Islamic Art, Music and Architecture
Around The World
“God is beautiful and loves beauty.”
[A hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him)]
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Art
Hat - Calligraphy
Ebru – Marbling on paper
Tezhip – Illumination
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Hat (Calligraphy)
• Art of Arabic writing
• Special ink and paper (aged 1 year)
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Styles
The Kufic Styles
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The Cursive Styles
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Hilye-i Saadet (Arabic)
The description of the
Prophet Muhammad
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Muhammad
(Arabic)
Peace and Blessings
Upon Him
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Bu Da Gecer Ya Hu (Ottoman)
“This too shall pass.”
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“There is no harming or returning harm for harm [in Islam].”
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Figures with Calligraphy
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Calligraphy
in Latin
Alphabet
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Marble stone from Egypt in Calligraphic style.
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Calligraphy on Ebru
(marbling)
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Ebru (Marbling)
• by whom, when or how EBRU was discovered is unknown.
• originated in the city of Bukhara in Turkistan and spread via the Silk
Road to Persia, India and Anatolia.
• In EBRU, pigments are floated on a bath of thickened water. When a
piece of paper is laid on the bath and then removed, it takes the
pigments with it.
• An infinite number of patterns are possible — no two quite alike.
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Floral Marblings
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Floral Marblings
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Figurative Marblings
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Landscape with Ebru
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Tezhip (Illumination)
• Tezhip is literally fine ornamentation with gold.
• We shall deal here mainly with illumination and ornamentation
on paper.
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Tezhib with EBRU
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Architecture
Material Design
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Islamic-style celestial sphere
Brass with silver
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Horizontal Sundial
Brass
Collection of the Qatar
National Museum
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Early 17th century, Persian
Safavid Dynasty; apple wood,
painted, lacquered, and gilded
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Mina'i Bowls
Ceramic
Late 12th-early 13th century
Persian, Seljuk Dynasty
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Figure of a Court Official
Early 13th century, Persian, Seljuk Dynasty
Stucco, polychrome, and gilded
Openwork Lamp
Bronze
12th century
Persian, Seljuk
Dynasty
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Glass Bottle
1300, Syrian, Mamluk Dynasty
Double-Walled Ewer in the Form of a Rooster
Late 12th-early 13th century
Persian, Seljuk Dynasty; Ceramic
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Oriental Rugs
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Persian
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Persian
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Turkish
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Turkish
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Architecture
Mosques
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Kaba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
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Kaba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
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Prophet's Mosque, which contains the tombs of Muhammad,
his daughter Fatima, and the caliphs Umar and Abu Bakr.
Medina, Saudi Arabia
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Blue Mosque, Istanbul, TURKEY
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Blue Mosque,
Istanbul, TURKEY
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Dome of Rock in Jerusalem
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Taj Mahal, India
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Rumi’s tomb & decorative surroudings
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Saifuddien Mosque, Brunei
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Mosques from Iran
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Architecture
Others
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Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, TURKEY
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Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, TURKEY
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The Alhambra Palace (Granada, Spain)
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Music
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• Qur'anic Recitation is the most central form of music in the
Muslim world.
• Adhan (call to prayer) heard at prayer times, it is the second
major genre of Islamic music.
• Instrumental (Ney)
• Cat Stevens (aka Yusuf Islam)
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