A number of colleagues and I signed up for a walk through the Sultan’s Islamic Exhibition Gallery. I stared at a Moroccan Qur'an in total fascination. It’s supposedly 1000 years old. The pages are brittle and torn at the edges. But the black ink used to pen the verses in Naskhi script stayed true and dark.
There were walking sticks displayed in the glass cases. The body, grips and tops are beautifully crafted in all sorts of material. I like the ones made of a single piece of ivory and banded agate. There’s also one made of a single shark bone which looks rather menacing and powerful. A colleague and I oohed and ahhed over all the exquisite craftsmanship till we suddenly realized that we were the last and the group had gone on ahead. Heh.
Other members of the group moved so fast through the portion on prayer beads that I had no time to linger and look at the various stones used for the beads. I saw so many pretty colors! Hmmmmpf. I do not like to rush through galleries. UGH.
Outside, a fossilized tree trunk lies horizontal on display. We were told that it’s been dated as 130 million years old. Some parts literally looked like stone. We were allowed to touch it. Rather fascinating. I enjoyed this brief interlude away from the technical topics of structures and systems.
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