Arabic alphabet by East London Textile Arts.

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Arabic alphabet,  East London Textile Arts, Available at : http://www.eastlondontextilearts.com/arc_arabic.html accessed on 18th November 2012 at 15.25

Islamic Textiles.

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A fabric collectors diary, Available at: http://belovedlinens.net/fabrics/islamicT.html accessed on 18th November 2012 at 14.58

Islamic Textiles Definition of Islamic textiles: Conventionally Islamic textiles focus on the works, religous or secular, produced in Egypt, Syria, Iran and Anatolia from the seventh century. Dispite the facts that Asian countries like Pakistan or Indonesia are Islamic their textile production is not considered Islamic by convention. Before Islam Textiles were manufactured and exchanged in Iran, Egypt and the middle east much before the birth of Muhammad in the 7th century. It has been proven that there was some kind of commercial exchange between China, Egypt and the Roman Empire . Silk coming probably from China was found on an Egyptian mummy dated 1000 BC in THEBES IN 1993; The Roman poet Virgil (70-19 BCE) refered to Chinese Silk in the Georgics, versus 121, book2. Textile technologies were transmitted from the Far East through the multiple conflicts and tribal wars as hostages with their knowldge moved and transmitted their know-how from one area to another. What Islam changed Every aspect of life for a Muslim is theotitically governed by the Islam law, the Sharia. There are many avdice or rules relating to fabric, dress, colour and design. Considered as an attempt to imitate the creator in his works, figural representation of human and animals is proscribed. Consequently the art of islamic textile cannot be understood without some knowledge of Islam and its history. What Islam did not change The middle-east has always been a complicated area divided into a multitude of human groups with their own customs and powers structure. Islam has not overcome all what exited before , many groups with different believings, many old traditions survived for a very long time. The Islamic textile art was influenced by technic and esthetics coming from the west ( the Bizantine culture) , the north ( Caucasian and central Asia tribes) and the east ( India and China). LACMA Another measure of social status was personal dress. Textiles from the first centuries of the Islamic era survive mainly in the form of fragments, including tiraz, with their characteristic embroidered or woven inscriptions supplying the name and titles of the ruler. Such cloth, produced in state factories, would be distributed by the reigning monarch to members of his court. A remarkable tiraz in LACMA's collection (fig. 16) that testifies to the ecumenical nature of Fatmid society bears a woven inscription in the names of the ruler al-'Aziz (r. 975–96) and his chief minister or vizier Ibn Killis (served 977–90). Killis, who was of Jewish origin, was famous for the financial reforms that helped bring enormous prosperity to Egypt as well as to the vizier. Woven items play an unique role in cultural and social history. Textiles are one of the chief means of artistic expression of a culture and the most influential vehicle for the transmission of artistic ideas and styles. Texatiles move from national boundaries due to social and political upheaval as well as due to economic and diplomatic circumstances. Textiles were and are a vital economic component of Islamic society. Tiraz cloth production was most important during the Abbasid and Fatimid periods; and cloth production became the official responsibility of a major government department. The issuing of Tiraz became a royal prerogative; (the word tiraz is Persian for embroidery). Tiraz inscriptions often included the ruler's name and title and the date may be inscribed. Uni Michigan The Early Islamic World Beginning in the mid-seventh century, Arabic Islamic civilization spread throughout the Middle East, parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa due to increasing political power, economic domination, as well as religious conversion. Even in its earliest stages, this civilization was complex, because multi-cultural, incorporating the territories, populations, and traditions of neighboring civilizations, including Byzantium, Persia, and western Europe, while profoundly influencing them as well. Literacy in the Arabic language, required for study of the Ko'ran, was crucial to the dissemination of Islamic culture. Along with a dramatic rise in literacy came the emergence of decorative Arabic scripts and the growing popularity of inscriptions in all art forms. Signs of the adoption of Islamic culture included the emulation of royal customs and participation in an elite economic network based, in part, upon the giving of significant gifts, such as finely crafted and inscribed textiles. Tiraz and Other Inscribed Textiles Inscribed textiles record valuable information concerning broad historical trends. They document increasing government control over the textile industry, names of officials and rulers associated with these prestige items, the spread of Arabic language, the phenomenal popularity of the written word, as well as the special economic force of gift giving. The strictest government controls were reserved for a garment decoration called "tiraz," which is an inscribed arm band, given by the caliph as a badge of honor, favor, and