The Emergence of Islamic Arts
the Emergence of Islamic Arts
Continuation
Archaeology also comprises many other branches, among them topography (the science of the distribution of population), architectural engineering and the engineering of cities, drawing, sculpture and excavation, and the applied arts such as ceramics, glass, textiles, as well as seals and coins, the science of inscriptions and papyri, the science of reading ancient writings (Palaeography), and the science of weights and measures (Metrology).
Islamic Archaeology
Islamic archaeology occupies an important place among the other branches of archaeology. This is because its geographical range extends essentially from the East to the West, between Indonesia and the countries of the Maghrib, and from north to south between Turkestan and Central Africa. Moreover, it covers a long chronological span that reaches back into antiquity, to the age of the appearance of Islam in the seventh century AD, and continues down to the modern period.
The care taken by Muslims for antiquities and for writing about them became clear at an early stage; this may have been due to the guidance of the Holy Qur’an in that respect. For the Holy Qur’an urged the Muslims to consider the remains of those who preceded them: “Have they not travelled through the earth and observed how was the end of those before them? They were more numerous than themselves and greater in strength and in the traces [they left] on the earth, yet what they used to earn did not avail them.”¹ The Qur’an also related the story of the people of Lot and how God took vengeance upon them, then mentioned that remains of this vengeance still exist and directed attention to them, saying: “and it is on an established highway.”² Likewise concerning the people of al-Aykah, where it said: “and it is a clear sign for them.”³ The Holy Qur’an contains many other allusions to antiquities and to taking them into consideration.¹
Islamic historical tradition has preserved for us the names of many of the writers who devoted themselves to the study of antiquities and objets d’art. Among them may be mentioned, by way of example, al-Azraqī, who wrote on the antiquities of Mecca the Noble; al-Samhūdī, who wrote on the Mosque of the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) and on Medina the Radiant; and al-Hamdānī, who included in his book Ṣifat Jazīrat al-ʿArab a great deal of information on the antiquities of the Arabian Peninsula.
Muslim travellers of the Middle Ages likewise took an interest in describing the antiquities they saw during their journeys. The most famous of these were Ibn Jubayr and Ibn Baṭṭūṭa. Among those who also wrote on antiquities was al-Maqrīzī, who composed an excellent work which he entitled al-Mawāʿiẓ wa-l-Iʿtibār bi-Dhikr al-Khiṭaṭ wa-l-Āthār.
Ibn Khaldūn also wrote, in his Muqaddima, a section on architecture.² Care for plans and antiquities continued into the modern period: ʿAlī Mubārak composed his large work al-Khiṭaṭ al-Tawfīqiyya.
Muslims also wrote on objets d’art; one of the best-known works on this subject is the book al-Dhakhāʾir wa-l-Tuḥaf.
From the middle of the nineteenth century onwards, studies of Islamic antiquities and arts began to appear in Europe—at first for the most part incorporated in quasi-encyclopaedic works on the arts in general, such as the works of Battenberg¹ and Coglard.² Then, from the end of the nineteenth century, researchers began to produce specialised studies and independent monographs on Islamic antiquities and arts. Among the earliest of these monographs are those written by Casanova,³ Saladin,⁴ and Migeon.⁵ Research and publications continued in the various journals of Islamic arts and antiquities.
The great scholar Creswell issued a large work⁶ in which he collected around 12,300 authors on the Islamic arts and antiquities, excluding coins; he then added to his book in 1973 a further thousand authors that had escaped inclusion in the first work, in addition to the new research.⁷ Despite Creswell’s care to mention all the monographs, a great many escaped him, especially those that appeared in non-European languages. After Creswell’s death a third volume, prepared by Pearson, Meinecke and Scanlon, appeared in 1984.⁸
Work in the field of Islamic archaeology has not been limited to description and artistic studies; it has gone beyond that to the conducting of scientific excavations in search of the material Islamic heritage. From the end of the nineteenth century the excavation of Islamic antiquities began in the East. Among the most famous Islamic excavations are:
| Excavation Site | Location | Excavator / Institution | Period / Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banī Ḥammād | Algeria | Blanchet; continued by Dieulafoy | 1888; 1908 |
| Madīnat al-Zahrāʾ | Andalusia | Velázquez Bosco | 1910 (see Fig. 11) |
| al-Fusṭāṭ | Egypt | ʿAlī Bahjat | 1912 (Figs. 7 and 8) |
| Sāmarrāʾ | Iraq | Herzfeld | 1911–1913 (see Figs. 10, 105, 113 and 161) |
| Iran & Nīshāpūr | Iran | Swedish mission; Metropolitan Museum | 1932–1933 |
Archaeologists, institutions and governments still conduct excavations in various parts of the Islamic world in search of Islamic antiquities.
In 1979 the author of this book carried out archaeological excavations at the site of Qaṣr al-ʿAynī the Old; he dealt with the various means of the announcement, the description and the analysis¹ (Fig. 6).
Among the manifestations of care for Islamic antiquities is also the concern for the display of Islamic objets d’art. For this reason independent museums have sometimes been established for them, such as the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul; sections devoted to Islamic antiquities have also been created in many museums of the world, such as the British Museum, the Louvre in Paris, the Benaki Museum in Athens, the State Museums in Berlin, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Works of conservation and restoration of ancient Islamic buildings are likewise carried out.
The Emergence of the Islamic Arts
The Islamic arts arose—like many other manifestations of Islamic civilisation—on a firm foundation of Arabism and Islam, and developed at the hands of the various peoples who embraced Islam. They benefited from the ancient traditions of those peoples, especially the Sasanian, Hellenistic and Byzantine arts. Nevertheless, despite their development and diversification, they remained faithful to the Arab-Islamic spirit which had the primary merit in their authenticity and unity.
The Influence of Arabism and Islam on the Islamic Arts
It is a matter for regret that a tendency has appeared among some students of the Islamic arts and antiquities which aims at denying the merit of Arabism and Islam in the formation of the Islamic arts and antiquities.
On the one hand they have claimed that the Arabs possessed neither artistic taste nor industrial skill nor mastery of building methods that would qualify them for a serious contribution to the emergence and development of the arts of architecture and ornament in Islam; they have therefore attributed the emergence of Islamic architecture and arts to influences that came from the non-Arab peoples who entered Islam, and from the other contemporary and ancient civilisations.
On the other hand they have supposed that the grandeur, elegance and ornamentation achieved by the Islamic arts conflict with the teachings of Islam—which, according to their claim, call for asceticism, austerity and the avoidance of decoration. From this they have concluded that the Islamic arts must have been inspired by other, non-Islamic principles.¹
In truth these claims have resulted from ignorance of the circumstances of the Arabs before Islam, from a superficial view of the teachings of Islam, or of the reality of the Islamic arts themselves.
We have seen that the arts of architecture and ornament—like the other manifestations of Islamic civilisation—arose on a firm foundation of Arabism and Islam, and that despite their development and diversification they remained faithful to the Arab-Islamic spirit which had the primary merit in their authenticity and unity, as we have already stated.
Module Key Takeaways
- Vast Scope & Early Documentation: Islamic archaeology spans vast geographic and temporal ranges, deeply rooted in Qur’anic reflection, early Muslim historical treatises, and systematic modern excavations.
- Global Research & Preservation: The discipline evolved through Western academic bibliographies and major scientific digs into international museum preservation and ongoing site restorations.
- Foundational Identity: While absorbing diverse regional traditions, Islamic art remains firmly anchored in its authentic Arab-Islamic spirit despite historical counter-claims.