Date:second half 14th century Geography: Attributed to present-day Uzbekistan, Samarqand Medium: Stonepaste; carved and glazed Dimensions: H. 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm) W. 8 5/8 in. 21.9 cm) D. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm) From the Grinnell Collection, Met The curving arched shape on top identifies it as a muqarnas element. Painted in robin egg […]

Date: 10th century Geography: Excavated in Iran, Nishapur Medium: Stucco; painted Dimensions: H. 13 9/16 in. (34.4 cm) W. 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm) D: 5 3/4 in. (14.6cm) Wt. 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) wb From the MET This stucco piece together with the other two in the Met has pointed center top, curved in […]

Title: Muqarnas decoration Creator: Unknown Location: Turkey, Bursa Physical Dimensions: Height: 13 3/4 in. (34 cm ) Medium: Earthenware, cuerda seca technique Date: 13th – 15th centuries From the Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Fez Morocco in Turkey offers a fine example of the utilization of muqarnas […]

Creator: unknown Date: 1200 – 1250 Location: Granada, Spain Physical Dimensions: w3.5 x h1.9 x d3.5 cm Type: Ceiling Medium: wood From the collection of Pergamonmuseum, National Museums in Berlin From the domed roof of the Palacio del Partal, one would see an early example of muqarnas decoration on the edges 16 wooden panels. The […]

Creator: Shaykh-i Bahāʾī Date: 1611-29 Type: facade Location: Isfahan, Iraq Medium: Plaster The geometric vaulting structure, muqarnas, is used for deconstructing zones of transition and for architectural decoration. It is a three-dimensional composition  built by assembling a variation of small prismatic elements, comparable to portions of vaults and composed according to precise rules, in overlapping […]

Tulu Bayar (Turkey, United States) Confluence United States (2005) 2-Channel Video Projection   Tulu Bayar’s Confluence encourages its viewers to think deeply about what it actually means to be Muslim in contemporary society. The video opens with two figures– one who appears to be white, who is clothed, and the other (Bayar herself) whose complexion […]

Jananne Al-Ani (Iraq, United Kingdom) Veil Union, London (1997) Single Screen Slide Projection   Jananne al-Ani’s work Veil aggressively portrays the ways in which the politicization of veiling practices influences a viewer’s perceptions of women. In this projection, al-Ani depicts five women of varying ages and backgrounds all dressed in black and set against a […]

Shadi Ghadirian (Tehran, Iran) Like Everyday Series Tehran (2000) C-Print   Lighthearted, humorous, and serious at the same time, Tehranian artist Shadi Ghadirian’s Like Everyday series juxtaposes the past with the present through the lens of stereotypes. This allows her to comment on the contemporary portrayal and lifestyles of Muslim women in the midst of […]

Sarah Rahbar (Tehran, Iran; United States) love Arrived & How Red Series  New York City (2008) Photograph   Love Arrived & How Red is a series of photographs named after a poem by the same title by the Iranian poet Simin Behbahani. The series draws upon the humanity of the individual in two widely different cultures […]

Shirin Neshat (Iran, United States) Women of Allah Series   New York City (1993-1997) Ink on Photograph   Shirin Neshat’s Women of Allah explores the intersection of religion, gender, and politics through a series of portrait photographs depicting women wearing chadors, covered in Farsi script, and carrying guns. The photo above, much like the other photographs […]

Bowl with Simurghs Samarkand, 10th Century Ceramic The red interlace strapwork in this ceramic bowl creates a complex geometric pattern within the center, almost serving as the focal point for this piece. A pink-tan base color comes through in the negative spaces of the bowl, however, there is little space left unoccupied, as the composition […]

Miskin The Assembled Animals Complain to the Raven India, 1595-1600 Gouache on paper    The Assembled Animals Complain To The Raven is part of the Anwar-i Suhayli illustrated manuscript. This was a collection of fables that features animals and uses them symbolically. This detached folio focuses on the troubles in the world similar to Farid al-Din’s […]

Calligraphy In The Shape Of The Hoopoe Bird 17th Century Iran Pergamonmuseum, National Museums in Berlin Calligraphy in the shape of the Hoopoe bird is a “calligram” or figurative imagery consisting of Arabic characters; this type of artwork was very popular in later Islamic calligraphy. This form of calligraphy was typically used in the field […]

     Lobed Bottle with Simurghs in Flight 17th Century Safavid Dynasty Ceramic: fritware, painted in luster on opaque white and cobalt blue glazes Brooklyn Museum      This vertical striped, lusterware bottle was most likely used simply as a decoration, as suggested by the shape of the vessel.Towards the bottom of the bottle, around the […]

Habiballah of Sava The Concourse Of The Birds Iran, Isfahan 1600 Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper   Habiballah of Sava’s “The Concourse of the Birds” depicts a diverse assortment of birds, as well as other creatures, all surrounding a crowned bird. This crowned bird at the center of these other creatures is […]

Unknown, Jug Unknown (likely Iran), Early 13th century Glazed clay This off-white jug is split into three sections mainly painted in brown, save the garments of the people and a few other minor areas. The bottom section (around 20%) is a design of arabesque mesh with hatched lozenges. The middle section (around 60%) features images […]

Unknown, Over-glazed painted Bowl Iran, 12th-13th century Over-glaze ceramic The next piece is a monumental one (indicated by the large figures) featuring a person riding a horse as the primary image. The garments have a foliate scroll design and a halo if behind the persons head. An angel in a striped shirt and foliate scroll […]

