MIA . Museum of Islamic Art

25°17'12N 51°31'60E  T. 21,5°C - 30,7°C

Today I've decided to go and deep diving into the world of Islamic art, so that I can learn something more about tradition, culture and history of that population.

So, what better than starting from the global language of art? I was impressed by the Museum before, when I first got the West Bay driving along the corniche: an architectural masterpiece which rises majestically out of the waters off Doha.

The admission to the permanent galleries is free; there is a charge for admission only to temporary exhibitions.

Suggestion: Visitors are asked to dress appropriately, and to pass the control of a metal detector. But the visit is worth it and you are allowed to take pictures everywhere inside!!

Museum of Islamic Art

ISLAMIC ART
The origin of islamic art begins with the desire to establish a distinctive identity. With a foundation in the artistic tradistions of past empires, a new and original art was born. Rapid territorial expansion, trade and innovation each left their mark, but Islamic art has retained a unique visual language through the centuries. Art from the Islamic world is not restricted to any particular kind of object, as often found in other cultures. The need to make ordinary objects beautiful demonstrates how art was a part of everyday life. the material can be modest, as clay used for pottery, or luxurious , as the gold in jewellery.


Tiles



Jewelled falcon

              

Sculpture

                           



CALLIGRAPHY
Arabic, the language of the Qur'an, has a special significance in Islamic art. Beautifying the word of God is considered a pious act, with calligraphers dedicating their lives to copying the Qur'an, balancing rhytmic movement of the letters with perfection of form. According to the 10th century philosopher, calligraphy is " ...jewellery fashioned by the hand from the pure gold of the intellect".
In addition, the words themselves came to represent power, protection and blessings. The written word, as early as the 7th century, was adopted as the distinctive symbol of Islam. Arabic inscription continued to be used throughout the Islamic world on buildings and coins to signify the authority of Muslim rule.

                     

Qur'an

WRITING IN ART
Calligraphy was eld in very high regard, and its practice shaped some of the most fundamental elements of Islamic art. The obsession of this art form resulted in the development of different scripts and methods of decorating surfaces. The word was visible everywere, in all periods on every type of object, regardless of value, function or material.
The repetition and simmetry of calligraphy made it into an important component of pattern. Sometimes the decorative effect overtook the meaning of the words, creating illegible but "calligraphesque" decoration.

PATTERN IN ART
Geometrical patterns are seen as a cornerstone of Islamic decoration, mainly due to their non-representational quality and associations with balance and order. Circles, squares, stars and multisided polygons are duplicated, interlaced and arranged in intricate combinations to form highly coplex patterns.
All Islamic pattern is based on the idea that what we see is always an only part of the whole that extend to infinity.
There is also a number of basic pattern in Islamic art such as floral motifs and animal depictions.
Although the depiction of living beings was avoided in religious context, such images appear abundantly in secular art. Animals, often hidden within other patterns, can become simplified and become just another repeating image.




Decoration pattern in Islamic Art




Textile with reciprocal birds

                                 

SCIENCE IN ART

The Arabs inheritated the scientific traditions of the ancient Middle East, Greece, Persia and India, translating a huge body of early treatises from Greek and other languages into Arabic. Scientists of the Muslim world placed enphasis on experimentation, making significant innovations and achievements in astronomy, mathematics, medicine, engineering and other scientific fields.

In turn, late medieval European scholars translated these scientific and philosophical texts from Arabic into Latin. The influence of Muslim intellectual efforts played an essential role in the emergence oh the Renaissance in Western Europe. These precision instruments were created as tools for the pursuits of knowledge and scientific thought, but they are also highly decorated works of art in their own right.

                           

Beautiful examples of this kind of art are astrolabes, whose name derives from the Greek and means "taker of the stars". Beyond art, the astrolab is an extremely precise instrument required in astronomy, timekeeping for prayer, and locating the direction of Mecca.



Astrolabes




Whatever open-hearth.