Slightly OT help with Islamic silver: Origin and translation
 

Gentlemen.

I hope you'll all indulge a slight diversion as I've been lucky enough to pick up a rather pretty silver box and have a couple of questions ;)
Firstly can anyone translate the inscriptions please?
It looks like it's got 1936 on the front inscripiton.
A translation might tell me when it comes from but if not, does anyone recognise the work?
It's quite simple, hammered sheets of thick solid silver, with coiled wire silver soldered tubes made for the hinges. Simple work but very sturdy and heavy for a box it's size.
On the underside it has '9V' (97) scratched in faintly.

Appreciate the help chaps.

Gene

Hi Gene

A real guess - but it has the look of Sudanese work...

Regards.

Hi Colin,

It's thrown me TBH.
I was thinking Yemeni, but that was based on the construction of the tubes for the hinges strangely enough!

So I'm prepared to look further afield mate. Thanks for the idea.
Best
Gene

P.S. it's a hell of a little box. It's only about five inches on the longest side and it weighs nearly 300g

I can't make out the text, the year states, 1936 M which Stands for Miladi, which stands forafter birth of Christ.

Hi AJ,

Thanks for the help.
I've seen Syrian work with the date in arabic characters but using the gregorian calendar. I could see 1936 but didn't recognise 'M'.
I'd assumed that it was made for toursits so they dated it using the western system. Would the addition of 'Midali' fit with that assumption or do you think the maker was a Christian?

I am really not familiar with how they'd have done it in the Arab world. In Iran or Afghanistan they date with Gregorian dates usually for tourist market, things like guns and stuff (tourist markets here are fake items made to look old- interesting fact, fakes were made in these areas going back 1000s of years. I was reading that the nomads of the time were making fake Bactrian coins) Sorry my knowledge is really limited, as I am trying to learn as I go.

Nice box. Its Sudanese, it says: "shughl Om Durman" work of Om Durman. The date being in gregorian is not strange as it is used in most of the Islamic century now (not sure how old is the practice) the only country which does not use it as far as I know is KSA but they do sometimes for foreign business relations.

Hi Lotfy,
Thanks a lot, it's nice to know his name. How can you tell it's definately from the Sudan?

You're welcome my friend. Om Durman is a name of an area in Sudan rather then a person's name.

LOL, of course what was I thinking? As in 'the battle of'! lol

Excellent, thank you very much! :o