Tombstone

On this tombstone, the inscription and decoration are ordered about a shallow recess suggesting a mihrab — the niche in the wall of a mosque that marks the direction toward Mecca. Muslims face in that direction for prayer, and in Islamic burial the body is aligned with Mecca for its final rest. The framing inscription on this tombstone is a passage from the Qurʾan about the soul’s entry into eternal life. Sometimes termed “floriated kufic,” the angular script is difficult to read: it lacks clear separation between words and is elaborated with foliate and needle-shaped finials. This tombstone was a gift from Sir Hamilton Gibb (1895–1971), a distinguished scholar of Islamic studies who served as director of Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies and as University Professor, a rare title given to scholars whose work, like the gift itself, “crosses the conventional boundaries of the specialities.”