This monumental storage jar was produced in a mould. Creating such a complex design on so large an object by this method was a great achievement by the potters. They made the jar from an artificial paste called fritware, composed mostly of ground quartz rather than clay. Fritware was preferred because of its whiteness, which here enhances the brightness of the turquoise glaze.

The jar is decorated all over with a honeycomb pattern. The nine rows of cells, which vary in size according to the changing profile of the jar, each contain a repeated or related motif. The incomplete cells at the foot contain plant designs, and the small cells above this and in the two top rows contain birds or animals. The remainder show human figures engaged in activities associated with Islamic courtly activities, such as a seated drinker, a musician playing a lute or a flute, a dancer and a horseman. The camel rider at the shoulder may be an allusion to Bahram Gur, a pre-Islamic king of Iran who went to the hunt on a camel.