Throughout history, the magnificent elephant is much loved & an integral part of cultures around the world.
To mark #WorldElephantDay here are wonderful depictions of elephants in Islamic art & culture, starting with Al-Jazari's ingenious elephant clock invention
A thread...
1/ Twelfth century engineer Al-Jazari was fascinated by every kind of mechanism & designed machines of all kinds, shapes & sizes.
His Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (1206 AD) described 50 mechanical devices, including water clocks #WorldElephantDay
2/ One of the engineering marvels of the medieval Islamic world is AI-Jazari's 800 year old automatic Elephant clock
A reproduction in Kasımiye Medrese , Mardin, Turkey #WorldElephantDay
3/ Its moving parts were automated using a water-powered timer inspired by an Indian mechanism known as ghatika – the clock’s timer was a bowl that would slowly sink into a hidden water tank #WorldElephantDay
Find out how the mechanism worked here:
4/ Al-Jazari wrote: "The elephant represents the Indian & African cultures, the 2 dragons represent Chinese culture, the phoenix represents Persian culture, the water work represents Greek culture & the turban represents Islamic culture.’ #WorldElephantDay
5/ The elephant clock gives physical form to the concept of multiculturalism, reflecting influences from across Muslim civilisation, including Indian, Egyptian, Greek, Chinese & Arab #WorldElephantDay
Ben Kingsley describes the Al-Jazari's Elephant Clock
6/ The clock incorporated a figure of a scribe and his pen that move to indicate the number of minutes past the hour.
As well as telling the time, this grand beautiful water-powered Elephant clock was a symbol of status, grandeur, and wealth #WorldElephantDay
7/ Al-Jazari's elephant clock continues to delight today. Reproductions can be found across the world including in the Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai, the Musée d'Horlogerie du Locle in Switzerland, & the Museum of Science & Technology in Islam in Saudi Arabia #WorldElephantDay
8/ Elephants are featured widely in Islamic art. There are many depictions of elephants in Islamic manuscripts and miniature paintings from across South Asia & Central Asia
9/ This Mughal drawing of an elephant from 1630 is identified by a Persian inscription written by emperor Shah Jahan. It records that the animal's name is Mahabir Deb, it had been presented to the emperor by 'Adil Khan, & was worth 300,000 rupees
10/ The 2 affectionate elephants shown here are an illustration in the manuscript Manāfi˓-i ḥayavān (The Benefits of Animals). They are royal elephants, as seen from their caps and the bells on their feet
11/ One of the outstanding paintings of Muhammad Adil Shah’s reign. Wearing a gold robe, the Sultan directs the elephant while his African minister Ikhlas Khan rides behind waving a cloth.
13/ A detailed colourful Mughal miniature painting of Prince Aurangzeb, son of Shah Jahan, on the elephant Sardar Gaj #WorldElephantDay
14/ The royal elephant Madhukar, by Hashim, Mughal, Agra, c 1630- 40
The 17th c. saw Mughal art & culture spread across the world. So impressive was the dynasty for Europeans, that John Milton refers to its wonders in Paradise Lost
15/ Here are some magnificent Mughal elephants at the wedding of Prince Dara-Shukoh, son of the Mughal Emperor Shah-Jahan. They are illustrated in the Padshahnamah, a history of Shah-Jahan's reign made in 1640-50 @RCT#WorldElephantDay
16/ Great Mogul And His Court Returning From The Great Mosque At Delhi India - Oil Painting by American Artist Edwin Lord Weeks Portland Museum of Art, Maine, 1918.1. #WorldElephantDay
17/ This majestic elephant is made of moulded stonepaste, covered with a slightly opacified white glaze, with turquoise and cobalt-blue in-glaze staining (laqabi ware)
Moroccan design is all about colour, texture & fluid lines. It is a unique blend of North African, Mediterranean & Islamic styles, creating a distinctive look which has inspired artists & designers all over the world.
A thread on the art of Moroccan design aesthetics...
1/ City planning, military architecture, urban casbahs, and the intricate beauty of Moroccan carpets, woodwork, and zellij tilework are all part of this distinctive and brilliant world of art.
Moroccan aesthetics continues to influence artists and designers all over the world…
2/ Some of the readily recognized features of Moroccan design include Islamic geometric patterns, vivid colors, and zillij tiles. Zillij tiles are terra cotta tile-work of enamel chips set in plaster to create mosaic geometric shapes…
Islam & hip-hop have always been aligned. Historically, there was a poetry culture among Arabs where poets would battle each other. The Quran refers to these poets in many places with a whole Surah named Ash-Shu‘ara or The Poets
1/ Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was known to enjoy the art form of poetry, and he assigned Muslim poets to answer to the verbal challenges of non-Muslim poets. In this way, poetry performed the role of dawah or an invitation to Islam #hiphopday
Calligraffiti Artist Diaa Allam
2/ The Quran is encouraged to be recited aloud & memorized. Similarly, hip-hop has a tradition which is about recitation & memory. In 3 different Surahs, the Quran refutes its disbelievers by challenging them to attempt to write a better text
Spectacles are one of the important inventions in the history of humanity. Since the 9th century, Muslim scientists have contributed to the development of optics, as well as designers to fashioning modern eyewear.
A thread on the art of spectacles & eyewear in Muslim culture…
1/ The invention of medical glasses is attributed to the Muslim scholar Al-Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham, but before that the "reading stone" was used in the ninth century, which is a piece of glass divided in half that enlarges the written text when placed on it.
2/ The “reading stone” was invented during the 9th century; it is a piece of glass cut in half, when placed on a text, it magnifies it. It is believed that Abbas ibn Firnas invented the reading stone as an early attempt to improve vision and magnify objects.
From the 8th century, the Islamic world transformed the glass industry, developing objects of beauty & function. Colourful glass lamps were created to light mosques & palaces. Sought after, they were traded as far as Europe to China
A thread on glass lamps in Muslim cultures...
1/ Glassblowing was invented by Syrian craftsmen in the area of Sidon, Aleppo, Hama, and Palmyra in the 1st century BC, where blown vessels for everyday and luxury use were produced commercially, and exported to all parts of the Roman Empire
2/ From Ibn Al-Haytam’s optical lenses and Ibn Hayyan’s chemistry flasks to a mosque lamp of Amir Qawsun, Muslim Civilisation played a major role in inspiring the growth of glass industry from the 8th century onwards
It is the start of the Islamic New Year, also called the Hijri New Year. The Islamic year is 1444 AH
The Islamic New Year commemorates the hijrah (migration) of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) & his companions from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD after persecution #IslamicNewYear
A thread…
1/ The Hijri calendar is one of the most important elements of Islamic identity; it is how the various religious events and observances are determined
2/ The Hijri Calendar, also known as the Islamic Calendar comprises of 12 months; each month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Compared to Western calendars, the Islamic year goes backwards by about 11 days every year