Hanukkah lamp in soapstone (steatite) from Morocco

This Hanukkah lamp was carved from steatite, or soapstone, a soft and easily worked material, and features hollowed cups in a row intended to hold oil and wicks. Lit during the eight evenings of the festival, it has eight aligned cavities and an additional space for the shamash used to light the other lights. This modest Moroccan type was produced locally for domestic use by families who did not have access to the more costly metal lamps. A popular object of Maghrebi Jewish material culture, it testifies to the local production of ritual objects from accessible materials.