The Pyxis of Al-Mughira at Louvre Abu Dhabi is currently on loan from the museum’s counterpart in France, having arrived in November last year.
The artefact comes as a striking example of the royal ivory-carving tradition of Al-Andalus, the Muslim kingdom that ruled areas of the Iberian Peninsula at various times between the 8th and 15th centuries.
The cylindrical Andalusian box, which will remain in the Louvre Abu Dhabi until November 2026, was made in the 10th century, in the royal workshops of Madinat al-Zahra, the palace city near modern-day Cordoba. It is crafted from a single piece of elephant tusk.
Scenes reflecting the might and agency of the Umayyads, the dynasty who ruled the area at the time, have been intricately engraved on the container. These include figures on thrones, lions attacking bulls, horsemen picking dates, and those removing falcon eggs from nests.
The forms are minutely carved. The spaces between them are engraved to a thickness of just a few millimeters, letting light pass through and giving the humans, animals and flora on the pyxis a three-dimensional quality.
The pyxis is small enough to be held with one hand. Yet, its "importance exceeds far larger than its physical size," says Fakhera Alkindi, senior curatorial assistant at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
An aspect of this importance is the craftsmanship of the artefact, and the "remarkable mastery" required to produce something so intricate on a material as delicate as ivory.
“Certain areas are engraved to a thickness of only three millimeters, which allowed for an effective translucency once light is projected through the object,” Alkindi says.
The iconography, she adds, has gone through several scholarly interpretations from contexts that range from political to astrological. As such, some mystery still surrounds the pyxis.
However, one thing is certain and that is the artefact’s original recipient. An inscription crowning the pyxis in a Kufic script wishes a happy destiny to Prince Al-Mughira, half-brother of Caliph al-Hakam II, the second Umayyad caliph of Cordoba, who ruled from the years 961 to 976. The inscription also bares the date of manufacturing.
“It was made in the year 968,” Alkindi says. “The precious box was presented as a gift to the Prince Al-Mughira and represents an important moment within the history of the Umayyads of Spain and the larger Islamic history.
"It stands as a material testimony to the cultural prosperity and technical virtuosity of this period in Al-Andalus, particularly within the commercial and cultural hub of Madinat al-Zahra, which hosted a flourishing environment of artistic and architectural production.”
Several considerations were taken when thinking about how the pyxis would be presented at Louvre Abu Dhabi, Alkindi says.
The artefact has been given its own space within the permanent galleries. Multimedia elements accentuate the intricacies of the its craftsmanship, zooming into its medallions and engravings.
“This masterpiece of Islamic art, carrying a lot of historical, aesthetic and technical importance, required a special display,” Alkindi says.
“The pyxis takes centre stage within a dedicated gallery. The material quality and the virtuosity of its craftsmanship is further highlighted by a near 180 degree monumental projection screen surrounding both the visitor and the artwork.”
Four marble capitals produced around the same time period are also displayed around the box. The capitals, which once crowned lofty columns in Al-Andalus, feature splaying floral and geometric designs that echo the engravings on the Pyxis.
They were likewise crafted in Madinat al-Zahra, Alkindi says, explaining that "they evoke the context in which the Pyxis was produced”.
The scenography is further enhanced with the sound of oud. The musical element, composed by Iraqi composer Naseer Shamma, takes several cues from the culture of Al-Andalus and is inspired from the works of the ninth-century musician Ziryab.
“We wished to mediate many aspects of the pyxis,” Alkindi says. “From the historical context, the cultural context, the technical developments that allowed for such an object to come to life, and the vibrant cultural centre of Madinat al-Zahra.”
The Pyxis of Al-Mughira is on display at Louvre Abu Dhabi until November 2026.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
SPECS
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Representing%20UAE%20overseas
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Hurricanes 31-31 Lions
Wellington Hurricanes:
Tries: Gibbins, Laumape, Goosen, Fifita tries, Barrett
Conversions: Barrett (4)
Penalties: Barrett
British & Irish Lions:
Tries: Seymour (2), North
Conversions: Biggar (2)
Penalties: Biggar (4)
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
