Islamic Arms and Armor
on Mar 13 in History, Site UpdatesSince its emergence in seventh-century Arabia, the religion of Islam spread rapidly, by swift military conquest and by conversion, throughout the Middle East and North Africa. During the eighth century, large parts of India were Islamized, while Muslim armies also began the occupation of Spain, portions of which remained Islamic until the end of the [...]
The Art of Nishapur (mid-9th–early 12th century)
on Mar 13 in History, Site UpdatesNishapur began to assume major influence from the mid-ninth century A.D., becoming in the tenth through twelfth centuries one of the great political, commercial, and cultural centers in medieval Iran and the Islamic world. The richest oasis and chief city of the eastern Iranian province of Khorasan, Nishapur was well situated along the Silk Road [...]
The Art of the Mamluk Period (1250–1517)
on Mar 13 in History, Site UpdatesThe Mamluk sultanate (1250–1517) emerged from the weakening of the Ayyubid realm in Egypt and Syria (1250–60). Ayyubid sultans depended on slave (Arabic: mamluk, literally “owned,” or slave) soldiers for military organization, yet mamluks of Qipchaq Turkic origin eventually overthrew the last Ayyubid sultan in Egypt, al-Malik al-Ashraf (r. 1249–50) and established their own rule. [...]
Vegetal Patterns in Islamic Art
on Mar 13 in History, Site UpdatesVegetal patterns employed alone or in combination with the other major types of ornament—calligraphy, geometric pattern, and figural representation—adorn a vast number of buildings, manuscripts, objects, and textiles, produced throughout the Islamic world. Unlike calligraphy, whose increasingly popular use as ornament in the early Islamic Arab lands represented a new development, vegetal patterns and the [...]
Islamic Art and Culture: the Venetian Perspective
on Mar 13 in History, Site UpdatesIslamic Philosophy and Science in Venice
Precisely because Venice remained so open to foreign cultures, all kinds of philosophical, scientific, religious, and literary texts circulated in the city throughout the medieval and Renaissance periods. Mostly interested in Greek and Latin works, Venetian literati, however, understood that transmission occurred through Arabic texts.
After printing presses were established in [...]
Figural Representation in Islamic Art
on Mar 13 in History, Site UpdatesWith the spread of Islam outward from the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century, the figurative artistic traditions of the newly conquered lands profoundly influenced the development of Islamic art. Ornamentation in Islamic art came to include figural representations in its decorative vocabulary, drawn from a variety of sources. Although the often cited opposition in [...]
The Art of the Ilkhanid Period (1256–1353)
on Mar 13 in History, Site UpdatesThe Mongol invasions of the Islamic world began in 1221 with the conquest of eastern Iran. A more devastating wave of conquest, however, came with Genghis Khan’s grandson Hülegü, when Mongol forces subjugated all of Iran and by 1258 had also taken Baghdad, thus bringing to an end the cAbbasid caliphate (750–1258). Establishing rule over [...]
The Art of the Mughals after 1600
on Mar 13 in History, Site UpdatesAfter the death of Akbar, architect of the Mughal empire and active patron of the arts, his son Jahangir (r. 1605–27) ascended to the throne. As a prince, Jahangir had established his own atelier in Allahabad and had strong artistic tastes, preferring a single painter to work on an image rather than the collaborative method [...]
The Nature of Islamic Art
on Mar 12 in History, Site UpdatesThe term Islamic art not only describes the art created specifically in the service of the Muslim faith (for example, a mosque and its furnishings) but also characterizes the art and architecture historically produced in the lands ruled by Muslims, produced for Muslim patrons, or created by Muslim artists. As it is not only a [...]
Exhibit displays Islamic book art
on Mar 12 in History, Site UpdatesA special exhibit at the IU Art Museum puts Islamic book art from the Lilly Library on display, showcasing centuries’ worth of written works.
“From Pen to Printing Press: Ten Centuries of Islamic Book Arts” presents a variety of traditional Islamic writings, including calligraphy, paper marbling, printing, illumination and painting. The exhibit began Friday and runs [...]