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The Arts of Trade and Travel
The obligation to make the pilgrimage (known as the hajj) to Mecca, combined with the tradition of global trade in Muslim societies, makes international travel important in the lives of many Muslims. This brief video highlights the arts associated…
Ibn Battuta on Chinese Porcelain
The Chinese pottery (porcelain) is manufactured only in the towns of Zaytun and Sin-kalan. It is made of the soil of some mountains in that district, which takes fire like charcoal, as we shall relate subsequently. They mix this with some stones…
Tags: ceramics, China, Ibn Battuta, Ibn Jubayr, Islamic arts, material culture, porcelain, trade, travel
The Art of Hajj
In the Qur’an, Muslims are instructed that at least once in their lives they must take part in the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the spiritual center of the Islamic world . Over the centuries, artists, craftspeople, and others have…
Tags: calligraphy, cartography, ceramics, cities, culture, folk art, geography, Hajj, Islamic art, Mecca (Makkah), metalwork, pilgrimage, rituals, textiles, travel
Islamic Arts
“Islamic Art” is a tricky label. While it does refer to art created and used in Muslim rituals and practices, it also encompasses a wide range of art that has no religious significance, but is made by and for people who once lived, or who…
Tags: arts, calligraphy, carpets, ceramics, glass, manuscripts, metalwork, mosque, painting, textiles