MOROCCO, 17TH/18TH CENTURY

A similar diagram, although of the Prophet Ibrahim's footprint, sold at Christie's South Kensington, 5 October 2012, lot 626. Among the miracles popularly attributed to the Prophet Muhammad is the belief that his sandals left no imprint in the sand. The present piece was probably used as an amulet, carried at all times on one's body. These copies could also be hung in homes, to grant protection from the evil eye and intruders. They seem to have been very popular in north Africa. See an example in the British Library, dated to the 1800s (British Library, Or.6774).