Unknown, A Kashan lustre bowl with two seated figures, birds, and cypress trees Persia, Late 12th/Early 13th century Lustre ware This monochrome bowl depicts two silhouettes of swan-like animals, facing away from each other, yet connected at the breast. At the bottom of the bowl are four broad leaves with lines on the inside coming […]

Unknown, Bowl with Bahram Gur and Azada Iran (likely Kashan according to the MET), 12th-13th century Stonepaste; glazed (opaque monochrome), in-glaze- and overglaze-painted, gilded This bowl depicts the same story of Bahram Gur and Azada as the anchor piece. It is known as a monumental piece because the images take up the entire space of […]

Unknown (likely worked with Ali Ibn Yusuf), Bahram Gur and Azada Iran, 12th-13th century Stonepaste; polychrome inglaze and overglaze painted on opaque monochrome glaze (mina’i) In the center of this bowl is a depiction of the famous Shahnama story of Bahram Gur and his concubine Azada. On a hunting excursion Azada doubts Bahram Gur’s abilities […]

Four Ivory Panels 11th and 12th centuries AD Egypt Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum Ivory ______________________________________________   The four carved ivory panels represent some of the amazing art coming from the Fatimid court. These low relief, ivory, carved panels came from Egypt around the 11th and 12th centuries AD. Through the intricate […]

Pyxis from Madinat al-Zahra ca. 969-970 Ivory Madinat al-Zahra Victoria and Albert Museum _______________________________________________ This ivory pyxis was produced around ca. 969-970 and is similar to many of the ivory caskets produced in Spain during this time. Coming from Madinat al-Zahra, this pyxis was made for the caliphal court of the Umayyad dynasty. Part of […]

Flask with Zodiac Medallions First half of 14th century with additions from the first half of the 20th century Kashan, Iran Stonepaste, glaze, gilded Metropolitan Museum of Art   This uniquely shaped pilgrim flask features the twelve zodiac signs, modeled in relatively large medallions and glazed with dark blue. The shape of the flask is […]

Inkwell Eastern Iraq of Afghanistan. c. 1200 Bronze inlaid with silver and copper The David Collection, Denmark   The small cylindrical inkwell is decorated with a thick band of figural and interlaces decoration, made out of bronze and copper with inlaid silver. Around the sides there is small, faux-handle like rosebuds that peel off at […]

Cordoban Casket ca. 966-968 Ivory gilded in Bronze Cordoba The David Collection from Park Museerne ________________________________ This ivory casket is part of the carved ivory tradition witnessed in the Umayyad court in Cordoba. Created around c. 966-968, this carved casket is made from an elephant’s tusk and is gilded in bronze. This casket departs from […]

Mihrab of the Great Mosque of Isfahan 1000 AD Located in: Isfahan, Iran Materials: Stone, ceramic tile    Works Cited Bloom, Jonathan M. and Sheila S. Blair. The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture: Volume II: Delhi to Mosque. Oxford University Press. 2009. p. 516. Burckhardt, Titus. Art of Islam, Language and Meaning, ed. […]

          Pen-Box Mosul, Iraq, 1230-1250 Silver, copper, brass British Museum   The decoration encompasses the entire surface area of the slender rectangular pen-box from Mosul, Iraq. The copper, brass and silver inlay pen-box was made around 1230-1250. Lifting up the small latch that holds the lid shut reveals multiple compartments. A large […]

The Vaso Vescovali Khurasan, Iran. 1200 Silver and bronze British Museum   The Vaso Vescovali is an extravagantly decorated lidded bowl made out of tin bronze and inlaid with silver. The bowl and lid were made somewhere in Iran, most likely in the Khurasan province around 1200. The decoration is arranged in a series of […]

Pyxis of al-Mughira AH 357/968 CE Ivory Madinat al-Zahra in al-Andalus Louvre Museum, Paris, France __________________________________________ The Pyxis of al-Mughira represents an example of the royal ivory carving tradition of Islamic Spain. Created in AH 357/968 CE, the Pyxis of al-Mughira was most likely made at the Umayyad caliphal court at Madinat al-Zahra in Al-Andalus. […]

Bowl With Astronomical and Courtly Motifs Islamic Late 12th – early 13th century Attributed to Central or Northern Iran The Metropolitan Museum of Art   When you look at the Bowl with Courtly and Astronomical Motifs, it is as if you are entering into another exotic world. This bowl was most likely created in Central […]

The Great Mosque of Cordoba was constructed in 784 AD and expanded on over the next two centuries The interior of the mosque is famously colorful, containing piggy-back arches with horseshoe arches containing alternating brick and stone voussoirs, creating a red and white striped effect. The use of banded arches, spoliated columns with Corinthian capitals […]

   Works Cited Bloom, Jonathan M. and Sheila S. Blair. The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture: Volume II: Delhi to Mosque. Oxford University Press. 2009. p. 516. Burckhardt, Titus. Art of Islam, Language and Meaning, ed. World Wisdom, Bloomington      Indiana. 2009. P. 130. Carboni, Stefano. “Mihrab (Prayer Niche)”, Catalogue, Metropolitan Museum […]

  Mihrab Date: 1354–55 AD From: Iran, Isfahan Medium: Mosaic of polychrome-glazed cut tiles on stonepaste body; set into mortar Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, United States   The Mihrab found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a prayer niche created in 1354 AD shortly after the collapse of the Ilkhanid […]

Morgan Casket 11th and 12th century Southern, Italy Ivory Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC _____________________________________________________ The Morgan Casket represents the royal ivory carving tradition from the Fatimid Empire in Norman Sicily. Dating back to the 11th and 12th century, the Morgan Casket is decorated with low-relief carvings of animals and human figures. Additionally, men dressed […]

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 […]