"Your grandfather, dear, was fond of reading," said my grandmother when I asked about an old box she always kept, curious to know what was inside. Her answer made me eager to open the box to see what my late grandfather read. It was with great relish that I began to turn the yellowish pages of books that sent a strong odor. I wondered what would happen if old masterpieces and books like these were not preserved. I reflected on the importance of such manuscripts. The answer was soon to come to my mind.
Islamic art developed over a relatively short period - less than a century - following the historical conquests which extended Arab control over many territories from India in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. Naturally, there was interaction between Islam and the various political and social systems of other civilizations. It was also natural that the nascent Islamic art drew on the widely varied artistic traditions of the countries of the new empire, where ancient civilizations had prospered long before the Islamic conquests. These included the Pharaonic, Assyrian, Babylonian, Phoenician, Sassanid, Carthaginian, Greek and Byzantine civilizations. Elements from these diverse cultures were soon digested and integrated within the subject matter of the new Islamic art, forming a heterogeneous artistic and cultural language.
The aesthetic principles promoted by Islam were very much tied to its doctrines. Artistic traditions and models borrowed from other civilizations were cast in a new mould which developed its owns laws, criteria and values that were to spread across time and space.
One of the nascent forms of art was the illumination of manuscripts, which gave rise to a richly varied set of plastic interests that shed clear light on the unique aspects of Islamic aesthetics.
Millions of manuscripts were written and illuminated meticulously from the beginning of the golden age of Islam, when the Quran stressed the written form of knowledge as a supreme value in human life. In addition, masterpieces of science, philosophy, literature and jurisprudence, as well as treatises on music and cooking were beautifully produced and illuminated by calligraphers, scribes, and illuminators. Many are considered pieces of art in plastic terms.
The Quran received the greatest attention. Writing and illuminating its text was an essential venture for all calligraphers, the most famous of whom are Vizier Abu Muhammad Ali ibn Muqla (died in 939/328 by Hijri calendar), Ali ibn Hilal, alias ibn Al-Bawwab (died in 1022/413 H.) and Yaqut Al-Mustaasimi (died in 1298/689 H.).
Manuscripts that have survived to the present day offer a wonderful view of Islamic art, and are considered outstanding achievements that reveal the principles of Islamic aesthetics. The typical patterns of illumination used in Islamic manuscripts seem to be drawn mainly from architectural forms. Indeed, these patterns are so old that it is difficult to decide whether their original source was architectural or calligraphic.
The line of demarcation between the two categories is blurred, but the one fact is certain. Both have developed synchronously since the ninth century and have since been characterized by remarkable intertextuality as far as the patterns of illumination and adornment are concerned.
The illumination patterns found in the copies of the Quran in particular and in Arabic books in general are considered one of the main vehicles of Islamic aesthetic values. Whether their source is traced back to architecture of calligraphic models, they present a perfect image of the genius of Islamic art.
Advancement of Manuscripts through Learning Centers
The art of bookmaking in the Arab East emerged and developed under the aegis of educational and research institutions in the late eighth century, and then spread to the rest of the Islamic world. Every institution had its individual historical line of development, and was marked by local specificity. The creativity and talents of authors affiliated to each institution differed greatly from one place to another. Hence, the art of bookmaking was influenced and shaped differently in various places.
The schools that existed back then, in different forms in different ages, were the nearest thing to the present day university system. Mainly kings or emirs as well as wealthy philanthropists who had a passion for culture and learning founded them.
Beit Al-Hikma (house of wisdom) was founded by Al-Ma'moun in the eighth century. In this institution, notable scholars had an essential role in translating, explicating and commenting on old Persian and Greek texts. There was also an observatory for astronomical research purposes.
In the tenth century, Dar Al-Hikma (dar:
a variant of beit ) was established by Al-Hakim Bi'amrillah. It had a library housing about one million manuscripts, which complemented the collections of Al-Azhar Mosque, which was built by the Fatimids in 972.
In the twelfth century, under Saladin, there were two schools for Hanafi and Shafei' jurisprudence in Mecca. In Medina, there was a center for studies and research with a well-stocked library.
In North Africa, Hafsis founded a school in the third century in Tunisia, in addition to the school of Telmissan, where the eminent Arab historian Ibn Khaldoun was educated. The reputation of this particular school survived until recently. Marrakech, which was founded by Yusuf ibn Tashefin, one of the Almoravide sultans, developed under the rule of the Almoravides into one of the leading cultural centers of the Islamic world.
There is a kind of pleasure in browsing old books whose pages have turned yellow with age emitting that unmistakable odor, which reminds of the glorious past and suggests a feeling of nostalgia. The art of Islamic bookmaking has a magic most reflected in the harmony of colors and golden illuminations. Books of this kind are themselves pieces of art that attest to the glorious past of the Islamic culture
