Shrine of Bibi Ruakaya
Photographs of the Shrine of Bibi Rukaya in Damascus, Syria. syrian islamic architecture bibi rukaya damascus zarih of imam hussain syria islamic architecture
Iznik Pottery (16th Century)
This Turkish dish is one of the finest examples of Iznik ceramics anywhere. Painted with a masterful flourish, both delicate and striking, it features one of the earliest known combinations of flora and…
The Enamelled Glass, Mosque Lamps
Mosque lamps of glass, enamelled and often with gilding, survive in considerable numbers from the Islamic art of the Middle Ages, especially the 13th and 14th centuries, with Cairo in Egypt and Aleppo and Damascus in Syria as the most important centres of production. These are oil…
Coins of Abd al-Malik
These two dinar coins sum up one of the greatest political and religious upheavals ever – the permanent transformation of the Middle East in the years following the death of the Prophet Muhammad….
Exploring the Damascus Room
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art reopened the museum’s Islamic art galleries to display roughly 1,200 works spanning 13 centuries and dozens of Islamic-influenced cultures. One highlight is the Damascus Room, a 26-foot-long…
Aleppo – Architecture and History
“The city is as old as eternity, but still young, and it has never ceased to exist. Its days and nights have been long; it has survived its rulers and commoners. These are…
Silver Speaks
Throughout the Middle East, Silver, jewellery speaks about the lives of women and girls and the talents of artisans. It provides a window into social status, religion, regional identities and changing lives in…
London’s Arab Hall
“…The Arab Hall in this fine house, without being at all like the Al-hambra in detail, gives the grand impression which Eastern art awakes in many minds.” An English vicar’s wife was so…
The Umayyad Mosque of Damascus
Also known as Principal (Great) Mosque of Damascus, founded by the Umayyad caliph al-Walid in 706 CE. The Great Mosque stands in the centre of the old city of Damascus on the site…
Damascus – history, arts and architecture
Capital city of Syria and one of the chief cities of the Middle East. Damascus is located in southern Syria on the banks of the Barada river. The area of Damascus forms an…
Islamic Art Belongs As Much To The Present As To The Past
by Titus Burckhardt For the contemplative man a lesson can be learned from everything. (Sufyan al-Thawri) The art of Islam is essentially a contemplative art, which aims to express above all, an encounter…
