'Umra Certificate
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This scroll, created for one Sayyid Yusuf bin Sayyid Shihab al-Din Mawara al-Nahri, served as the official record of a pilgrimage to Mecca, Medina, Karbala (a site sacred Shi’a Muslims), Hebron, and Jerusalem. The paired green domes of the Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock mark the holy city of Jerusalem. A black knife recalls the story of Abraham’s sacrifice, while a small red circle evokes the grave of Adam, said to be in Jerusalem. The Holy Sepulchre is featured as well, with an inscription mentioning "Jesus, peace be upon him."
Artwork Details
- Title: 'Umra Certificate
- Date: A.H. 21 Muharram 837 (September 6, 1433)
- Geography: Made in probably Najaf, Iraq
- Medium: Ink, opaque watercolors, and gilded paint on paper
- Dimensions: 21 ft. 10 1/4 in. × 13 3/8 in. (666.1 × 34 cm)
- Classification: Manuscripts and Illuminations
- Credit Line: Museum of Islamic Art, Doha (MS.267.1998)
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters