"There is no doubt that the artists of Egypt under the Fatimids were skilled to a degree that found no parallel in the handicrafts of Europe.... it is impossible to overlook the existence of an ancient skill in arts of all kinds in Egypt itself, and to ascribe much of the merits of the Mamluk work to the traditions of the ...

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Works of art have made up the visual landscape of Islamic societies for fourteen centuries. Decorations on religious buildings and artwork, particularly those associated with the Shi'i interpretation of Islam, often reflected doctrinal affiliations. The Fatimid dynasty developed a distinctive visual language, prominently displaying their doctrines centred around the role of the Imams. The Fatimid capital al-Mansuriyya, in Tunisia, founded in ...

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The first revelation to the Prophet was about knowledge and learning. The pursuit of knowledge is the central message of the Qur'an. The value placed on the pursuit of knowledge, the central message of the Qur'an, became the foundation for the development of education among Muslims. As Islam spread outside the Arabian peninsula, the new Muslim rulers came into contact with ...

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Persian literature is dominated by a highly sophisticated tradition of poetry dating to the tenth century. Persian poetry can generally be divided into two forms: the lyrical and the epic. The major lyrical forms are the qasida, ghazal, and rubai. The basic form of epic poetry is the masnavi. The qasida, a long mono-rhyme (aa, ba, ca) similar to an ode, ...

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The term sufi, from the Arabic suf is thought to have been derived in the eight century to refer to those who wore coarse woollen garments. Gradually it came to be designated to a group of those who differentiated themselves by stressing certain teachings of the Qur'an and the sunnah. By the ninth century, the term tasawwuff (literally "being a sufi") ...

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The Fatimid Caliph-Imam Abu Ali Mansur, who took the caliphal title of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, succeeded his father to the Imamat on October 14, 996. The first Fatimid Caliph-Imam to be born in Egypt, Imam made the education of Ismailis a priority; various study sessions known as majalis were established in Cairo where he also completed the mosque in 1013 that ...

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"....the art and culture of the Fatimids is the expression of a remarkably tolerant multireligious and multiethnic society, the source of impressive material prosperity and of an unprecedented creative vitality." Marianne BarrucandProfessor of Islamic Art and Archaeology at the Sorbonne and editor of L'Egypte Fatimide: Son Art et Son HistoireAKDN Press Release "The Fatimids, after all, prided themselves on a broadly ...

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"A central element in any religious outlook, it seems to me, is a sense of human limitation, a recognition of our own creature-hood - a posture of profound humility before the Divine. In that sensibility lies our best protection against divisive dogmatism and our best hope for creative pluralism." His Highness the Aga Khan School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia ...

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During medieval times, iron and copper alloys were crafted into tools, weapons, and utensils, while gold and silver were made into jewellery, coins, and luxury items which became popular and were appreciated for their aesthetic appeal. New buyers, who desired reasonably priced luxury goods, began to demand more intricate ceramics resulting in the development of many new techniques and styles. However, ...

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Due to the sacred nature of the Qur'an, copying the text, like its recitation, was a pious act. Hence, all the arts associated with the text - copying, conserving, and decorating - acquired increasing prestige. While calligraphy occupied one of the prime spots in the field of artistic expressions, the decorative arts developed into a sophisticated art form. Geometric patterns, stylised ...

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