35Prayer tablet (mohr)
Iran, 1900–50 Clay 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm) Wereldmuseum, Leiden, RV-B106-70 Photograph courtesy of the museum
This small round clay tablet, known as mohr in Persian, was made from the soil of Karbala and sold to Shiʿa Muslim pilgrims at stalls around the shrines in the city. Some Shiʿa Muslims pray with their forehead pressed to these clay tablets when prostrating during the daily prayers (salah, namaz). The tablets were also pilgrim souvenirs, acting as reminders of personal experiences and shared journeys within the Shiʿa community.
Over the centuries, there has been disagreement among Shiʿa scholars over what kind of materials can be used to perform prayer. These debates included the use of prayer tablets and related customs, such as consuming soil from Karbala or using a tablet made of clay from Karbala on a bier. During the Safavid period (1501–1722), when Shiʿism was mobilized as the state religion, theological-legal debates led to the final permitting of prayer tablets made of pressed clay from Karbala. In more recent times, Shiʿa scholars have attempted to demonstrate that it is not the mohr itself that is worshipped. This is probably in response to accusations of idolatry (Gleave 2011, p. 248–49).
This mohr includes an image of the mausoleum of Hosayn (d. 680), the third Emam, in Karbala (map) and a Persian text below: Ya ʿAli / khak-e Karbala, an invocation to ʿAli and reference to the sacred earth of Karbala. On the left it reads khak-e shafa (healing earth) and on the right hedyeh-e Karbala (gift from Karbala). This last phrase suggests that the tablet could be used as a votive object, as pilgrimage (ziyarat) to the tombs of holy persons (the Twelve Emams and their descendants) and vow-making are closely connected. Votive objects play a role at either end of the process of vow-making: at the beginning, when making a vow to call upon the mediator (the entombed saint), or at the end, when expressing thanks for the fulfillment of the vow (Flaskerud 2011, p. 165). The object purchased at the site can be seen as representing the pilgrim’s gratitude for the opportunity to visit the shrine. On the other hand, the pilgrimage itself can be considered a gift to the saint, and the tablet functions as proof of the pilgrim fulfilling their obligation. Additionally, the tablet could be presented to a local emamzadeh and then be the pilgrim’s return gift to the saint for the fulfillment of a vow.
Sources:
- Flaskerud, Ingvild. “The Votive Image in Iranian Shi’ism.” In The Art and Material Culture of Iranian Shi’ism: Iconography and Religious Devotion in Shi’i Islam, edited by Pedram Khosronejad, 161–78. New York: I.B. Tauris, 2011. [WorldCat]
- Gleave, Robert. “Prayer and Prostration: Imāmī Shi’i Discussions of al-sujūd ‘alā al-turba al-Ḥusayniyya.” In The Art and Material Culture of Iranian Shi’ism: Iconography and Religious Devotion in Shi’i Islam, edited by Pedram Khosronejad, 233–53. New York: I.B. Tauris, 2011. [WorldCat]
- Leisten, Thomas. “Turba.” In Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online (EI-2 English), edited by Peri J. Bearman. Brill, 2012. [Brill]
Citation: Pooyan Tamimi Arab and Mirjam Shatanawi, “Prayer tablet (mohr).” Catalog entry in The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of an Iranian Shrine, directed and edited by Keelan Overton. 33 Arches Productions, January 15, 2025. Host: Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online.