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Arts of the Islamic World
640 to now

Browse this content
A beginner's guide
Introduction to Islam
About chronological periods
Arts of the Islamic world
The Qur’an
Gold in the Qur’an
Illumination of the Qur’an
The Five Pillars of Islam
Islamic pilgrimages and sacred spaces
Hajj
The Kaaba
Stories of the modern pilgrimage
The complex geometry of Islamic design
Introduction to mosque architecture
Common types of mosque architecture
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Pilgrimage souvenirs
Early period
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Arts of the Islamic world: The early period
Mosaics in the early Islamic world
Paintings in the early Islamic world
The Samanid Mausoleum, Bukhara (Uzbekistan)
Umayyad
The Umayyads, an introduction
The Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Sakhra)
The Great Mosque of Damascus
Abbasid
Arts of the Abbasid Caliphate
Samarra, a palatial city
The Islamic West
The vibrant visual cultures of the Islamic West, an introduction
The Great Mosque of Córdoba
The Mosque of Bāb al-Mardūm (the Church of Santa Cruz), Toledo
The Great Mosque of Kairouan
Kairouan (from UNESCO)
Medieval period
Browse this content
Arts of the Islamic world: The medieval period
Folio from a Qur’an
Ghaznavid
Dado Panel, Courtyard of the Royal Palace of Mas’ud III
Fatimid
Gold pendant with inset enamel decoration
Seljuq
The Great Mosque (or Masjid-e Jameh) of Isfahan
Two Royal Figures
Ilkhanid
Folio from a Shahnama, The Bier of Iskandar (Alexander the Great)
Bahram Gur Fights the Karg (Horned Wolf)
Bahram Gur in a Peasant’s House
Mihrab from Isfahan (Iran)
Mamluk
Mohammed ibn al-Zain, Basin (Baptistère de Saint Louis)
Mamluk Qur’an
Mamluk bindings
Madrasa and Friday Mosque of Sultan Hasan, Cairo
Aleppo
Sultanates of South Asia
The Qutb complex and early Sultanate architecture
The Islamic West
Pyxis of al-Mughira
Khalaf, Pyxis
The Alhambra
Conservation: The Nasrid plasterwork collection at the V&A
Coronation Mantle
Later period
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Arts of the Islamic world: The later period
Introduction to the court carpets of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires
Ottoman
The rise of the Ottoman Empire
Mimar Sinan
Mimar Sinan, Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul
Mimar Sinan, Mosque of Selim II, Edirne
Mimar Sinan, Rüstem Pasha Mosque, Istanbul
Hagia Sophia as a mosque
The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
Spherical Hanging Ornament (Iznik)
Iznik ewer
Tughra (Official Signature) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent from Istanbul
Qa’a (The Damascus room)
The Damascus Room at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Timurid
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
Samarkand, crossroad of cultures
Safavid
The Safavids, an introduction
The Ardabil Carpet
Looking at Persian painting
The Court of Gayumars
Wine bearers in landscape, a Safavid textile
Riza-yi ‘Abbasi
Portrait of a young page reading
Seated calligrapher
Mir Afzal of Tun, a reclining woman and her lapdog
Groom and Rider drawing
Divination Bowl with Inscriptions and Zodiac Signs
Mughal
Exploring Color in Mughal Paintings
Illustration from the Akbarnama
Humayun’s tomb
The Taj Mahal
Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings
Portrait of Shah ‘Abbas I of Iran
Qajar
Khusraw Discovers Shirin Bathing
Lacquer pen-case, signed by the artist Ashraf ibn Riza

The complex geometry of Islamic design

by TED-Ed

Video from TED-Ed. Speaker: Eric Broug.

Cite this page as: TED-Ed, "The complex geometry of Islamic design," in Smarthistory, January 30, 2016, accessed May 28, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/the-complex-geometry-of-islamic-design/.

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Bank of America's Masterpiece Moment

Hasegawa Tōhaku, Pine Trees

with Masami Zenyia, Executive Director of the Tokyo National Museum

Crafted in the 16th century, this pair of six-panel screens is painted in ink on paper and showcases both Yamato-e and Chinese painting styles. The work features pine trees―a typical Japanese motif―and it has beautifully captured the richness of a Japanese landscape.

Watch the video
Learn more about Bank of America's Masterpiece Moment Close

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At Smarthistory we believe art has the power to transform lives and to build understanding across cultures. We believe that the brilliant histories of art belong to everyone, no matter their background. Smarthistory’s free, award-winning digital content unlocks the expertise of hundreds of leading scholars, making the history of art accessible and engaging to more people, in more places, than any other publisher.

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