Mamluk Panel from the Minbar of the Amir Qawsun

This panel bears at its centre a symmetrical composition consisting of a half-pointed arch in which are enclosed a series of four columns, two candlesticks and a mosque lamp hanging in the middle. The rest of the panel features a semi-circular arch and series of entrelacs and interlaced vine leaves. The stylistic features of the decoration are characteristic of 8th-century AH / 14th-century CE woodwork production in Mamluk Cairo. The panel was once part of the back seat of the minbar, an elevated pulpit on which the imam would pronounce the Friday prayer speech. It is believed to have been part of the minbar of the mosque of Amir Qawsun (701-742 AH/1302-1342 CE), which was demolished in the late 13th century AH/19th century CE.