1. The Art of
West and Central Asia

2. 181. Petra, Jordan: Treasury and Great Temple
181. Petra, Jordan: Treasury and Great Temple. Nabataean Ptolemaic and Roman. c. 400 – 100 CE. Cut rock.
Petra was the capital of Nabataean Kingdom, and large metropolis, until Trajan annexed the area.
Traded with late Hellenistic Greeks and Early Romans
The treasury has a rock-cut facade with some areas being used for tombs and others for living quarters. There were niches in the walls for burial. We have no coins or pottery found at the site.
The elaborate facade reflects trade with diverse peoples such as Greeks/Romans and Near East.
Sculptural decoration includes Amazons flanking Isis-Tyche (Egyptian Isis and Tyche, Greek God of Good Fortune)
Lower Greek Twin Gods Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri, the protector of the dead and those on journeys
Rosettes are Near-Eastern design
No inscription, but most likely built for Nabataean King
Video

3. Treasury

5. Detail of Treasury

6. Tombs at Petra

7. Theatre at Petra

8. Great Temple at Petra

9. 182. Buddha. Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Gandharan. c
182. Buddha. Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Gandharan. c. 400 – 800 CE (destroyed in 2001). Cut rock with plaster and polychrome paint.
West Buddha, 175 Ft.

10. Recently destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban on iconoclast campaign
182. Buddha. Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Gandharan. c. 400 – 800 CE (destroyed in 2001). Cut rock with plaster and polychrome paint.
Recently destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban on iconoclast campaign
Were the largest Buddhas in the world – 175 and 120 ft.
Bamiyan located between India and Central Asia on Silk Road
Many on Silk Road were Buddhist
Buddhism could be practiced anywhere, anytime
The feed of the Buddhas were rounded so those could circumambulate are them.
Buddhas had flowing robes and curly waves of hair (influenced by Hellenistic Greeks)
Thought to have been originally adorned with metal, color and gems

11. East Buddha, 120 Ft.

13. 183. The Kaaba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Islamic
183. The Kaaba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Islamic. Pre-Islamic monument; rededicated by Muhammad in 631 – 632 CE; multiple renovations. Granite masonry, covered with silk curtains and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread.

14. Holiest shrine in Islam
183. The Kaaba. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Islamic. Pre-Islamic monument; rededicated by Muhammad in 631 – 632 CE; multiple renovations. Granite masonry, covered with silk curtains and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread.
Kaaba = cube in Arabic
Holiest shrine in Islam
Muslims pray 5x a day, toward Mecca, or toward qibla (marked in all mosques)
All Muslims would hope to take the hajj (annual pilgrimage) to Kaaba once in life.
Prayer 5x a day and hajj are pillars of Islam.
Pilgrims gather at Kaaba and circumambulate (tawaf) around Kaaba; they hope to kiss and touch the black stone on the Eastern corner of the Kaaba.
Thought to be constructed by Abraham (Ibrahim) and son. Black stone thought to be given to Abraham by Angel Gabriel.

15. View of pilgrims performing Tawaf (circumambulating) the Kaaba from the gate of Abdul Aziz Image credit: photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim, GNU version 1.2 only)

17. 184. Jowo Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple. Lhasa, Tibet
184. Jowo Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple. Lhasa, Tibet. Yarlung Dynasty. Believed to have been brought to Tibet in 641 CE. Gilt metals with semiprecious stones, pearls, paint; various offerings.

18. This Buddha is Buddha Shakyamuni – the historical founder of Buddhism
184. Jowo Rinpoche (Jowo Shakyamuni), enshrined in the Jokhang Temple. Lhasa, Tibet. Yarlung Dynasty. Believed to have been brought to Tibet in 641 CE. Gilt metals with semiprecious stones, pearls, paint; various offerings.
This Buddha is Buddha Shakyamuni – the historical founder of Buddhism
Rinpoche = “precious one” in Tibetan language
Buddha Shakyamuni sits in lotus position, left hand in mudra for meditation, and right calling earth to witness Buddha’s moment of enlightenment.
Thin monks robes, jeweled crown, often decorated for special occasions
Reconstructed after Cultural Revolution
Considered most sacred Buddha in Tibet; serves as proxy after Buddha’s departure from the world

19. Jowo Rinpoche/Jowo Shakyamuni With Offerings

20. 185. Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem, Palestine. Islamic, Umayyad
185. Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem, Palestine. Islamic, Umayyad – 692 CE, with multiple renovations. Stone masonry and wooden roof decorated with glazed ceramic tile, mosaics, and gilt aluminum and bronze dome.

