A Lowdown On Islamic Arts & Crafts
Have you been thinking of decorating your home with Islamic arts and crafts? Do you have a keen interest in arts and crafts of the Islamic world? What really is Islamic art? It is a big universe which includes several forms of arts and crafts that began being made after Islam was established as the new religion in 7th centuryAD in the Arabia. These arts and crafts were created by inhabitants of Muslim-majority places like the Arabiandesert, Turkey, Spain and Iran, or areas where Muslims in a minority but formed the ruling class like medieval India. Islamic art dates to 1400 years ago and is rendered in different forms such as calligraphy, painting, glass, pottery, and textile arts like carpets and embroidery.
Islamic art may not just be religious. It also includes secular designs such as geometric patterns and floral motifs seen in homes, mosques, offices, as well as in artefacts and carpets.
1} Calligraphy: Arabic calligraphy is the most outstanding and visible aspect of Islamic art. Even though Arabic was the lingua franca of Arab lands, Arabic calligraphy got the impetus it needed after Islam was established as the new religion in the 7th century. The need to transcribe the Quran in the form of a book, coupled with the prohibition of human and animal imagery, led to the development of Islamic or Arabic calligraphy as a form of art. The walls and domes of Islamic monuments are densely adorned with Arabic calligraphy.Even in current era, the Quran is printed in Naskh calligraphy style.
2} Miniature paintings: A miniature painting is a small paper painting compiled in an album called the ‘muraqqa’. They were first used in 13th century Persia, and later in Ottoman and Mughal empires. Not meant for public use, but only for purposes of the court, these miniature paintings liberally used humanand animal figures.
3] Rugs and carpets: Next to calligraphy in terms of prominence, carpets are an important craft that Muslims created. But even as calligraphyis religious art, carpets and rugs use non-religious motifs such as floral designs, borders and geometric patterns. When combined with calligraphy, they are used as wall art. Otherwise, they are used to coverfloors, as prayer rugs.
4} Ceramic pottery: Ceramic pottery and tiles made up for the absence of wall paintings in Muslim-controlled territories. Though the earliest pottery dates to Basra in the 8th century, the Chinese played a significant role in the development of pottery after the Mongol invasions in the 13th century.
There are other aspects in the field of Islamic art, such as glass, silk and metal works produced in varied areas – from Spain and Morocco to China and Indonesia.
Nowadays, new mediums such as canvas and leather printing as well as wall decals too have made an entry into the arts and crafts of the Islamic world. So, if you are looking for Islamic artsand crafts, you would be sure to find a dazzling variety of arts and crafts, both new and old, from different parts of the world, but all bonded together in faith.
