Blown and Impressed Glass Cup

This cup is characteristic of a category of translucent glass vessels featuring geometric decoration impressed with tongs and evenly applied on the surface. This example bears circular designs alternating with an impressed vertical inscription repeated around the cup, بركة لصاحبه ("Blessing upon its owner"). Bottles, beakers, small and large cylindrical bowls and cups, often with flat bases, as well as fragments were excavated in Egypt and central Islamic lands, such as Ehnasya in Egypt, as well as Samarra in Iraq and Hama in Syria. They belong to groups that were traded mostly during the 3rd - 4th century AH / 9th - 10th century CE between these regions.