folded-over pages of hand-written text with some geometric drawings inside a leather case with two open sides and a flap closure; three additional leather slipcases, each with one open side; all cases are brown with lightly pigmented geometric patterns; approx. 127 pages

Islamic manuscript in case, c. 1900

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This collection of Muslim prayers, called Dala’il al-Khayrat or “Proofs of Good Deeds,” is one of the most popular and widely read books in Islamic Africa, after the Qur’an. Originally compiled in the mid-1400s in Morocco, it opens with the ninety-nine names of God, and is divided into sections for daily recitation by the faithful, either alone or in groups, at home or in mosques. This small and portable edition was beautifully copied and colorfully decorated around 1900, most probably in Niger, West Africa. It sits in three nesting leather cases and must have belonged to a patron of considerable status.

Details
Title
Islamic manuscript in case
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2019.40a-d
Curator Approved

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folded-over pages of hand-written text with some geometric drawings inside a leather case with two open sides and a flap closure; three additional leather slipcases, each with one open side; all cases are brown with lightly pigmented geometric patterns; approx. 127 pages