What does the shiny thing say
November 3, 2014 9:59 AM Subscribe
Can anybody tell me what sort of writing this is, and what (if anything) it says?
I'm not an expert on this... I can make out something that looks like "Allah" (it's a phrase containing the word Allah, possibly 'Allahu Akbar – Allah is Great' if I had to guess).
It's too stylized for my amateur eye to give a concrete answer, though I'm sure someone more versed in this language can chime in with something specific. . There are many, many ways to depict the letters artistically. Here are some examples.
posted by ananci at 10:14 AM on November 3, 2014
It's too stylized for my amateur eye to give a concrete answer, though I'm sure someone more versed in this language can chime in with something specific. . There are many, many ways to depict the letters artistically. Here are some examples.
posted by ananci at 10:14 AM on November 3, 2014
It's definitely stylized—and I'm not actually sure it says anything, although it's certainly meant to look like Arabic script.
What's puzzling me is that in the picture as shown, the main 'text' looks a bit back-to-front and the lettering round the outside looks a lot back-to-front. If you flip it, the lettering round the outside looks much better, but the main text still looks weird. Some letters look better, others look worse. There's no obvious 'Allah' in there, either.
I've just consulted with a native Arabic speaker who agrees that the whole thing looks more convincing once flipped (and thinks the lettering repeated round the outside may say الخلافة, 'al-khilafa', ie the caliphate), but still can't make out what the text in the middle says. We'll see if we can come up with anything tomorrow.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 3:49 PM on November 3, 2014
What's puzzling me is that in the picture as shown, the main 'text' looks a bit back-to-front and the lettering round the outside looks a lot back-to-front. If you flip it, the lettering round the outside looks much better, but the main text still looks weird. Some letters look better, others look worse. There's no obvious 'Allah' in there, either.
I've just consulted with a native Arabic speaker who agrees that the whole thing looks more convincing once flipped (and thinks the lettering repeated round the outside may say الخلافة, 'al-khilafa', ie the caliphate), but still can't make out what the text in the middle says. We'll see if we can come up with anything tomorrow.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 3:49 PM on November 3, 2014
If the letters look back to front, is it possible that this is a seal that is supposed to be pressed into wax and leave an impression behind??
posted by CathyG at 6:05 AM on November 4, 2014
posted by CathyG at 6:05 AM on November 4, 2014
Response by poster: It is a medium-sized plate with a hook for hanging on the back; I expect it's meant to be decorative.
posted by fish tick at 6:48 AM on November 4, 2014
posted by fish tick at 6:48 AM on November 4, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Mons Veneris at 10:09 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]