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Islam


Mosques and Islamic Architecture



337 photos
Fath Ali Shah (1762–1834), the secong Qajar King of Persia from 1797 to 1834, nephew and successor of Aga Muhammad Khan, founder of the Qajar dynasty. Around 1805, Iran. Oil on canvas,227 x 131 cm
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Fath Ali Shah (1762–1834), the secong Qajar King of Persia from 1797 to 1834, ne...

Astrolabic quadrant, Syrian, around 1333-1334. Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Mizzi was the muwaqqit (official time-keeper) of the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus. The instrument combines geometry and trigonometry to resolve problems of spherical astronomy. On the back is a trigonometric grid. The astrolabic quadrant is designed for use at one latitude only, that of Damascus, 31 degrees 30 N. OA 1888.12-1.276
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Astrolabic quadrant, Syrian, around 1333-1334. Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Mizzi was t...

Astrolabic quadrant, Syrian, around 1333-1334. Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Mizzi was the muwaqqit (official time-keeper) of the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus. The instrument combines geometry and trigonometry to resolve problems of spherical astronomy. On the back (seen here)is a trigono- metric grid. The astrolabic quadrant is designed for use at one latitude only, that of Damascus, 31 degrees 30 N. OA, 1888.12-1.276
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Astrolabic quadrant, Syrian, around 1333-1334. Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Mizzi was t...

Frontispiece of Sultan Baybar's Koran, 1304. A Mamluk Koran. ID: Add 22406, fol. ff 1 v - 2
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Frontispiece of Sultan Baybar's Koran, 1304. A Mamluk Koran. ID: Add 22406, fol...

Ornamental endpiece from a Koran written in Mahgribi script, 1568. It was copied for the Sharifi Sultan of Morocco, Abd Allah ibn Muhammad. ID: Or 1405
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Ornamental endpiece from a Koran written in Mahgribi script, 1568. It was copied...

Basalt tombstone of Isa B Ahmad al-Akki, Dahlak Archipe- lago, Red Sea, 1188. It is inscribed with Isa B Ahmadi al-Akki and seven of his forefathers and with verses from the Koran. The Dahlak Archipelago off Eritrea had been used as a place of exile by the early caliphs. The craftsman, Abd al-Rahman B Abi Harami al-Makki came from a Meccan family specia- lizing in carved tombstones; another tombstone, dated five years later, includes both his nme and that of his nephew, presumably his apprentice. OA, 1928.3-5.1
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Basalt tombstone of Isa B Ahmad al-Akki, Dahlak Archipe- lago, Red Sea, 1188. It...

Pilgrim bottle from Syria, around 1330-1350. The shape of the bottle echoes the leather water flasks used by medieval travellers, however it was not intended to be slung from the saddle of a horse, but probably made for sale to a pilgrim to the Holy Land,seeking containers for their mementoes, as the contents (bones of saints, earth or water from sacred sites) remained safe and visible. The richly coloured enamels and gilding hide the rather poor quality of the thick,bubbly glass. OA 1869.1-20.3
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Pilgrim bottle from Syria, around 1330-1350. The shape of the bottle echoes the...

Mosque lamp from cairo, Mamluk dynasty, around 1350. Enamelled and gilded glass lamps were commissioned in large numbers for the many mosques built by the Mamluk Sultans and their amirs. Usually inscribed with verses from the Koran, this lamp also contains an inscription frieze with the name and titles of Sayaf al-Din Shayku al-Nasiri and his heraldic device, a red cup. The lamp comes probably from Shayuk's mosque at the foot of the citadel in Cairo which was completed in 1349. OA, S.333 OA+521
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Mosque lamp from cairo, Mamluk dynasty, around 1350. Enamelled and gilded glass...

Iznik pottery mosque lamp, Ottoman, 1549. Found in Jerusalem in the 19th ct. Underglaze decoration and three bands of inscriptions. The inscription on the base includes the name of the artist "the poor and humbel Musli",the place of production and the date of manufacture. In the 1530s and 40s Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent ordered the refurbish- ment of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. OA 1887.5-16.1
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Iznik pottery mosque lamp, Ottoman, 1549. Found in Jerusalem in the 19th ct. Und...

Spherical brass incense burner, Mamluk dynasty, from Damascus, Syria, around 1277-1279. Pivoted gimbals inside the burner hold the small bowl containing incense in an upright position even when the sphere is rolled. Inscription contains name and titles of the amir Badr al-Din Baysari, a powerful figure in the Mamluk hierarchy. The incense burner was probably destined for his palace in Cairo, where it would have been rolled between his friends at private gatherings. OA 1878.12-30.682
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Spherical brass incense burner, Mamluk dynasty, from Damascus, Syria, around 127...

The Vase vesovali, from Khurasan (Afghanistan) around 1200. Decorated with complex atsrological imagery.Twelve roundels around the bowl each contain the personificaion of a planet with the sign of the zodia representing its day or night house. The figure drawing water from a well is Saturn in his night house Aquarius, the figure riding a ram is Mars in his night house Aries. OA, 1950.7-25.1
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The Vase vesovali, from Khurasan (Afghanistan) around 1200. Decorated with compl...

Brass celestial globe from Maragha,Iran, around 1275-1276. Made by Muhammad ibn Hibal. Celestial globes were first produced by Greek astronomers and later in the Islamic world,where the earliest known globes date from the 11th ct. OA 1871.3-1.1.a,b
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Brass celestial globe from Maragha,Iran, around 1275-1276. Made by Muhammad ibn...