Islamic Art: Did you mean...?

Rock art, that is paintings and carvings on natural rock formations, is one of the earliest forms of creative expression and a universal phenomenon among prehistoric societies. An instrument of communication rather than simply art, it is...

Islamic coin of Arab-Sasanian origin. From Bishapur, Persia. Made c. 651-661 CE, during the Rashidun Caliphate. Left: Sasanian style bust imitating Kosrau II (r. 590-628 CE). Right: Fire altar with ribbons and attendants, star and crescent...

Cain burying his brother Abel, illustration from an Islamic illuminated manuscript of the Stories of the Prophets, 11th century CE. Cain and Abel were sons of the first humans Adam and Eve in the biblical Book of Genesis. Cain was a farmer...

Fatima Al-Fihri (c. 800-880) was a Muslim woman, scholar and philanthropist who is credited with founding the world’s oldest, continuously running university during the 9th century: the University of Al-Qarawiyyin, located in Fez in Morocco...

Shihab al-Din (also Muʿizz al-Din Muhammad ibn Sam), popularly known as Muhammad Ghori (r. 1173-1206 CE), was the Muslim ruler who laid the foundation for the subsequent Islamic ruling dynasties of India which saw its pinnacle later in the...

Roger I, also known as Roger Bosso (c. 1031-1101) was a Norman knight and adventurer best known for conquering The Emirate of Sicily during the 11th century. His lifelong efforts helped lay the foundations of a wealthy new Mediterranean state...

12th-century textile fragment from the Shrine of San Librada, Sigüenza Cathedral, Spain. The tapestry was likely taken from Almeria after King Alfonso VII of Castile captured the city. It features patterns that were popular among the taifas...

Under the Seljuk rule, Persia gained a period of economic and cultural prosperity. The innovative techniques of the Seljuk period and style in architecture and the arts had a strong influence on later artistic developments. Seljuk art is...

Sankore Mosque, Timbuktu, Mali. The mosque was built in the late 1100s CE.

Early medieval Irish book art is both beautiful and fascinating. It reflects a flourishing monastic culture which played a key role in the cultural development of Europe from the 6th to 9th centuries. Nowhere is this more clearly illustrated...