Islam

Calligraphy

The art of writing was very important in the Islamic world : the divine revelation of Mohammed was written down in words, making Arabic a sacred language. Wealthy Muslims in the Middle Ages kept libraries full of beautifully written and illustrated books: the Koran, of course, but also story books that could transport the reader into a mysterious and fascinating world.

The producers of books were writers and painters, employed by the Caliph himself or by the great lords of the caliphate. Then there were other craftsmen : the leather-tanners who made the covers, the papermakers and the chemists who mixed together the glues and inks.

The 'Shamseh'

The idea of decorating or 'illuminating' texts was taken from the Byzantines and, before them, the Hebrews. From the 12th c onwards it was traditional to show a decorated 'shamseh' or 'sun' on the first page (the frontispiece) of a Koran. It was a beautiful polygon representing perfection beyond our world.

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© Shirley Burchill, Chris Green, Mathew Hill, Nigel Hughes and Antony McDermott 2009