Lot 250: A RARE ENGRAVED OTTOMAN TALISMANIC COPPER ALLOY SUFI DRUM DATED 1185 A.H.

The vessel features a flared base rim fitted with approximately twenty-six hand-wrought studs, intended for the attachment of a leather drum skin. At the apex is a heavy suspension lug. The exterior is densely decorated with incised talismanic imagery and calligraphic cartouches. A prominent bell-shaped cartouche on one side contains multiple lines of Naskh script, potentially Quranic verses. Several circular and teardrop-shaped cartouches are placed around the body; one circular cartouche contains the Shahada, reading la ilaha illa Allah Muhammad rasul Allah in Arabic script. A smaller arched cartouche is inscribed with a name and a date; the name appears to read Sheikh Al-Hilali and the date is inscribed in Eastern Arabic numerals as 1185 (١١٨٥), corresponding to 1771-1772 A.D.

Diameter: 17.5cm, H: 12.5cm

Similar example in the British museum 1928,0323,0.46.84 (please see last image)

The Hilali family represents one of Aleppo’s most historically significant lineages of Sufi spiritual leadership. Centered around the famous Zawiya al-Hilaliyya in the Old City’s al-Jallum neighborhood, the family has traditionally held the prestigious title of Shaykh al-Mashaykh (Shaykh of Shaykhs) of the Qadiriyya Sufi order in Aleppo since the early 19th century.