Mosque Lamp

This mosque lamp was most probably made for the monumental mosque and madrasa complex of the Mamluk sultan Al-Malik Al-Zahir Sayf al-Din Barquq in Cairo, which was completed in 788 AH/1386 CE. It presents a typical decoration for glass lamps produced in that period with inscriptions in blue enamel and gilding on the neck and in reserve on blue background with a floral interlacing motif on the globular body. Al-Malik Al-Zahir Sayf al-Din Barquq is mentioned twice in the inscriptions on the body and in the circular medallions on the neck. The blue inscription on the neck is verse 35 from the Sura of Light (Qur’an 24): “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass”. This quotation is often used for lamp decoration and emphasises the sensorial, luminous aspect of the Qur’anic text. The large spaces of the mosques and madrasa founded by the Mamluks during the 8th century AH/14th century CE required ample lighting: this need prompted the production of hanging lamps in Egypt and Syria and explains the relatively high number of surviving examples nowadays.