In Mamluk Egypt, enameled glass oil lamps were used to light the interiors of mosques. These fragile vessels were suspended from the ceiling by chains attached to the glass loops on their sides
A thread on mosque lamps from Mamluk Egypt, found in museums across the world...
1/ Mosque Lamp
1320-1330, Egypt, Mamluk
This mosque lamp was made for Qijlis, a high official who had been the sultan’s armourer. His emblem was a sword, which can be seen in the large roundels with a quotation from the Qur’an that mentions ‘the mosques of God’
During the Mamluk period, various pious institutions founded by sultans & amirs brought a demand for elaborately enamelled and gilt glass lamps to light them. Suspended from their rims were beaker-like containers filled with oi
6/ Mosque Lamp of Amir Qawsun
1329–35, Egypt, Mamluk
Lamp bears the name of its patron Qawsun (d. 1342), amir of the Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalaun & was probably intended for one of his two architectural commissions in Cairo a mosque or a tomb-hospice complex
Lamp (mosque). Made for Saif al-Din Shaikhu al-`Umar (d. 1357).
Brownish colourless glass; blue, white, red and yellow enamels; and gold. Free blown, tooled, applied, enamelled and gilded; worked on the pontil.
The lamp holds extensive enamelled decoration on the mouth, body and foot, enhanced by gilding; the mouth having a large Qur’anic inscription in thuluth script executed in blue enamel and outlined in red.
Enameled glass lamps like this hung from a mosque ceiling on chains. The illuminated glow of the lamp symbolized divine light and, by extension, the presence of God.
As with this example, such lamps were often decorated with part of a famous verse (Verse 24:35, The Light Verse) from the Qur’an, illustrating the importance of both light and lamps.
Its inscription, from the Qur’an, sura 24, the Sūrat al-Nūr (Verse of Light), means, ‘God I the Light of the heavens and the earth; the likeness of His light is as a niche, wherein is a lamp’.
Decorated on the upper part of the neck in nashki script with a passage from the Qur'an, Sura XXIV, 35, the Sura of Light, broken by three circular medallions containing a red cup.
Made on the the order of the Amir Shaykhu, either for his mosque or his khanqah, which still survive. Inscribed on the neck with the beginning of a well-known verse of the Qur’an, the Ayat al-Nur (Verse of the Light 24:35)
Sultan Hasan (reigned 1347–51 and 1354-61) ordered a great number of these polychrome lamps, including this example, for his celebrated madrasa built in Cairo in 1356-62.
Scholars of Islamic culture contributed significantly to botany, herbals & healing, improving knowledge of plants. They classified plants into those that grow from cuttings, those that grow from seed, & those that grow spontaneously
A thread on botany & art in Islamic culture…
1/ The Holy Qur’an provided the initial impetus for the investigation of herbs by Islamic writers, as plants are named in the depiction of Paradise & are used as signs of the Creator’s power and majesty. Inspired by their faith, Muslims worked extensively in this area
2/ Muslim scholars also commissioned botanical studies due to the need for research on medicinal plants, to respond to medical needs & contribute to the physical & mental health of the community. They created the context of the advent of pharmacology in Islamic civilization
The art of Henna has been practiced in South Asia, Africa & the Middle East for over 5000 years. The botanical name of the henna plant is Lawsonia inermis. A member of the Loosestrife family, henna originally comes from Egypt.
A thread on the art of henna in Muslim cultures...
1/ The English name henna comes from the Arabic term الحناء (al-ḥinnā). The name henna also refers to the dye prepared from the henna plant and the art of temporary tattooing from those dyes. Henna has been used for centuries to dye skin, hair & fingernails as well as fabrics
2/ Modern scientists discovered that henna is antibacterial, antifungal, & anti-hemorrhagic & it has historically been used for medicinal purposes. However, although the use of henna has branched out since its discovery in North Africa its most popular use is still beautification
Ismail al-Jazari, a Muslim inventor from the 12th century is known as the "father of robotics" due to his groundbreaking work in the field of automata, which are self-operating machines.
A thread on Ismail al-Jazari, engineering & robotics…
1/ While robotics is considered a relatively new field of science, with the public’s consensus that it is the creation of 20th-century scientists, it would be surprising to know that the field has its roots in the medieval era nearly a millennium ago, with Ismail Al Jazari
2/ Ismail Al Jazari gained fame for his extraordinary inventions, encompassing a wide spectrum of marvels. His repertoire included robots programmed to provide guests with towels, programmable on-off switches for fountains, automated mechanical clocks & much more!
A Candle Clock from a copy of al-Jazaris treatise on automata