The Porter & His Donkey

Fabric dye & acrylic on a ceramic plate, 24 cm diameter, 1.000 Turkish Liras

Due to its location in Iraq at the crossroads of important trade routes, the importance of the new Abbasid Islamic state increased in the region. Trade developed rapidly in Baghdad, built as the new capital in 762 by Caliph al-Mansur. Countless porters carried goods from far and wide on their backs or on their donkeys.

Inspired by a 9th-century Persian tile