distinction. The word "tiraz" originally meant embroidery, especially a robe with embroidered bands with writing on them. It came to mean an inscription--embroidered, woven, or painted. "Tiraz" was also used to designate the royal factories that manufactured such work and the operations of these factories. The word is of Persian origin, but the practice of bestowing special garments and cloths was an ancient one, mentioned in the Old Testament and Roman histories and important in the Byzantine empire. The most significant precedent for Arabic Islamic custom, however, seems to have come from the beginning of Islamic history, when the Prophet Muhammed gave his mantle to the poet Ka'b b. Zuhayr. To medieval Middle Eastern bourgeoisie, royal tiraz garments were status symbols as well as valuable property. Tiraz were also bestowed privately among Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Examples of early Islamic inscribed textiles from the Kelsey Museum's collections provide unique insights into the tiraz collections of named individuals as well. THE OPULENT WORLD OF TIRA^ AND PRECIOUS TEXTILES It was briefly noted in Chapter Two that the production of special embroidered fabrics in palace textile factories began during the first caliphal dynasty and became a standard element of the Islamic ves-timentary system. Tiraz, or embroidered, garments were in fact such a hallmark feature of medieval Islamic material haut bourgeois cul-ture that they are almost invariably worn by the people depicted in medieval illuminated miniatures with the exception of slaves and laborers. Although the wearing of such luxury garments was by no means as ubiquitous as the illustrations of Arabic manuscripts would suggest, they express a fashion ideal much in the same way as mod-ern magazines or Hollywood depict a mode that was to be aspired to. Because of this centrality of tiraz and other luxurious textiles in the Islamic vestimentary system, no history of Arab attire would be com-plete without some detailed discussion of the tiraz institution and the world of fine fabrics. The Term Tiraz The Arabic term tiraz is a Persian loanword (cf Pers. tardz, “adorn-ment” or “embellishment” and tiriz, “gusset” or “gore”) originally meaning “embroidery” or “decorative work” (Arabic ‘alam) on a garment or piece of fabric.1 It later came to mean a khil’a, or “robe of honor,” richly adorned with elaborate embroidery, especially in the form of 1 Cf. the Persian verb tardziddn. The root appears in the Talmud in a variant reading of Tractate Shabbat 98b in the form tiriz and is understood by Hay Gaon (died Baghdad, 1038) as being of Persian origin. See Samuel Krauss, ed., Additamenta ad Librum Aruch Completum Alexandri Kohut (Pardes: New York, 1955), p. 207a. The Arab lexicographers al-Layth and al-Azhari also believed the word to be arabized ( muarrab) Persian. See al-Zabldi, Toj al-Arus IV, p. 48. the OPULent WORLd OF TIRAZ and PReGIOUS teXtILeS 121 embroidered bands with writing upon them. These embroidered bands ran either along the border of the textile, sometimes arranged in two, or even more, strips around the upper part of the garment or were placed around the neck, around the sleeves, on the upper arm or wrists of a sleeved robe and even on the headdress. In medieval manuscript illuminations most people are depicted in garments with gold tiraz bands on the upper sleeves, sometimes with actual inscrip-tions as in the case of the atabeg Badr al-Din Lu’lu’ ‘Abd Allah in Pl. 23. Tiraz patches frequently adorn men’s turbans in these paintings, as in the case of Pls. 39 and 40. They were used not only as orna­mental borders but were also put in the pattern of the material. Many, if not most tiraz bands contained pious formulas and blessings. But in addition to these formulaic inscriptions, the name of the place of manufacture and of the vizier or other official in charge of the treasury or of the firaz-factory where the textile was produced could be found; more rarely the name of the artist who made the cloth might also be given. In the earliest centuries of Islam, such a garment was worn by rulers and members of their entourage (ashab al-khil‘a). Tiraz (and dar al-tiraz) also came to designate the workshop in which such fabrics or robes were manufactured. A secondary development from the mean-ing “embroidered strip of writing” is that of “strip of writing”, border or braid in general, applied not only to inscriptions woven, embroi­dered, or sewn-on materials, but also to any inscriptions on a band of any kind, whether hewn out of stone, done in mosaic, glass or faience, or carved in wood.2 Until about the middle of the tenth/ fourth century, when the production of papyrus ceased in Egypt, the word tiraz sometimes also designated the inscriptions officially stamped with ink upon the rolls of papyrus in the factories. This usage of tiraz was in turn extended to indicate the factories themselves. Umayyads (661–750) Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258) Safavids Iran Like the Ottomans, the Safavids inherited a tradition of symmetrical scrollwork designs set with fantastic blossoms. They used them with impressive skill. On the Ardabil carpet, two designs of this type, one laid over the other, cover the vast, dark-blue field of the carpet. A simpler example is offered by the central design on the blue silk hanging. The flowerheads in the borders show the new floral motifs that were imported from India after 1600.(V&A)

