Bayt Al Fann Profile picture
Jul 29, 2022 17 tweets 12 min read Read on X
International Tiger Day is celebrated every year to raise awareness about the conservation of tigers, which have been declared an endangered species. These beautiful cats have inspired artists over the centuries #TigerDay

For #WorldTigerDay a thread on Tigers in Islamic art…
1/ Printing or engraving on paper, ornamental calligraphy, 19th century, India now Pakistan. The tiger embodies the holy text had-i-Ali, above its back is another inscription, and the name of the mausoleum, 'Rauza-i-Shah Hasaf Ashraf' @V_and_A #tigerday
2/ Tigers featured regularly in Mughal art. Detail of a tiger in a cave, gouache on paper, 1810. Kangra, North India @AshmoleanMuseum #tigerday
3/ Tiger above the portal of the Sher-Dor Madrasah 1619–1636, Uzbekistan, Samarkand

The Sher-Dor Madrasah was designed by the architect Abdujabor. It has images of tigers with the sun on their backs on each side of the arch #tigerday
4/ Pir Gazi and his tiger in Sundarbans, Bengal, India, around 1800 CE

Scene from the Gazi scrolls of Bengal (18th or 19th century). Depicts the legend of Pir Gazi and his tiger in the Sundarbans. His life is shown on the "Gazi Scroll" is currently in @britishmuseum #tigerday
5/ Tiger
late 18th century, Mughal, India @YaleArtGallery

The simple shape of the tiger & the tree trunk as well as the tiger’s charming face & upturned paws typify the style of Sheikh Taju, an artist at the Kota court known for his paintings of tigers & hunts #tigerday
6/ Tiger
Ibn Bakhtīshū
Manāfi˓-i ḥayavān (The Benefits of Animals), in Persian, for Shams al-Dīn Ibn Ẓiyā˒ al-Dīn al-Zūshkī
Persia, Maragha, Between 1297 & 1300

@MorganLibrary #tigerday
7/ Tipu Sultan’s Tiger Palanquin Pole Ends, Mughal India @V_and_A

Tipu Sultan (r.1782-1799) was the Muslim ruler of Mysore in South India. He famously uttered: "I would rather live a day as a tiger than a lifetime as a sheep" & adopted the royal tiger as his emblem #tigerday
8/ Tigers Head from the throne of Tipu Sultan, 1785-93

The finial, made of gold & set with rubies, diamonds & emeralds, is a rare example of fully documented 18th century South Indian goldsmiths’ work and its existence was unknown until 2009 #tigerday
9/ Tigers head ornament from Tipu Sultan's throne, 1785-93

Made from gold with rock crystal eyes & teeth and gold tongue, the mouth open as if roaring. The head rests on two large paws, on a square wooden plinth base covered in red velvet in @RCT
#tigerday
10/ Calligraphy in the form of a tiger, unknown artist, late 19th century, Northern India @V_and_A

In zoomorphic Arabic calligraphy, the words are manipulated into the shape of a human figure, bird, animal or object #tigerday
11/ Majnun in the wilderness, from Shah Tahmasp's imperial copy of the Khamsah by Niz̤āmī. Mid-16th century, painted by Mīrak. Commissioned for Mughal Emperor Akbar. In it, Majnun affectionally strokes a tiger - you can almost see him purring @britishlibrary #tigerday
12/ Studies of a Tiger and Two Humans
India, Rajasthan, Kota, circa 1875
@LACMA #tigerday
13/ Tiger Approaching a Waterhole, Kotah, India, ca. 1790 #tigerday
14/ A tiger, from a copy of ‘Ajā’ib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharā’ib al-mawjūdāt (Marvels of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things Existing) by al-Qazwīnī (d. 1283/682), Mughal India, possibly the Punjab, 17th century from National Library of Medicine #tigerday
15/ Painting on cloth depicting a tiger, Rajasthan, probably Udaipur, circa 1900-1920

Gouache on cloth, inscriptions in nagari script at upper right and lower centre, backed #tigerday
16/ A Tiger illustrated through Arabic calligraphy, representing power & majesty, but also control of the ego #tigerday

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More from @BaytAlFann

Jan 19
Shah-i-Zinda is one Samarkand’s most beloved sites, which contains some of the richest tile work in the world. The magnificent architecture draws inspiration from multiple periods & styles, taking you back through time & across cultures
 
