The close links between Ifrîqiya and Sicily date back to the Muslim era. Particularly as trade relations, they continued even after the Norman conquest. The Normans concluded treaties with the Zirid dynasty of modern Tunisia. However, the latter were also rivals in the control of shipping routes in the southern Mediterranean. After his coronation, Roger II (d. 1154) developed the plan of subjecting Ifrîqiya to Norman rule. He exploited the political instability and in 1140 dispatched a fleet towards the North-African coast. After initial setbacks, the Normans succeeded in securing strategically important towns. The Muslim rulers were forced to pay tribute but did not lose their autonomy. However, Norman rule was only of short duration and did not leave any lasting traces.
Al-Mahdiyya, 10th/11th c. (original)
Plaster copy (original: white marble)
Ariano Irpino, Museo della Civiltà Normanna (Centro Europeo di Studi Normanni), no Inv.
The original "Plate of Mahdiyya", made of white marble, shows a king sitting on a throne with a three-pointed crown on his head. He wears a tunic decorated with a Greek pattern. There is a flute player to his left side. This type of depiction is closely associated with 12th century Arab-Norman art in Sicily. It might even be possible that the stone monument represents the Norman ruler Roger II celebrating the conquest of the North African territories.
Production: Anna Becker, Kristin Mues
Narrator: Giulia Worf
Length: 03:04 min
Listen carefully and be transported to a 12th century North African market. Smell the spices and exquisite oils. Touch the precious fabrics and skins. Have fun!
Palermo, end of the 10th/beginning of the 11th c.
Red clay (1,4), gray clay (2,3) with white inlays, gray clay with limestone elements
Marsala, Museo Archeologico Regionale Lilibeo, Inv. 10039 (1); Inv. 10047 (2); Inv. 10069 (3); Inv. 10076 (4); Inv. 10082 (5)
These amphorae come from a shipwreck found off the coast of Marsala in Sicily. They testify to the lively trade between Sicily and the rest of the Mediterranean. Similar amphorae have also been found in Tunisia, among other places. In them, wine was transported.
Tunisia, mid-12th– beginning of the 12th c.
Maiolica
Marsala, Museo Archeologico Regionale Lilibeo, Inv. 3537
The Kufic, i.e. ancient Arabic, writing on the bottle reads al-yumn, which means "prosperity" or "good luck". This formula for good luck has been widely used in Islamic art since the 12th century. The finding of the bottle in a Sicilian monastery in Marsala testifies to the trading activities between Sicily and North Africa.
Egypt or Sicily, 11th–12th c. (?)
Black glass mixture
Marsala, Museo Archeologico Regionale Lilibeo, Inv. 7041
Glass coins are rare finds, as they were usually melted down again for reuse. Coins of this kind served as a means of payment. In the centre of this glass coin, one can guess the inscription "Allah" stamped onto it.
Tunisia, mid-12th– beginning of the 13th c.
Maiolica
Marsala, Parco Archeologico di Lilibeo-Marsala, Inv. 11981
The green and brown decoration of this glazed bowl stands in tradition with Islamic art. The pottery was decorated with the auspicious formula al-yumn. Islamic artisans also worked in Sicilian ceramic workshops during Norman rule. Marsala was a centre for North African ceramic imports.
Tunesien, mid-12th–beginning of the 13th c.
Maiolica
Marsala, Museo Archeologico Regionale Lilibeo, Inv. 11982 (1); Inv. 11983 (2);
Inv. 11284 (3)
The bowls with brown and green glaze stand in tradition with Islamic art. They were found in residential areas near the Norman fortress in Marsala, Sicily. One of the three bowls (2) is uniformly glazed green and also has a pseudo-epigraphic inscription in Kufic characters.
North Africa or Sicily, 12th–beginning of the 13th c. (?)
Terracotta with lightened surfaces
Marsala, Museo Archeologico Regionale Lilibeo, Inv. 11985
This amphora fragment with a star-shaped incised decoration is pierced and served as a filter. Amphorae were important types of vessels for trade, especially of wine and oil.
Greece/ Aegean islands, mid- 12th c. (5); 1st half of the 12th c. (6)
Clay
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Inv. 32/67 (5); Inv. 31/66 (6)
The lime coating of one of the bowls (5) caused by marine animals indicates that it came from a shipwreck. Both bowls are similarly decorated: In the centre of one of the bowls (6) there is a bird motif decorated with tendrils and scale-like decoration. On the rim of the bowl there is a narrow decorative band which distantly reminds of pseudo-Kufic script. The other bowl (5) has a griffin in the centre whose body is shaped like a dog. Here, the background is filled with wave patterns and there is also a decorative band with pseudo-Kufic script.