Plaque with Kufic Inscription, from the Tower of Toghril, from Rayy

Description

This rare cast-iron plaque was once affixed to the wooden door of the mausoleum of an important ruler of the Seljuk period, Sultan Toghril, in Rayy, Iran. Although written in Kufic, the script is smaller and much less careful than Kufic inscriptions on stone, brick, or plaster. This laxness could be attributed to unfamiliarity with iron casting or to the relatively late date of this inscription, a point at which Kufic script was being supplanted by cursive writing.
Yasser Tabbaa, Guest Curator, ‘Art of the Written Word,” 1/15–6/5/2005