Horn book, rectangular board with handle and leather strap, covered with Arabic script on both sides
This is an allo board that would have been used by students of the Qur’an among the Hausa and Fulani to practice writing Qur’anic verses in the Arabic script until they had learned the entire Qur’an. Initially they would have used washable ink but once a student had mastered the entire Qur’an he would have been given an allo board with verses in indelible ink to mark his status as hamil. Other boards would have been used to write special verses from the Qur’an in water soluble ink that were then washed off and the ink drunk by a patient to absorb the protective spiritual power of the sacred words.
