Islamic Art and Fine Objects
Lot 56:
Description
Two white metal pocket watches and a winding key, produced for the Ottoman-egyptian market. The timepieces feature white enamel dials with black Ottoman Turkish numerals and script. The dials indicates one watch made for Alazhar and the other one made for Dar Alulum in Arabic script. The cases are constructed with one featuring an engine-turned decorative pattern and the other a smooth finish. Internal case lids bear London assay hallmarks including the lion passant, leopard’s head, and the date letter k for 1885. The watches house gilt-brass key-wind movements with varying levels of ornamentation.
L: 8cm
Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo
Al-Azhar Mosque is one of the most important religious and intellectual landmarks in the Islamic world. Founded in 970–972 CE during the Fatimid Caliphate, it was originally established as a congregational mosque and a center for the propagation of Fatimid (Ismaili) Shi‘a doctrine. Shortly after its completion, Al-Azhar began to function as a place of learning, a role that would come to define its enduring legacy.
Following the fall of the Fatimid dynasty and the rise of Sunni rule under the Ayyubids, Al-Azhar was transformed into a major center of Sunni Islamic scholarship. Over the centuries, it evolved into one of the oldest continuously operating universities in the world, attracting students from across the Islamic world and beyond. Its scholars have historically played a central role in religious education, legal interpretation, and intellectual discourse, a role that continues to this day. Al-Azhar remains a globally respected authority in Islamic learning and jurisprudence, symbolizing continuity, tradition, and scholarly influence for over a millennium.
The present work captures the architectural and spiritual gravitas of Al-Azhar Mosque, a site that has stood at the heart of Cairo’s religious and cultural life for more than a thousand years. Notably, the composition includes two yellow metal divider sections, which are likely executed in gold, adding both material value and symbolic richness to the piece. Both pocket watches incorporated into the work are in fully functional condition at the time of cataloguing.
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