PPT presentation

1. Islamic Ornament

2. Because of the religious ban on figural images, Islamic artists developed a rich
vocabulary of non-figural ornament composed of geometric and vegetal patterns

3. Jali screen, 16th
century; Mughal
Metropolitan Museum
Geometric ornament consists of simple shapes, such as circles, squares, polygons,
and stars, arranged in intricate patterns and combinations

4. Jali screen, 16th
century; Mughal
Metropolitan Museum
The patterns can be mesmerizing in their complexity

5. Jali screen, 16th
century; Mughal
Metropolitan Museum

6. The infinitely repeating patterns symbolize the order of the universe and the
unchanging law of god

7. Recent research has shown that the patterns reflect the advanced mathematical
concept of quasi-crystalline design. This concept was unknown to modern
mathematicians until its discovery in 1970!

8. Another kind of ornament consists of stylized plant forms and vegetal patterns

9. They are similar to Christian images of “paradise” (gardens, rivers, trees, and palaces)
but the difference is that they are devoid of figural representation

10. Architectural forms were also permitted, but representations of animals and humans
(“living things”) were forbidden

11. Koran Page, 9th or early 10th century; ink and gold on vellum
Another major form of Islamic ornament was calligraphy – which means “beautiful
writing”

12. Qur’an Juz, 14th c. Egypt, Aga Khan Museum
The beautiful cursive script of Islamic calligraphy was a visual expression of god’s
message to the prophet

13. “The practice of calligraphy constituted an expression of piety, as stated in the hadith
(associated with the Prophet Muhammad): "the first thing created by God was the pen.”
Islamic Calligraphy and the Qur’an, Carlos Museum, Emory University
http://www.carlos.emory.edu/islamic-calligraphy-exhibition

14. The three major types of Islamic ornament were often combined – as in this detail of the
ceramic tile work decorating the dome of the Rock in Jerusalem

15. We see geometric patterns, stylized vegetal patterns, and Arabic script with quotations
from the Koran
Geometric
pattern
Geometric
pattern
Geometric
pattern
Vegetal pattern
Calligraphy
Calligraphy Calligraphy Calligraphy

16. The Kaaba

17. The ancient city of Mecca, in modern Saudi Arabia, is one of the holiest cities for
Muslims

18. This is where the prophet Muhammad was born, and it is here that a sacred shrine
known as the Kaaba is located

19. The Kaaba pre-dates the Islamic faith; Muslims believe it was built by Abraham and his
son Ismail as a sanctuary to the Hebrew god

20. During Muhammad’s time it also housed the cult idols of local tribal groups that
continued to practice their pagan faiths

21. When Muhammad returned from exile in the nearby city of Medina, he
destroyed the idols in the Kaaba, thus returning it to its original function as
a sanctuary to the one true god, Allah

22. The Kaaba has been re-built and renovated many times over the centuries

23. The black cloth, or kiswa, that shrouds the structure was installed in the 7th century,
and is replaced annually

24. The Kaaba is enclosed by a mosque that has been massively expanded over the
centuries to accommodate the thousands of pilgrims that visit the holy shrine each year

25. One of the 5 Pillars of Islam includes the obligation to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at
least once in a lifetime

26. When Muslims circumambulate the Kaaba, they re-enact Muhammad’s restoration of
the sanctuary to the one true god