This rectangular wooden panel is part of a set of nine believed to have come from the palatial complex of Qalawan, which was constructed in the late thirteenth century on the ruins of the Fatimid Palace of Cairo (originally constructed by the caliph Mustansir in 1058). Carved panels with similar low and high relief patterning have been confidently attributed to the Maristan (hospital) of Qalawum, and were likely used to decorate its ceiling, or the soffit of a lintel; indeed, an architrave where such panels would have fitted existed at the entrance corridor that led to the hospital of the complex.

Fatimid Egypt (969-1171) witnessed a great flourishing of wood carving, with surviving pieces associated with architecture, being friezes, door panels and surface panels and beams, many of which are currently preserved in situ within Coptic churches, mosques and secular buildings in Cairo. While surviving pieces of Islamic woodwork date back to the seventh century, Fatimid examples demonstrate a complex and wide iconographic repertoire of designs, motifs, and figures, building upon previous Abbasid, Coptic and Tulunid styles while exploiting floriated intersections, overlapping fields, and interlace patterns. The rich and layered carvings created by Fatimid wood carvers warranted considerable appreciation, causing pieces to be salvaged and re-utilised in later Ayyubid and Mamluk construction. Today, much Fatimid woodwork survives within the construct of later buildings or furnishings.

Despite wood having existing in abundance in Egypt, much wood during the Fatimid period was believed to have been imported. While the Fatimids supposedly controlled the exploitation of acacia in Upper Egypt, Fatimid woodwork exists in a variety of woods including pine, acacia, cypress, ebony and teak, these reflecting both indigenous as well as imported species. The cost of both importing the wood along with the fine craftsmanship employed, suggests that these panels were a part of a luxury market.