This period saw the Crusades, the Mongol invasions, and the rise of the powerful Timurid empire.
c. 900 - 1517 C.E.
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Folio from a Shahnama, The Bier of Iskandar (Alexander the Great)
Alexander, the Mongols, and the great epic of Iran.
Bahram Gur Fights the Karg (Horned Wolf), Ilkhanid dynasty
In this hunting scene from the Persian Book of Kings, the ruler Bahram lives up to his nickname “Gur,” or swift.
Mohammed ibn al-Zain, Basin (Baptistère de Saint Louis)
Vessels like this one were typically decorated with calligraphy, but a procession of figures is featured here.
Mihrab from Isfahan (Iran)
This prayer niche once pointed students towards Mecca. Its blue and white patterns comprise verses from the Qur’an.
Two Royal Figures (Saljuq period)
These stucco statues, with vivid costumes and distinctive round faces, may once have guarded a grand hall.
Coronation Mantle
Made for a Christian ruler by Islamic artisans, this cloak is full of Islamic motifs and cosmological references.
Mamluk Qur’an
The Islamic world turned writing into an art, but it’s the decoration, not the script, that sets these folios apart.
Bahram Gur in a Peasant’s House
These two paintings illustrate the same story, but in different styles—as rulers changed, so did tastes for art.
The Alhambra
This city within a city is famed for its three highly decorative palaces and their equally elaborate gardens.
Dado Panel, Courtyard of the Royal Palace of Mas’ud III
Once painted and gilded, this panel was part of a larger frieze bearing commemorative Kufic inscriptions.
Pyxis of al-Mughira
This florid box, designed to hold cosmetics, attests to the rich ivory carving tradition of Islamic Spain.
Folio from a Qur’an
The lavish materials used for this manuscript convey both its patron’s wealth and the sacred text’s dignity.
