Legend of the Moor's Head
And92guit - CC4.0
The ceramic vases in the shape of a moor's head have become a symbol of Sicily. Their origin is shrouded in legend.
It is said that during the Arab domination in 1100, a beautiful girl lived in Palermo who was very dedicated to the care of the plants on her balcony. One day a Moor, an Arab, passed her house and, seeing her, fell madly in love with her and declared his love for her. She was very impressed and immediately returned the feeling. But one day the girl learned that the Moor would soon return to the East where his wife and children were waiting for him, and so, feeling betrayed, during the night she cut off the Moor's head and with it made a pot in which she planted a basil plant. Finally, he put it on display outside on the balcony and all the inhabitants of the neighborhood, taken by envy, had terracotta pots built in the shape of a Moor's head.
