Wooden lohn or prayer board with crescent-shaped leather-covered handle and leather strap, board covered with Islamic script, thought to be medicinal, handle broken, Sudanese, 1801-1910.

Islamic holy men, known as fikas, write phrases from the Qu’ran (the holy book of Islam) or mystic inscriptions on wooden boards, known as lohn or prayer boards. When the ink is dry, it is washed from the board and drunk or applied to the body to cure illness. This practice is known as El Mahara.