32 Arabie US p488-499_BAT.qxd 23/06/10 21:36 Page 498 ROADS OF ARABIA Tombstones <strong>of</strong> the al-Ma‘la Cemetery in Mecca 36. Abi Harami al-Makki: literally, “from the Haram, the Meccan”. 37. Schneider 1983. 38. Eleven in all. 39. Schneider 1983, p. 78. 40. In addition to the ones published by Schneider see Al-Rashid 2004, nos 266, 453, 507, 556; RCEA, nos 3479, 3521, 3631, 3956; a tombstone cited by al-Fasi (Diem and Schöller 2004, II, no. 135, pp. 480– 81); a fragment <strong>of</strong> a tombstone in the Musée du Louvre (Bittar 2003, no. 50, p. 135); a tombstone in the British Museum (Bittar 2003, fig. 50, p. 137); and last an unpublished tombstone (cat. no. 296). Other unsigned tombstones might also be attributed to them by comparing styles. 41. Al-Rashid 2004, no. 556 (dated 599 H./1203), listed by Al-Fasi (Diem and Schöller 2004, II, no. 138, pp. 482–83). 42. RCEA, IX, nos 3507–3508; Al-Fa‘r, 1984, nos 58– 59, pp. 310–18 (dated 594 H./1197–1198). 43. Al-Fa‘r 1984, no. 61, pp. 323–28 (dated 605 H./1208–1209). 44. Ibid., no. 62, pp. 329–32 (dated 614 H./ 1217–18), and RCEA, IX, no. 4042 (dated to the years 620 H./1220s). 45. Cahen, Begteginides, EI2, vol. I, Leyde, 1960, p. 1195. 46. Inventory: ‘Ayn 1149; the inscription mentions a mosque built by the emir Ibrahim al-Jarahi and the adjoining turba (mausoleum). 47. See Strika 1977 and 1979; also mentioned as such in Grabar 1985, no. 3, p. 6. 48. By Strika in any case; the Thesaurus (no. 26782) indicates that it had been read in an Iraqi publication: Salman 1975, p. 52. that the stelae were commissioned before the death <strong>of</strong> the defunct, by the person himself or his close relatives, and the date hastily carved at the time <strong>of</strong> the burial. Meccan stoneworkers probably had no lack <strong>of</strong> work given the appeal <strong>of</strong> being buried near the sanctuary, particularly during the yearly pilgrimage when a large crowd from all over the Muslim world converged there after a long and arduous journey. Signatures <strong>of</strong> craftsmen are relatively rare on Meccan tombstones: one “Ibrahim” signed an epitaph attributable to the late 9th or 10th century (cat. no. 292). For the later periods we record two mentions <strong>of</strong> a certain “Muhammad” on tombstones <strong>of</strong> the same style, one <strong>of</strong> which is dated 824 H./1421. On the other hand, in the late 12th and early 13th centuries there was an escalation <strong>of</strong> signatures, associated with the group <strong>of</strong> tombstones with the mihrab-shaped décor. These involved members <strong>of</strong> a same family: the uncle ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Harami al-Makki 36 and his nephew Muhammad ibn Barakat. They belonged to a family <strong>of</strong> stoneworkers whom Madeleine Schneider brought to light in her study on the Dahlak Islands tombstones. 37 Indeed the names <strong>of</strong> these two workers, and those <strong>of</strong> the father <strong>of</strong> ‘Abd al-Rahman, Muhammad Abi Harami, as well as the two sons <strong>of</strong> ‘Abd al-Rahman, Yahya and Ahmad, feature on several Dahlak (Kebir) tombstones or attributed to Dahlak by Schneider 38 who, when the al-Ma‘la stelae had scarcely been published situated their activity on this island. 39 The author pointed out that these artisans were “also” very active in Mecca, but given their nisba, and above all the considerable corpus <strong>of</strong> inscriptions they signed in Mecca, Schneider’s assessment should obviously be revised. The account <strong>of</strong> this corpus deserves to be presented: in all, by the various publications, we know <strong>of</strong> twenty-three tombstones executed by this family, including eleven by ‘Abd al-Rahman, six by his nephew Muhammad and three signed jointly. 40 These two stoneworkers were active from 563 H./1168 to 620 H./ 1220s. One 41 <strong>of</strong> the al-Ma‘la tombstones signed by Muhammad ibn Barakat is the epitaph <strong>of</strong> a member <strong>of</strong> their family, a youth, “Muhammad ibn Salih ibn Abi Harami”, also designated as a member <strong>of</strong> the Bani ‘Attar. The stoneworker calls himself “Muhammad ibn Barakat ibn Harami al-‘Attar”: did they originate from a family <strong>of</strong> perfumers, one <strong>of</strong> the most flourishing activities in Mecca for the needs <strong>of</strong> the pilgrims and the shrine? The names and qualities <strong>of</strong> the deceased show that the Abi Harami family worked for the elite <strong>of</strong> the holy city or its outskirts: religious dignitaries, family <strong>of</strong> the Hassanid sharifs and members <strong>of</strong> the reigning dynasty <strong>of</strong> Dahlak. But ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Harami al-Makki did not confine his activity to tombstones; his fame – or the lack <strong>of</strong> competition in this city where, as the sources constantly remind us, there was a great shortage <strong>of</strong> artisans – brought him other types <strong>of</strong> commissions. Thus he executed in Mecca five inscriptions commemorating the construction <strong>of</strong> a basin at ‘Arafa, 42 the Muzaffar al-Din madrasa 43 and two other buildings. 44 The first two works were commissioned between 1190 and 1223 45 by an eminent personality, the great emir Muzaffar al-Din Kokburi, lord (sahib) <strong>of</strong> Irbil in Northern Iraq, in the name <strong>of</strong> the Abbasid Caliph al-Nasir. This detail should be put in perspective with a stone slab preserved in the Iraq Museum but originally from the mosque <strong>of</strong> the imam Ibrahim in Mossul. 