Apothecary Jar

This jar was probably made for a famous hospital in Damascus, founded in the 6th century AH/12th century CE by Abu al-Qasim Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn ‘Imad al-Din Zangi (511-569 AH/ 1118 – 1174 CE), as stated in the inscription on the neck that mentions maristan nuri (‘hospital of Nuri’). The building, one of the oldest hospitals in the region, was restored in the late 7th century AH/13th century CE by the Mamluk Sultan Qala‘un (618 – 688 AH/1222-1290 CE), who had been cured with medicines provided by the hospital. The neck also features medallions with the inscription nawfar, in reference to water lilies, which would have been used in medicinal preparations and stored in this type of vessels. Lily flower are also represented into four large medallions on the body of the jar, the emblem of Nur al-Din Zangi.