Further Readings Early Islamic textiles: Rogers & Podmore, 1983. The spread of Islam did not produce a sudden revolution in textile design. Rather, the 600 years after the prophet's death in 632 AD saw the fusion of the great weaving traditions of the Byzantine and Sassanian empires with those of their Islamic conquerors. From these beginnings grew the Islamic textile that we know today. The articles cover: textile techniques at the time of the conquests, the cotton and silk trade; a critical appreciation of aspects of design; the Persian influence; recent archaeological discoveries; the historical context. Contributors include: Simon Crosby, Hero Granger-Taylor, Gillian Eastwood and Clive Rogers. Islamic Textiles by Patricia L. Baker, 1995, British Musum Press. Persan textiles from the 6th to the 18th Century. Nancy Andrews reath & Eleanor B. Sachs. Yale University Press Nancy Lindisfarne-Tapper and Bruce Ingham (eds), Languages of Dress in the Middle East

Arabic Pottery.

Pair of Arabic pots in a garden in Dubai.

http://www.dreamstime.com/arabic-pottery-imagefree3379708

Letter From Beirut.

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Art Monthly. Issue No 360. October 2012. Letter From Beirut.

This article is in response to the letter from Cairo. It points out the dedication, commitment and also make me feel the difficulties the artists involved in the Cairo art scene may have. Artists in Cairo are mostly self funded, or fundraise their own salaries or are willing to volunteer there time. 

The letter goes on to talk about the Beirut art scene as a “utopian creative bubble”.   Beirut has been redeveloped into a modern city centre boasting designer clothes shops, restaurants and cafes. Beirut’s nightlife brings status as “unofficial gay capital of middle east and north Africa”. and now has a vibrant and busy art scene which attracts artists and curators from around the area as well as the wider region because of its new social liberalism.  Beirut also has an “institutional infrastructure” as well as the BAC (Beirut Art Centre) and the BEC (Beirut Exhibition Centre). The BAC is funded by sponsors and has a board of trustees, though the board has a lot more control than boards of trustees in the west.

Letter From Cairo

Art Monthly. Issue No.357. June 2012. Letter From Cairo. P38

This  artical is about the art movement in Cairo since the revolution in 2011.
It talks about the newly formed "Coalition of Independent Culture".  making reference to the "liberation of expression". The new graffiiti art that has spread around the city's buildings and walls,"in Cairo, the walls have tongues".  it makes reference to the way attempts have been made to curate shows and "how easy it is to curate an exhibition in a city that had turned into one massive art studio".
All of these comments  make me think how art must have exploded into existence and how the people must have felt about the restrictions there must have been on art. it is something I would not have thought about.



    

DVD Islamic Art at the V&A

This DVD gives an insite into how much time, planning and scope of detailed thought requierd by curators when they plan a new exhibition.  It also made me aware of the types of exhibitions (moile shows) I found this most interesting.
The Islamic Art shown on the DVD was very nice, types of art were : - ceramics, textile, metal and glass. the textiles and ceramics were very coulorful and highly patterned.

THE MOORES ISLAM IN THE WEST

Brett.M., Forman,W., 1980, THE MOORES  ISLAM IN THE WEST. Great Britain : Orbis Publishing Limited.

The Muslim Mind                                                 Page 56 = 69

They believe that their religion is the only true religion and it is their duty to wage war upon the unnatural condition of the non-believers i.e. the Christians, Jews, and pagans beyond their boarders to reduce as far as possible their influence in the world, and dominate the Christians and Jews within their boarders under there protection.

