Taj Mahal – Made in China!
Established in September 2005, the Hui Culture park is located in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The park is the only place in China designed especially to display ethnic Hui…
Walls of Yazd, Iran
Yazd is of foremost importance as a centre of fine Persian mosaics and beautiful architecture. The Yazd walls demonstrate a visual continuity in color, scale and form with the built fabric of the…
Calligraphy – the geometry of the spirit
This article appeared on pages 16-27 of the September/October 1989 print edition of Saudi Aramco World. Islamic calligraphy is without doubt the most original contribution of Islam to the visual arts, yet it is only…
Around the World with Nusret Colpan
Nusret Çolpan (October 1, 1952 – May 31, 2008) was a Turkish painter, architect and miniaturist, renowned for his paintings in Ottoman miniature style depicting cities around the world, particularly Istanbul. He painted over 300 miniatures in his 30…
Calligraphy on Islamic Coins
Introduction Western coinages in the Hellenistic tradition are praised for the beauty of their images complementing perfectly the circular space. The art of the portrait flowered in particular in the Hellenistic world, the…
Imam (Shah) Mosque in Isfahan, Iran
Built during the Safavid period, it is an excellent example of Islamic architecture of Iran, and regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian Architecture. The Shah Mosque of Esfahan is one of…
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…
Islamic Art – Mirror of the Invisible World
This new ninety-minute film takes audiences on an epic journey across nine countries and over 1,400 years of history. It explores themes such as the Word, Space, Ornament, Color and Water and presents…
Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar
The Museum of Islamic Art is dedicated to reflecting the full vitality, complexity, and diversity of the arts of the Islamic world. It is a world-class collecting institution, which preserves, studies, and exhibits…
Album of Ottoman Calligraphy
This album (muraqqaʿ) of calligraphy in an accordion format was compiled in Ottoman Turkey in the twelfth century AH / eighteenth CE. It consists of leaves bearing fragmentary passages from the Qur’an (chapter…
Arches of Sheikh Zayed Mosque
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is a heaven for photographers. A simple google search will reveal stunning images of the mosque with enough detail to write numerous blog posts. However this is just a…
Courtyards of Morocco
The ornate interiors and courtyards of Morocco. Le Palais du Zahir marrakech architecture persia courtyard courtyard housing
