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Mar 8, 2023 50 tweets 42 min read Read on X
For #InternationalWomensDay we are celebrating 50 trailblazing women visual artists, creating work inspired by Islamic tradition
 
These incredible women artists on baytalfann.com are redefining Muslim culture & imagining a new future for Islamic art #IWD2023

A thread…
1/ Japanese artist Yukiko Futamura has a passion for Islamic art & illumination. She studied calligraphy & manuscript illumination under artist Miwako Kawaminami for nearly 2 decades. Her work is influenced by Islamic cultures #IWD2023

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2/ In artist @safialatif works, the Islamic architectural elements & vivid colors are reminiscent of orientalist painter Jean-Léon Gérôme

Influenced by impressionist painters, her paintings are distinguished by loose & textured brush strokes #IWD2023

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3/ London based artist Mobeen Akhtar, specialises in the traditional arts. Her work takes you through a journey of colour and meticulous detail heavily inspired by traditional Islamic art #IWD2023

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4/ Canadian artist @salwanajmart is a contemporary realist & calligraphy painter

With an admiration of Islamic history & architecture, her detailed paintings pay homage to magnificent Muslim cultural heritage throughout the centuries…
#IWD2023

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5/ Digital Artist @StinaTree is a historian, a storyteller, and a voice for communities. She uses her work as a tool to celebrate Black American Muslim and recently launched her first collection of Islamic art NFT’s #IWD2023

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6/ Iranian artist, Anahita Alavi specialises in Persian Miniature & Islamic Illumination. She trained in the art of traditional painting under the supervision of a number of great masters in Iran #IWD2023

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7/ For visual artist Margi Lake, the beauty, mystery & genius of Islamic geometric patterns is timeless & universal. They express the principles & realities that govern the cosmos, the natural world & human nature #IWD2023

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8/ Artist @_99khxn has a passion for Islamic architecture, history & heritage. She explores this in her magnificent paintings of Mosques from around the world #IWD2023

Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan

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9/ British Pakistani artist @WahidMaryam explores her heritage through household & family experiences.

Using photography she challenges the perception of Muslim women, South Asian neighborhoods in Britain & the notion of belonging #IWD2023

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10/ Shaimaa Osman is a Dutch-born, North African Sudanese junior doctor & artist based in Devon

Interested in the universal & personal connections found in maps, she takes a creative approach to Islamic art, exploring calligraphy & collage #IWD2023

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11/From the Hejaz in Saudi artist @saralabdali views herself as a caretaker of the region’s culture. Her appreciation for the land, architecture & heritage of her home is a recurring theme & she illustrates the changing local Islamic architecture #IWD2023

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12/ UK based artist and educator @samira_mian has a distinct passion for Islamic geometry. A teacher of mathematics with Islamic Geometry, she has created a contemporary take on tradition, promoting her art both in the U.K & internationally #IWD2023

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14/ Naseeba Khader is a Mississauga based artist whose passion is Islamic art & architecture. She is on a quest to absorb & learn as much as possible, & to translate that knowledge with her pen or paintbrush #IWD2023

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15/ Based in London @ArtofthePen is an internationally renowned classically trained calligrapher. Her work pushes the boundaries of what is expected from this traditional art form. Soraya was awarded the sought-after icazetname from Istanbul #IWD2023

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16/ Artist @kellyizdihar uses her art to express the social issues that she is passionate about. The visual arts are a great vehicle for social change, & through her work she’s been able to facilitate difficult but necessary discussions
#IWD2023

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17/ Known for her ingenious use of colour & mastery of Islamic geometry, biomorphic patterns & illumination @EsraAlhamalArt is an artist & researcher based in London. Her work reinterprets traditional practices in contemporary ways #IWD2023

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18/ U.K based artist @fzhassan is an expert miniature painter trained in traditional Indo-Islamic, Mughal & Persian painting. Taking a modern twist on this tradition, she teaches & exhibits her work in galleries & museums #IWD2023

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19/ Known for her minimalist, abstract, artworks that draw together elements of language, spirituality and traditional Islamic art, artist @Lulwah_AlHomoud uses calligraphy & mathematical processes to form her own visual language #IWD2023

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20/ UK based educator and mixed-media artist @handofayesha work is focussed on modern Arabic lettering and abstract art, which she uses to showcase beauty, and express her love for the written word #IWD2023

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21/ Bangladeshi-born British textile artist and designer @ReziaWahidWeave is passionate about the traditional craft of weaving, which she relates Islamic art through seeking to capture the divine light #IWD2023

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22/ Artist @elisadeaneart is a painter who uses traditional techniques to make work with an entirely contemporary aesthetic. Her use of colours & brushwork are inspired by Islamic geometry & the miniature painting traditions of India & Iran #IWD2023

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23/ Artist @shaheenkahmed has a passion for Islamic art. She explores social justice through her work & empathy is central to her practice. Shaheen uses maps as a tool for conversation #IWD2023

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24/ Saudi/Egyptian artist @ShahadNazer work makes you stop, take notice and reflect.