46 The stone, which was attributed to the late 11th century because <strong>of</strong> its inscription, 47 is believed to be the oldest representation <strong>of</strong> the Meccan sanctuary. But the characteristics <strong>of</strong> its script and above all its signature – ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Harami al-Makki – which had not been taken into consideration, 48 lead us to attribute it to the early 13th century in Mecca. How and why did this slab arrive in Mossul? The hypothesis that the stoneworker had moved to Iraq is improbable. It is tempting to imagine that this inscription was commissioned in Mecca by the master <strong>of</strong> Irbil, Kokburi – Irbil is very close to Mossul – to a stoneworker who had already worked for him: ‘Abd al-Rahman. The commission included a representation <strong>of</strong> the shrine, unusual to him, but the model was at hand: he literally copied the pilgrimage certificates executed at the same time. 49 The reason for such a commission? Kokburi was renowned for his piety as his works in Mecca and his city <strong>of</strong> Irbil 50 prove; he may have responded to a request from a person linked to the Mossul mosque, or else he wished to take away with him a souvenir, – even better: a piece <strong>of</strong> the holy land <strong>of</strong> Hijaz. This brings us back to the question <strong>of</strong> the circulation <strong>of</strong> these tombstones outside <strong>of</strong> Mecca. One <strong>of</strong> them has been reported in Aden, Yemen, some are connected to Dahlak, others were found at Qus in Upper Egypt – all three important transit places for merchandise and persons on their way to the holy precincts. The “roitelets” 51 (little kings) <strong>of</strong> Dahlak commissioned the famous Meccan stoneworkers to carve tombstones in the latest fashion for their family, stelae <strong>of</strong> which the value was doubtless increased and sanctified by the origin <strong>of</strong> their material. Whatever the case may be, the Abi Harami al-Makki lineage disappeared shortly after 1230. ‘Abd al-Rahman’s long and intense career was concomitant with a surge <strong>of</strong> pious foundations in Mecca, 52 probably in part connected with the “Sunni revival” that marked the 12th century. This survey, inevitably incomplete, strives to emphasize the importance <strong>of</strong> the al-Ma‘la tombstones and the abundant source <strong>of</strong> information their publication provides to scholars and those interested in this field. Al-Fasi 53 was right: they are a part <strong>of</strong> the memory <strong>of</strong> the holy city, a microcosm within the Islamic macrocosm. The epitaph <strong>of</strong> an Iranian merchant singularly specifies: “originating from Nishapur, resident in Balkh, he was born in Mecca on the night <strong>of</strong> the new moon <strong>of</strong> the month <strong>of</strong> sha‘ban in the year [3]15 H./[9]27 and he left the world here below in the fourth night, twelve days before the end <strong>of</strong> ramadan <strong>of</strong> the year 415 H./1024”. Doubtless his exceptional longevity – one hundred Hegiran years! – deserved to be mentioned. In these few lines, a summary: from the new moon to a holy night <strong>of</strong> ramadan, a life spent trading, along the roads all the way to Khurasan, born and dying in Mecca. Fig. 6. Stone slab depicting the sanctuary <strong>of</strong> Mecca, signed ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Harami al-Makki, Iraq Museum, Baghdad 49. Aksoy and Milstein 2000, fig. 3, p. 111. 50. Where he had notably set up commemorative celebrations <strong>of</strong> the mawlid (birth <strong>of</strong> the Prophet), see note 42. He was also the commissioner <strong>of</strong> the minbar in the mosque <strong>of</strong> the Hanbalites in Damascus. 51. Wiet 1952, pp. 89–95. 52. Mortel 1997 and 1998. 53. See supra, at the beginning <strong>of</strong> the text. 498 499
32bis Arabie US p500-521_BAT.qxd 23/06/10 21:31 Page 500 ROADS OF ARABIA Tombstones <strong>of</strong> the al-Ma‘la Cemetery in Mecca 283. Tombstone <strong>of</strong> Hasa, daughter <strong>of</strong> Musa, son <strong>of</strong> Salam 9th century Basalt 40 x 18 cm Provenance unknown King Fahd National Library, Riyadh, 314879 Bibliography: unpublished. 284. Tombstone <strong>of</strong> Umm ‘Abdallah 9th century Basalt 69 x 31 cm Provenance unknown King Fahd National Library, Riyadh, 314716 Bibliography: unpublished. The epitaph is minimal: basmala, salutation on the Prophet, name <strong>of</strong> the deceased, closing exclamation (“Amen! Master <strong>of</strong> the two worlds!”). The script, at once plain and stylized, features a wide nun (the letter “n”) forming a ring. C. J. *Quran, 39, 53 The plainness <strong>of</strong> the text is characteristic <strong>of</strong> the early centuries: basmala, a quote from the Quran, name <strong>of</strong> the deceased according to the formula “Place [name] in paradise”. The deceased is named “Umm ‘Abdallah umm walad Azhar ibn ‘Abd al-Ghaffar”, meaning: “Mother <strong>of</strong> ‘Abdallah, mother <strong>of</strong> the child <strong>of</strong> Azhar, son <strong>of</strong> ‘Abd al-Ghaffar”, without specifying her first name. The expression “umm walad” indicates the servile condition <strong>of</strong> this woman who doubtless had a son by her master, Azhar, thus acquiring a new status. C. J. 500 501
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