The Many Splendors of Islamic Art- Part II
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Writing as Art
The only major art form which really became a decorative art form under Islam rather than prior is calligraphy. Because of several factors, including a prohibition against figural art in mosques and an emphasis on literacy and knowledge, writing took on new importance under the newly emerging Islamic empire (see Calligraphy). The walls of mosques and other Islamic buildings were adorned with passages from the Koran which not only legitimized the structures as religious buildings but often referenced religious themes. Inscribed passages were not only a way to praise God and express the piety of the rulers but, as in the use of the Paradise passages in the Taj Mahal, they were a way of giving a building or complex a specific theme and meaning. Calligraphy of course went beyond an architectural usage and can be found on all types of artwork including those mentioned in the previous article.
Illustration
Manuscripts are one of those forms of artwork which tied calligraphy into their design. With the exception of Koranic manuscripts the writing in these works were not seen as the alternative to human or animal depictions. In fact in secular manuscripts the illustration and text were often seen as complimentary.
The oldest surviving illustrated manuscript is from the eleventh century CE and is a book by al-Sufi on astronomy called Kitab Suwar al-Kawakib al-Thabita (or Book of Images of the Fixed Stars). There are examples of individual pages of manuscripts containing illustrations before this time but the only other complete works were Koranic manuscripts which were decorated with abstract designs.* The paper used in making these manuscripts only became popular in the tenth century although paper making was introduced in the eighth century by the Chinese. For Koranic manuscripts this slow adaptation of paper over parchment may have something to do with the conservative quality of the work.**
Originally manuscripts were most often of those two types- Koranic and scientific- although as illustrated manuscripts became more widely used several oral legends and popular folk tales were recorded in this new format. One such tale is that of the Maqamat, a story describing the 50 adventures of Abu Zayd, which has a total of 11 surviving copies dating to before 1350 CE. Another famous oral tale that was recorded and illustrated is the Shahnama. It is a long poem (50,000 couplets) which tells the story of Iran's history from the creation of the world to the first Islamic period. Illustrated books continued their popularity in the Arab land until about the middle of the 14th century when the interest in them fizzled out.
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