From: Jami’ al-Tawarikh (aka: History of the World) Author: Rashid al-Din Date: 1314 C.E. Medium: Ink on parchment Geography: Tabriz This folio is roughly titled 14th-century Persian manuscript shows Genghis Khan and three of his four sons. The Kufic inscription states “In Jumada II 601 (January 1205), commenced auspiciously Genghis Khan arrayed his army and set out […]
Greek Physician Erasistratos with an Assistant
From: De Materia Medica of Dioscorides Author: Pedanius Dioscorides Calligrapher: Abdallah ibn al-Fadl Date: 1224 CE (Cordova copy), Abbasid Period Medium: ink on parchment Geography: Cordova Greek Physician, Erasistratos with an Assistant is folio page featured in Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica of Dioscorides (ca. 1224 CE). Early Greek medicine had a huge influence on Islamic medicine. Dioscorides, a […]
Mountains Between India and Tibet
From: Jami Al-Tavarikh Author: Rashid-al-Din Hamadani Date: Between 1314-1315 C.E. Medium: Ink, paper and gold Geography: Persia The Mountains Between India and Tibet From Jami Al-Tavarikh also features a Mongolian Indian figure, their religions symbolically divided by a snake-like river. It was drawn between 1314-1315 using ink, color, paper and gold. The text was originally Persian, but […]
Barham Gur and the Indian Princess in the Black Palace on Saturday
From: Haf Pakir of the Khamsa of Nizami Author: Maulana Azhar Date: 1141-1217 CE, Tirmurid Period Geography: Pakistan Medium: ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Barham Gur and the Indian Princess in the Black Palace on Saturday is a folio from Haf Pakir of the Khamsa of Nizami. It was created around 1141-1217, the Tirmurid Period, in […]
The Elephant Clock
From: The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Device Author: Al-Jazari Date: 1315 C.E Geography: Copy created in Syria Medium: Illustrated using ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper Visual Analysis The Elephant Clock by al-Jazari is a folio page illustrating how to create a fantastical water clock. His attention to detail and instructional lay out […]
Davis – Grayson
In “The Shahnameh as World Literature”, author Dick Davis makes some points that I do not agree with. He claims that the Shahnameh is the “sole indigenous literary source” of Persian legends and mythology. But this seems unlikely, as before Persian manuscripts came into fashion they, like many civilizations at the time, shared hundreds of […]
Abbasid Ceramics
I disagree with the statement “It is not until the Abbasid period that a distinct type and style of ceramic ware emerged that can be distinguished technically as ‘Islamic’.” As we see in Abbasid ceramics, the styles of past dynasties has not completely disappeared from the Islamic decorative canon. The Abbasids ruled from Central Asia […]
Grabar Response
I agree with Grabar’s argument because the Islamic empire assimilated different aspects of conquered cultures that “appeared most significant” to benefit their own empire (43). Islamic dynasties used art to illustrate their dominance and universal rule over other cultures. The Muslim empire visually represented their power over newly conquered peoples by adopting many, many different […]
Umayyad Exhibition
The Museum With No Frontiers curators proved their claim that “Umayyad art is a combination of decorative styles and motifs drawn from different artistic traditions.” All of the chosen art and architecture display multi-cultural artistry from the many nations under Islamic rule. The Umayyad Caliphate was founded under a caliph in 661 AD. Its capitol, […]