovereignty [belongs the Gott]."
The beam’s modest style, its size, and its shape suggest that it and similar beams came from the same structure, possibly a cenotaph. Although wooden cenotaphs were frequently used within tombs, few early and medieval examples have survived.
- Filiz Çakır Phillip
References
Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum: Architecture in Islamic Arts. Geneva: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2011. IBSN: 9780987846303
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