Islamic art: history, characteristics, and cultural significance

Islamic Art

The two objects that I found on the website required to write this article are entitled Folio from the Tashkent Qu'ran" and "The Feast of Sada," Folio from the Shanama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp. There are a number of reasons as to why the former of these objects is perceived as part of Islamic art. The most salient of these relates to the title. This work of art is actually a page of written (calligraphic) text from what is regarded as the holy scriptures of Islam, the Koran. This book provides various details about the life and travails of Muhammad, as well as a number of the fundamental precepts of this religion.

In addition to the content of the writing on this particular page, there are a number of faces regarding the actual writing itself that denote that it is Islamic art. Firstly, the page is written in a language referred to as kufic script. A number of people who wrote in this language were Muslim, Additionally, the appearance of the writing helps to support the fact that this is Islamic art because it is obviously calligraphic. There are a number of different languages that -- when written -- appear like calligraphy; many of these are used to record different aspects of the religion of Islam. Moreover, there is an inherent aesthetic quality to calligraphy so that even someone who is not able to read it can admire the elongated and abbreviated characters, the finely wrought angles and the attractive design of such a work, which merits its consideration as art.

There are also several revealing characters regarding "The Feast of Sada," Folio from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp that help to label it Islamic art. The artist of the painting, after all, is the Sultan Muhammad, who was definitely a an adherent to Islam. The vast majority of men who were given the title of Sultan were muslims. Additionally, this particular painting is adorned with Persian writing near its base. Many Persians are Islamic, so this fact is in alignment with the others that suggest that this pictorial representation is an example of Muslim art. Moreover, the web site that this assignment is based on explicates the fact that this Persian writing is actually an excerpt from a longer religious poem. Poetry is one of the few creative outlets that Islam permits for conjuring evocations of God and his wonder.