Her digital collage artworks contemplate social messages, highlight feminist issues, and raise ideas that concern the youth, particularly young women #IWD2023

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25/ Artist @zahragulraizart uses Arabic Calligraphy in her own bold and distinctive style to spread positive energy into people’s surroundings. Along with her striking use of colours, she focuses around quotes that uplift and inspire #IWD2023

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26/ UK based artist @jennifa_nahar is fascinated by Islamic patterns. Through her work she challenges the possibilities of print and textiles. She is an experienced printed textile practitioner, & has an interest in origami and paper sculptures #IWD2023

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27/ Artist Rayhana K Haque work is meticulously detailed & reflects the beauty of the world & beyond through Islamic geometry #IWD2023

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28/Bryn Edmonston is a self-taught artist specializing in colorful geometric layered paper cutouts, putting a contemporary twist on an ancestral art form. Her work is inspired by the tiling and plaster carvings of Southern Spain #IWD2023

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29/ Aziza Iqbal is an Indian Islamic visual artist based in Doha, Qatar>A passion for sacred geometry, Aziza uses both traditional & digital media to create vibrant, contemporary geometric compositions, drawn & painted using classical techniques #IWD2023

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30/ Tasneem Afaneh is a Palestinian self-taught artist who lives in Jerusalem. It has always been her aspiration to create art, and her heritage is a key influence in her work #IWD2023

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31/ Maryam Souza is a Brazilian Muslim Islamic artist. She lives in São Bernardo do Campo, where one of the largest Muslim communities in Brazil is located. Her work is inspired by her Brazillian heritage, Islamic illumination & Qur'anic verses #IWD2023

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32/ Artist Sara Choudhrey explores themes of space and place in her work through shapes and pattern. Sara’s practice involves the construction & application of patterns, where geometry & natural forms are reference points to the cosmos & universe #IWD2023

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33/ Born in Pakistan, raised in the Middle East & having lived & worked in North America and Europe, Sara Mir, is an Islamic artist with a mystic soul who believes that everything in creation is interconnected and a sign of Divinity #IWD2023

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34/ Artist @halimacassell is one of the UK’s most distinctive, & dynamic ceramicists & sculptors. Her work is instantly recognizable due to her bold designs, crisp carving & intuitive understanding inspired by geometry, architecture & nature #IWD2023

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35/ Lieve Oudejans was born and raised in the Netherlands where she works as a PhD student in the field of cancer biology. Since 2019 she has been practicing Islamic geometric art and is continuously learning #IWD2023

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36/ Sandy Kurt's passion for Islamic geometry began in 2016 with an online course, an old compass and some cheap watercolours. An educator & artist, her complex geometry has inspired thousands of artists to get started #IWD2023

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37/ Fatima Taher Jewad is an ink artist & Arabic calligrapher, originally from Iraq & raised in the UK. She creates unique, vibrant and soothing ink artwork with Islamic calligraphy as a form of therapy #IWD2023

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38/ Farzaneh Ebadifard is a Persian miniature painter based in Germany. Farzaneh has painted professionally since 2000, working with diverse materials. Farzaneh has exhibited in Iran & Germany & teaches Persian miniature painting #IWD2023

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39/ Born in Tehran & based in the USA, Behnaz Karjoo In 2011, is a master in Illumination. Behnaz believes that illumination, although a traditional art, is open to expansion. She strives to portray this art in new ways #IWD2023

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40/ Siddiqa Juma is a critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning contemporary Islamic artist, graphic designer and publisher. Siddiqa believes the purpose of her art is to unite people - regardless of creed or colour #IWD2023

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41/ @Haneefah is a self taught contemporary artist living & working in Nigeria. Her work reflects issues of identity, culture & representation. She captures experiences by utilizing both traditional & unconventional mediums to tell her stories #IWD2023

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42/ @shreedaisy is a painter and translator of Hindi and Urdu literature, living in northern New England. She paints under the takhallus, or alias, Lapata (pronounced ‘laapataa’), which is Urdu for “missing,” or “absconded.” #IWD2023

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43/ Natalie Fisher is a self-taught needlepoint artist from Sydney, Australia. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums but also in non-traditional spaces like Persian Rug showrooms, mosques & Islamic arts festivals #IWD2023

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44/ Samra Bashir is a Pakistani artist based in Chicago, Illinois. She specialises in glass as her creative medium, and her exquisite glass paintings depict stunning Islamic art while shining a spotlight on Pakistan's rich and diverse culture #IWD2023

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45/ Ayesha Gamiet is an artist, illustrator and art educator, living and working in the South East of England. @handofayesha work is inspired by traditional arts of the world and the beauty of nature #IWD2023

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46/ Raanaz Shahid is a multi-award-winning artist from the United Kingdom. Her work is heavily influenced by her British, Asian and Islamic roots, which have allowed her to create a style and aesthetic that is entirely unique and entirely her own #IWD2023

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47/ Tehreem Pasha was born in Karachi and now lives in Dubai. A passion for the Islamic Arts and everything to do with it, she went from graphic design to learning about Islamic traditional arts. Tehreem is a geometer and a trained calligrapher #IWD2023

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48/ Shafina Ali is a versatile creative Islamic artist who designs hand-painted modern and traditional Islamic art on canvas and specialised paper. Her paintings are primarily based off the masterpieces of Islamic history #IWD2023

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49/ Saudi artist Ghada Al Muhammedi tells her version of the history of Arab culture & architecture by expressing its rich symbolism through her art. Her paintings exude romance & poetry relating to the unique journeys of the modern Arabian woman #IWD2023

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50/ Nagihan Seymour is a British Turkish artist specialised in Tezhip, the art of illumination & sacred geometry. Although originally a materials engineer @NagihanSeymour has been interested in art since her university years, studying traditional arts in her hometown of Istanbul

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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

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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

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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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