A journey to search my soul

This is a blog of my personal collections. The purpose of this blog is to educate myself and public in regards to antiquities especially related to religion and calligraphy. I welcome everyone to input their feedback in this blog which they think would be helpful. I do not watermark the photos in this blog so everyone is free to use them as long as they are not used for illegal and unethical reasons. I appreciate if you could notify me if you plan to use any of the photos here. Enjoy browsing!!

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Antique Manuscript Review 91 : Antique Somalia Quran ( 18th Century)









These are 7 volumes of full Quran from Somalia!!
This Quran consists of 7 books.I still couldn't figure what type of script written. Is it a Sudani script ( from a Maghribi Script) or is it a twisted form of Naskh script. I need to do more research.
One of the volumes has the opening chapter page beautifully illuminated.
I noticed also 1 page has  a strange symbol in the margin as you can see in below photo. Is this a talisman? I noticed similar symbols in my Yemeni and Saharan Quran. Check out these Qurans at
Saharan Quran
Yemeni Quran



This Quran is undated however bsed on my other Somalia Quran, I would safely estimated it from 18th Century..
Check my other Somalia Qurans on below links :
Somali Quran (small)
Somali Quran (small)
Somali Quran ( big)

Manuscript Specs

Item : A Somalian complete Quran in 7 books
Content : Quran written in Naskh ( or Sudani) with vowel & diacritical signs.The world " Allah" in red. 11 lines per page
Dim : 6.5" x 4.5" x 1" ( 7 books in total)
Date : undated but estimated 18th Century
Copyist : anonymous
Origin : Somalia
Calligraphy : twisted Naskh or Sudani
Design : leather.
Purchased Price :USD

Ancient Artifact Review 40 : Antique Somalia Prayer Mat (500 years old)




This is another very rare acquisition of a leather prayer mat from Somalia. I was told it is from 15th Century CE and been passed down though generations. This prayer mat is made of leather and had been sewn together from pieces.

The use of this skin prayer mat is very popular among the Sufis and religious people especially in Somalia and Etiopia. In a book, Islam in Etiopia written by J. Spencer Trimingham. he mentioned about the activity of Tariqa or Sufi movements in Somalia and Etiopia especially in 18th & 19th Century. During the initiation ritual between the leader of the Tariqa movement ( Khalifa) and the novice, one of the items that will be given to the new member is a Sijjada which is a piece of skin prayer mat which he carries about on his shoulder.

In the book : The Mad Mullah of Somaliland by Douglas Jardine, there is a mention of  an outcast tribe in Somalia especially  Midgan that making a leather prayer by cutting it in the shape of the mosque at Mecca.

From FAO website, there are a few goat species in Somalia whom skins are made into prayer mat. Haraghe Highland is the small size goat that has main color of plain non spotted white and some with black and brown. The prayer mat is called Sijaja.

Another species of goat is short-eared Somali ( Denghier) which has a medium size and widely used to make sleeping mats and prayer mats. The color of the coat is mainly white 76 % with some brown, black and grey.

The third specie is Long-eared Somali ( Galla/Melebo) which is bigger than short-eared Somali. The coat color is almost completely white with tiny colors in brown, black and grey. The skin is widely used as a sitting mat and prayer mat. They are called Harek or Okedi in Somalian landuage. 
In a writing to CNN, The author,  Dr Cawo Abdi recollected her memory of sitting on her father’s prayer mat made from goat skin somewhere in central Somalia whom they belonged to Nomadic hamlets.Her father was a Quranic teacher that teach children from hamlet to hamlet.

There is a similar mat displayed in British museum . It was acquired in 1935. Below is the link
Somali Prayer Mat In British Museum

In a video clip from Somali Museum Minnesota, the founder was shown referring to similar mats as prayer mats aged more than a hundred years ( at 7:42).
Somali Museum Minnesota


My other Somalia Prayer Mat is at below link
Somali Prayer Mat #1
Artifact Specification

Dim : 124cm x 65cm
Date :  15th  CE
Material : Skin
Origin : Somalia