Calligraphy

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Arabasques

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Dome of the Rock

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Art:Art flourished during the Golden Age of Islam. The arabesque, an intricate design composed of flowers, leaves and geometric patterns. These were found in mosaics, textiles, glassware and rugs. Many times the walls and ceilings of mosques were decorated with these elaborate and ornate patterns. Muslim artists also perfected the skill of calligraphy, or beautiful handwriting. Arab scholars used Arabic letters to design figures, images and designs. These types of artwork became popular because the Qur’an strictly banned the use of idols. Therefore Muslim religious leaders forbade artists to portray God or human figures in religious art. This belief stems from the idea that Allah is the only power who can create life.

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Architecture:Many Muslim artists took an interest in architecture. Muslims adapted the domes and arches of Byzantine buildings to use in their own architecture. In Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock was a mosque was built which used a golden dome to cap off the mosque and is very visually pleasing. Inside mosques, like the Dome of the Rock, Muslim artists included mosaics, arabesques, calligraphy and geometric designs to beautify the building. Many times there were a wide variety of vibrant colors such as gold, blue, purple, and green.Architecture used the intricate designs of artists to beautify their church because human figures were not allowed. Muslim architects had such strong feelings towards their place of worship that many times the mosque was the most decorated and beautiful place in the area.

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Astrolabe

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AaArmillary Sphere

Astrolabe:Muslim astronomers developed a scientific instrument called an astrolabe. This contained a plate which was a map of the sky, the rete which rotated to show the daily movements of the earth and pointers which represented stars. Astronomers would use this at night to calculate time, celestial events & relative positions. The astrolabe allowed astronomers to locate cities.

Armillary Sphere:Astronomers also developed what appears to be a globe constructed to be the size of a building, called armillary spheres. Astronomers would stand underneath this structure to calculate the time of day or year by aligning the rings with various stars. This helped astronomers set their religious lunar calendar and count days.

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House of Wisdom

“See knowledge even as far as China.”  ~Muhammad

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Centers of Learning:House of Wisdom

The Umayyad and Abbasid Dynasties encouraged scholars to collect & translate scientific and philosophical texts. By 800 CE a combination library, academy and translation center was opened in the capital of Baghdad called the House of Wisdom. Baghdad became the greatest Muslim center for learning. The scholars translating text to Arabic from areas like Greece, India, and Persia. This not only kept these ancient texts alive, but also allowed people in the Muslim Empire to have access to them.

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Literature:One Thousand & One Nights

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Poetry

“The tale is told that Rustam had at first,

Such strength bestowed by Him   who   giveth   al l,

That if he walked upon a rock his feet,Would sink   therein .  Such power as that

Proved an abiding trouble, and he prayedTo God in bitterness of soul to diminish

His strength that he might walk like other men.”‐Firdawsi, Shah Namah

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Literature:One Thousand & One Nights

Arab writers began to use the art of storytelling to tell fictional stories to encourage Muslim beliefs found in the Qur’an such as love, nature and the importance of good relationships. Writers collected fairy tales, parables & legends from India, Persia, Greece, Palestine, Egypt and Turkey. The stories taken from these groups were combined with many Muslim stories and beliefs to form the collection of stories called One Thousand & One Nights. The story centers around a king who marries a new wife each day, and has her killed the next day. That is until he marries a women who keeps his interest by telling him a different story everyday [the stories told in the collection] and eventually he realizes he loves her. This collection has been translated into many languages and has even been used to inspire the Disney movie Aladdin.

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Poetry:Many poets began writing after being inspired by the greatest work of Islamic poetry, the Qur’an. Scholars studied the sacred words in the Qur’an and used their own poetry to interpret its meaning. Originally these poems were spoken [oral poetry] but as literacy increased poets began to write down their works and topics often expanded past religion and included other themes.

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