PrimeLuck ArtsIslamic art
Islamic art covers the art of Muslim societies across many regions and centuries. It is known for calligraphy, geometric pattern, arabesque and beautiful architecture.
- Period
- Medieval art and global traditions
- Approximate dates
- From the 7th century onward
- Place of origin
- Arabian Peninsula and the early Islamic world
- Key regions
- Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, Persia, Central Asia, India, East Africa
- Art forms
- Architecture, calligraphy, manuscript painting, ceramics, metalwork, textiles, carpets
- Major artists
- Ibn Muqla (calligraphy); Mimar Sinan (architect); many unnamed
Visual introduction
Dome of the Rock
Unknown · Completed 691 to 692 CE · Stone, mosaic and gilded dome · Jerusalem
One of the earliest great Islamic monuments, with mosaics of plants and inscriptions inside.
Court of the Lions, Alhambra
Nasrid craftsmen · 14th century · Plaster, stone, tile and marble · Granada, Spain
Delicate carved plaster and slender columns show Islamic architecture at its most refined.
Taj Mahal
Commissioned by Shah Jahan; Ustad Ahmad Lahori is often named as chief architect · 1632 to 1653 · White marble with inlaid stone · Agra, India
A Mughal monument that joins Persian, Islamic and Indian design in balanced symmetry.
Image: Photo: Yann; edited by King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Historical context
After the 7th century, Islam spread across a vast area, and local artistic traditions in Spain, North Africa, Persia, Central Asia, India and East Africa blended with new ideas. Because the Qur'an is central, writing became a high art, and calligraphy appears on buildings, books and objects.
In religious settings, images of living beings are generally avoided, which encouraged pattern and writing. In courts, however, painting of people and animals flourished, especially in book illustration from Persia, Turkey and India.
Visual characteristics
Line and pattern: interlacing geometric shapes and flowing plant forms called arabesque repeat across surfaces.
Calligraphy: scripts such as Kufic and Naskh are used for decoration as well as meaning.
Architecture: domes, courtyards, arches, tilework and muqarnas, a honeycomb-like vault decoration. Colour: rich blue, turquoise, gold and red.
Related movements
Sources and further reading
Further reading: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Tate, Art Terms. Smarthistory.