#Islamic Art

Art Travels

The Qutub Complex: Architecture of the Early Islamic Period in India

The Qutub Minar complex is a collection of architectural marvels located at the Mehrauli Archaeological Park in New Delhi, India. The complex...

Maya M. Tola 20 October 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Tortoise Trainer by Osman Hamdi Bey

Osman Hamdi Bey’s The Tortoise Trainer shows an elderly man patiently working with a group of turtles. Drawing on his time in Paris and his...

Guest Author 13 October 2025

Plate with Arabic Inscription, ca 975-1000, painted and glazed earthenware, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Plate with Arabic Inscription

Plate with Arabic Inscription is a masterpiece of 10th-century Islamic art. It combines minimalism, abstraction, and morality into a beautiful and...

James W Singer 5 October 2025

Architecture

Jali in Mughal Architecture, the Most Delicate Stone Curtains

The jali, or pierced screens, have been extensively employed in Indian construction since time immemorial. They appear in both Hindu and Islamic...

Maya M. Tola 3 October 2025

Asian Art

Mughal Gardens: Paradise on Earth

The Mughal regime is a well-documented era and the cultural achievements of this period are an important landmark in South Asian art history. While...

Maya M. Tola 3 October 2025

Asian Art

The Decline of Mughal Arts Under Aurangzeb

Muḥī al-Dīn Muḥammad was the sixth man to ascend to the Mughal throne and the last of the strong Mughal rulers. He was a notable expansionist...

Maya M. Tola 3 October 2025

Design

Turquoise: Art, Culture, and Myth of a Gemstone

The bright blue-green Turquoise has been valued and revered for centuries by all the cultures around the world that had access to it. Several...

Nadine Waldmann 16 September 2025

Art State of Mind

True Tips for a Happier Life from the Miniatures of Reza Abbasi

Everyone wants to be happy and each of us has a different idea of happiness. For some, it is finishing college and getting a new job. For others, it...

Rute Ferreira 28 July 2025

Architecture

Rococo and Baroque Architecture in Turkey

Representing splendor, opulence, and brilliance, Rococo art prevailed in Europe from the year 1700. It followed the Baroque period in art, which...

Merve Parla 15 July 2025

Artist Stories

Osman Hamdi: The First and Last Ottoman Orientalist

The first and last Orientalist painter of the Ottoman Empire is Osman Hamdi Bey. Born in modern-day Turkey, educated in Paris, and highly regarded as...

Irina Diana Calu 15 July 2025

Architecture

4 Mosques and Their Unique Histories

Islamic architecture is well-known for spacious courtyards, colorful wall paintings, and tiles with incredible patterns. The history of many mosques...

Magda Michalska, Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 30 June 2025

Literature

Most Beautiful Qurans You Must See

Three monotheistic religions are the so-called “religions of the book”. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all refer back to a spoken, and...

Magda Michalska 25 June 2025