A thread on the beauty of Shah-i-Zinda… Image
1/ The Shah-i-Zinda ensemble includes mausoleums, mosques & other ritual buildings of 11-15th & 19th centuries. The name Shah-i-Zinda (meaning The living king) is connected with the legend that Qutham ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH is buried here

📷 Ash Diler Image
2/ Shah-i-Zinda is a world-famous example of a continuously constructed historical site. Over 1,000 years ago, it was founded with a single religious monument.  Between the 11th & 19th centuries, mosques & mausoleums were continuously added

📷 Fulvio Spada Image
Read 20 tweets
Jan 17
From Spain to Azerbaijan, to Germany to Bosnia, Europe has some of the finest mosques.

The presence of Islam in Europe is not a new phenomenon, with Muslims residing in the continent as early as the 8th century.

Here are 24 mosques across Europe #JummahMubarak

A thread… Image
1/ Koski Mehmed-Pasha Mosque, Mostar, Bosnia

Dates back to 1617 & features numerous multicolored windows, a minaret with a lookout spot & a courtyard with several tombs. Although the original Ottoman mosque was heavily damaged during the attacks of the 1990s it has been restored Image
2/ The Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking, England

This is the first purpose built mosque that was built in the UK.

It was built in 1889 by Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner, an orientalist of Jewish descent from Hungary. Money was donated by Begum Shah Jahan, the Nawab Begum of Bhopal. Image
Read 25 tweets
Jan 15
Welcome to Al-Mutanabbi Street the ‘Book Market of Baghdad’, where books remain in the street at night because Iraqis say:

“The reader does not steal and the thief does not read.”

A thread on the rich heritage of the historic book market on Al-Mutanabbi Street… Image
1/ Al-Mutanabbi Street is the historic center of Baghdad bookselling, that dates back to the time of the Abbasids. Located near the old quarter of Baghdad, Al-Mutanabbi Street was Baghdad’s first book traders’ market. Image
2/ Al-Mutanabbi Street has been, since time immemorial, the historic heart and soul of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community. Image
Read 12 tweets
Jan 13
Libraries developed in the Islamic Golden Age due to a commitment to literacy & seeking knowledge. One of the oldest libraries in the world Al-Qarawiyyin library, was founded by a Muslim woman, more than 12 centuries ago!

A thread on the greatest libraries in Islamic history… Image
1/ Al-Qarawiyyan Library, Fez, Morocco
 
Founded by a Muslim woman, Fatima El-Fihriya in 859, it is one of the oldest libraries in the world & the oldest library in Africa. It also holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest working library, & is still in use today… Image
1.1/ The Al-Qarawiyyan Library houses a collection of 4,000 rare books & ancient Arabic manuscripts written by renowned scholars of the region. The manuscripts include a 9th century version of the Quran and a manuscript on Islamic jurisprudence written by philosopher Averroes. Image
Read 25 tweets
Jan 12
Designed to imitate the heavens, Islamic gardens are lush oases of scent, water and sacred geometry. They are a cool place of rest and a reminder of paradise.

Here are 20 beautiful Islamic gardens from across the world…

A thread…. Image
1/ Gardens @CambCentMosque

A harmonious balance between Islamic structure & relaxed English herbaceous and naturalistic planting. A concern for sustainability, biodiversity & insect-friendly planting has also been a constant theme in the selection of plants. Image
@CambCentMosque 2/ Jardin Majorelle, Morocco

The garden, started in 1924, contains a psychedelic desert mirage of 300 plant species from five continents. Image
Read 21 tweets
Jan 11
The colour blue (al-azraq) in Islamic tradition often signifies the impenetrable depths of the universe, and turquoise blue is thought to have mystical qualities.

Here are 24 beautiful Islamic buildings & mosques, designed using the colour blue…

A thread… Image
1/ Jalil Khayat Mosque, Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq

The largest mosque in the city, it was begun by Jalil Khayat who died in 2005 & completed in 2007 by his sons in memory of their father. The blue style resembles the Mosque of Muhammad Ali in Cairo & Blue mosque in Istanbul Image
2/ Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Sohar, Oman

Inaugurated in 2018 & influenced by Persian & central Asian blue Islamic architectural styles with touches of traditional Omani architectural elements that make it unique Image
Read 25 tweets

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