The word “Mahzor,” means “cycle" and is familiar to most Jews as the term used for the prayer book for the High Holidays and festivals. However, in medieval times, the term Mahzor was used to refer to prayerbooks that contained the complete cycle of prayers for the entire year.

The Bamberg Mahzor, completed in Bamberg, Germany, in 1279, includes prayers for the entire year according to Ashkenazi custom. It is distinguished by its Ashkenazi script and the style of its decoration. 

The stylized gate punctuated by rondels containing “grotesque” creatures surrounds a liturgical poem for Purim, elaborating the story of Esther. The quality of the decoration is characteristic of 13th-century German lands.