Ostad Ahmad

Embellished with calligraphy and intricate geometric and vegetal designs, this work memorializes the son of Imam Musa al-Kazim, a religious leader who was said to be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. A horizontal frieze of Arabic script encircles the top of the cenotaph. The vertical side panels carry devotional inscriptions about the ephemeral nature of life and the importance of obeying and venerating God.

In Persia (now known as Iran), wooden cenotaphs did not contain the deceased, but were made as memorials for holy men. Wood, a rare material in the region, was reserved for the elite and typically used for the finest examples of such works. This cenotaph, commissioned by a Mazandaran ruler in Persia, attests to the skills of the carvers who made it.