Schwetzingen - Schlösser-Magazin

d)
The Arabic Insriptions of the
Mosque – a Manifestation
of Inter-Cultural Dialogue
The mosque and the two pavilions giving
access to the cloister, are decorated with 23
inscriptions, not counting those consisting
just of the word allâh. 18 of them have a
German translation added; 20 are based on
identifiable Arabic originals, if not necessarily
a single source, which makes it likely that
the remaining three had authentic sources
as well. Most of the inscriptions are faulty
as regards the vowel-marks and diacritical
prints, betraying an insecure hand, not
certain which “point” belonged to which
consonant. Some diacritical markings are
almost indistinguishable from the points. 1 The
lettering is based on the Turkish nekshi, with
Maghrebinian influences; on the whole, the
calligraphy is not conspicuously individual.
It is likely that the artist copied the writings
from a printed source. 2 The letters are often
placed separately, even when they should be
written together; probably there were small
gaps in the typeface, and the artist copied
those too. The strokes between letters that
sometimes appear in Arabic print, have been
adopted as well – the copyist may have taken
them for relevant parts of the printed words.
Another indication of a printed model are
the star-shaped marks terminating some
inscriptions. Marks like these appear in
Rostgaard’s Arabum philosophia popularis.
Five of the Schwetzingen inscriptions have
been taken from this collection, compiled
towards the end of the 17th century by
Danish archivist Friedrich Rostgaard, from
the information provided by his Arab
teacher, Yaqûb Sulaimân ad-Dimashqî (1665-
1 Only the consonants and long vowels appear in written Arabic.
Short vowels are sometimes indicated by special marks. Some
consonants are only identified by the number of points above
or beneath the basic form.
2 The writing is reminiscent of the letters set by Samuel Luchtmans
and Son of Amsterdam, and used for the 1748 and 1767
editions of the Grammar of Erpenius. There are also strong
similarities to the appearance of the typeface in Rostgaard. Cp.
Fig. 1.
III. Architectural Features
1729). It was published in 1764 by Johan
Christian Kall. 3 Eight are from a collection
of 200 sayings based on research by Joseph
Scaliger (1540-1609) and published in 1614
at Leyden by a Dutchman, Thomas van Erpe
(1584-1624), entitled Kitâb al-Amthâl seu
proverbiorum arabicorum centuriae duae...
cum interpretatione latina & scholiis Josephi
Scaligeri et Thomae Erpenii. The material was
taken from the famous collection of Arab
philologist Abû ‘Ubaid and other, later sources.
Most of the Schwetzingen inscriptions are
from those later, post-Classical sayings, the
so-called amthâl muwallada.
Only the untranslated Arabic texts on the
mosque front and the eight plaques bearing
the word allâh are specifically religious in
content, and refer to God. The translated
sayings of the interior are vaguely ethical
and rather general in nature, and would be
unlikely to meet with opposition even from
agnostics.
The plaques on the front speak of
monotheism, of the transitoriness and
sinfulness of Man, of God’s mercy and
omnipotence, of responsibilities in this life
and of the duty to praise God.
The arches of the interior hall remind
readers of the lasting value of wisdom and
right action. Eagerness to learn, moderation
in outward appearances and intellectual
ambitiousness are praised.
3 Arabum philosophia popularis, sive sylloge nova proverbiorum.
A Jacobo Salomone Damasceno dictata excepit et interpretatus
est perillustris vir Fridericus Rostgaard, edidit cum adnotationibus
nonnullis Joannes Christianus Kallius, Hafniae 1764.
This Syrian Christian, also known as Salomo Negri, had been
educated at a Jesuit mission school in Damascus before being
sent to Paris. Around 1697 he had taught Arabic to Rostgaard.
Later he went to London, and he also spent a year at Halle.
Among his pupils were some of the most eminent linguists of
the day. Cp. Johann Fück, Die arabischen Studien in Europa bis
in den Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts, Leipzig 1955, p. 96.
III.
Fig. 1: Arabic text of the saying
“Without hope nothing will succeed”
from Rostgaard’s Arabum
philosophia popularis, ed. 1764
by Johan Christian Kall.
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