There attitude is therefore one of superiority.

They believe that when they rule over the infidel (christiansm jews etc.) that   heavenly order will be achieve on earth.

Behold a king yesterday absorbed in pleasure,

Judge then his kingdom with woe and war,

See now the sun in the scales of Libra dropping,

Out of his fortune’s delightful tower.              (Brett. P69)

The Arab Mind

p73

Their writing “”their shapes was an insight to the eternal. No forms could excel the pattern of the letters”

People who spoke Arabic as there first language were blessed.  “no sound more beautiful “

P84

“the poet was a mirror of the society, his verse the final form of a way of life modeled upon its images.  Stylization went very deep in a civilization which had no drama, but acted out its sense of the theatrical in its manner of living.”

ISLAMIC ART

"Islamic art developed from many sources: Roman, Early Christian art, and Byzantine styles were taken over in early Islamic art and architecture; the influence of the Sassanian art of pre-Islamic Persia was of paramount significance; Central Asian styles were brought in with various nomadic incursions; and Chinese influences had a formative effect on Islamic painting, pottery, and textiles."^[4

There are repeating elements in Islamic art, such as the use of geometrical floral or vegetal designs in a repetition known as the arabesque.

Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art has focused on the depiction of patterns and Arabic calligraphy, rather than on figures,

Human portrayals can be found in all eras of Islamic art, above all in the more private form of miniatures,

Small decorative figures of animals and humans, especially if they are hunting the animals, are found on secular pieces in many media from many periods,

Ilkhanid piece in silk, cotton and gold, Iran or Iraq, early 14th century

Javanese court batik, in typical reddish-brown colour, from Indonesia.

The development and refinement of Indonesian batik cloth was closely linked to Islam.

Rugs and carpets

From the yarn fiber to the colors, every part of the Persian rug is traditionally handmade from natural ingredients over the course of many months.

Corner of a 16th century Persian carpet

Carpet weaving is a rich and deeply embedded tradition in Islamic societies, and the practice is seen in large city factories as well as in rural communities and nomadic encampments.

Islamic art as a whole aims to create an ambience which helps man to realise his primordial dignity; it therefore avoids everything that could be an 'idol' even in a relative and provisional manner - nothing must stand between man and the invisible presence of God - thus eliminating all the turmoil and passionate suggestions of the world and in their stead creating an order that expresses equilibrium, serenity and peace.

Geometry

Islamic art expressed the logic and order inherent in the Islamic vision of the universe.

The study of geometry also fed an ardent preoccupation with the stars and astronomy. All this in turn nourished the Arabic passion for creating infinite, decorative patterns.

Muslim intellectuals recognized in geometry the unifying intermediary between the material and the spiritual world

the development of infinitely repeating patterns can represent the unchanging laws of God. Muslims are expected to observe certain rules as were originally set forth by the Prophet Muhammad

the circle, and its centre, are the point at which all Islamic patterns begin and is an apt symbol of a religion that emphasizes one God, symbolising also, the role of Mecca, the center of Islam

From the circle comes three fundamental figures in Islamic art, the triangle, square and hexagon. The triangle by tradition is symbolic of human consciousness and the principle of harmony. The square, the symbol of physical experience and the physical world-or materiality-and the hexagon, of Heaven. Another symbol prevalent in Islamic art is the star and has been the chosen motif for many Islamic decorations. In Islamic iconography the star is a regular geometric shape that symbolizes equal radiation in all directions from a central point.

All regular stars -- whether they have 6, 8, 10, 12, or 16 points -- are created by a division of a circle into equal parts. The center of the star is center of the circle from which it came, and its points touch the circumference of the circle. The rays of a star reach out in all directions, making the star a fitting symbol for the spread of Islam.

One such use of the star in mosaics is in 'God's spider web', the very name of which evokes the 'miracle of the spider':  The mosaic spider's web, however, resembles its model only remotely. It is in fact a geometrical rosette, which begins as a star and then extends outwards in interlacing bands, that follow a rigorous plan, and form a rich extensive network. Calligraphic ornamentation also appears in conjunction with geometric patterns.

 

Rabee al-Thaanee    Available at:
http://www.salaam.co.uk/themeofthemonth/march02_index.php?l=9 , Accessed on 23/9/2012 at 12.48pm