The interior of the mausoleum of the Ilkhanid ruler Öljeitü at Sultaniyya is notable for having been redecorated not long after it was first built. In each of these two campaigns the name of Muḥammad figured prominently in striking compositions, both in isolation and accompanied by other sacred or revered names [Figure 6.1 a–c]. This is arguably the zenith of a phenomenon that is striking for the variety, elegance and inventiveness of the epigraph. Although Islam-wide, their use was particularly common through the fifth/eleventh–tenth/sixteenth centuries in the central lands of Islam. This study will follow the trajectory of some of the most notable examples, many of which exhibit symmetrical star designs, and will explore the reasons for their popularity.

Well before its architectural manifestations, the veneration of the Prophet Muḥammad had a long tradition in Islam. Muḥammad's status as the ‘seal of prophets’ (khatam al-nabiyyīn) in the Qur’an is echoed in the shahāda which proclaims that Muḥammad is the messenger of God. His exemplary conduct and physical qualities were lauded in a variety of sources and contexts, in the Qur’an itself, the compilations of accounts of his life (the sunna), his earliest biographies, and countless later hagiographies. His roles as intercessor and the possessor of a divine light (the nūr Muḥammad) that can lead Muslims toward enlightenment have been cited as reasons fo the prominence of his name in epigraphy. The combination of Muḥammad with ‘Alī (both hidden and manifest) is particularly common, and I shall be examining why this was so not only in Shi’i but also in Sunni communities. In particular I shall examine the symmetrical star-shaped and polylobed examples to ask why they were so popular, examining their links with, respectively, the seal of Solomon and roseate metaphors for the Prophet.

I shall begin by looking at examples where the name occurs by itself, followed by its appearance in combination with other names. Elements of design that will be also considered include the type of script (Kufic, cursive, bannā’ī and square Kufic) and the shape: non-symmetrical, and square, circular and star-shaped symmetrical forms.