21. Located in open-air by the Al-Aqsa Mosque and madrasas
185. Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem, Palestine. Islamic, Umayyad – 692 CE, with multiple renovations. Stone masonry and wooden roof decorated with glazed ceramic tile, mosaics, and gilt aluminum and bronze dome.
Highest point in Jerusalem and one of the oldest Islamic buildings constructed
Located in open-air by the Al-Aqsa Mosque and madrasas
Site of the Temple Mount, 2nd Jewish temple which was destroyed by Emperor Titus in 70 CE and then was Roman temple site
The center is a rock where it is believed that Abraham was prepared to sacrifice son Ismail (Isaac)
Today – rock symbolizes Muhammad’s night journey with angel Gabriel to heaven to meet Moses and Christ, and to hell.
Ambulatories
Mosaics of vegetation, winged crowns worn by Sasanian kings
Inscription contains some of Qur’an and is a confession of faith and core values of religion

22. Interior

23. K.A.C. Creswell, Sectional axonometric view through dome, ©Creswell Archive, Ashmolean Museum, Image courtesy of Fine Arts Library, Harvard College Library
Mosaic Detail

24. 186. Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh). Isfahan, Iran
186. Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh). Isfahan, Iran. Islamic, Persian: Seljuk, Il-Khanid, Timurid and Safavid Dynasties. c. 700 CE; additions and restorations in the 14th, 18th , 20th centuries. CE Stone, brick, wood, plaster, and glazed ceramic tile.

25. Guilt by Seljuk Turks century when their capital was Isfahan
186. Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh). Isfahan, Iran. Islamic, Persian: Seljuk, Il-Khanid, Timurid and Safavid Dynasties. c. 700 CE; additions and restorations in the 14th, 18th , 20th centuries. CE Stone, brick, wood, plaster, and glazed ceramic tile.
Persian
Guilt by Seljuk Turks century when their capital was Isfahan
Umma – Muslim community, mosque served as a congregational mosque
Urban integration with walls shared by other buildings creating a hub to connect the city
4 iwan design, iwan = rectangular space or hall with three walls
Large open-air courtyard link the 4 iwans
Domes on roof with hypostyle interior
Qibla iwan shows direction to pray
Ceramic tile decoration

27. Marqarnas, South Iwan
Muqarnas = architectural ornamented vaulting, a large number of small squinches to produce a honeycomb-like structure

28. Interior, North Dome

29. 187. Folio from a Qur’an. Arab, North Africa, or Near East. Abbasid. c
187. Folio from a Qur’an. Arab, North Africa, or Near East. Abbasid. c. eight to ninth century CE. Ink, color, and gold on parchment.

30. 2 pages is called bifolium Contains Suras Al-’Ankabut (The Spiders)
187. Folio from a Qur’an. Arab, North Africa, or Near East. Abbasid. c. eight to ninth century CE. Ink, color, and gold on parchment.
Qur’an is the sacred text of Islam and the divine revelation of the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic.
Qur’an = “recitation”, originally more oral more important than written
114 suras (chapters)
2 pages is called bifolium
Contains Suras Al-’Ankabut (The Spiders)
Inspiration – Abdal-Mun’im Ibn Ahmad donated the Qur’an to the Great Mosque of Damascus in 911 CE
Reads from right to left
Gold and brown ink, palmettos, vines, no figures or animals

34. 188. Basin (Baptistēre de St. Louis). Muhammad ibn al-Zain. c
188. Basin (Baptistēre de St. Louis). Muhammad ibn al-Zain. c – 1340 CE. Brass inlaid with gold and silver.

35. Signed by Master Muhammad Ibn al-Zain
188. Basin (Baptistēre de St. Louis). Muhammad ibn al-Zain. c – 1340 CE. Brass inlaid with gold and silver.
Part of the collection of the kings of France, used to baptize Louis the XII in 1601
May be a luxury good produced in Islamic area for the monarchs of Europe
Made in Syria or Egypt
Signed by Master Muhammad Ibn al-Zain
Scenes in an x with Sultan and those in inner circle including: falconer, cup bearer, taster, dresser (under silks)
Interior 2 hunting scenes, 2 battle scenes

36. Front, detail

37. Interior, Hunting Scene

38. Interior, War Scene

40. 189. Bahram Gur Fights the Karq, folio from eh Great Il-Khanid Shahnama. Islamic; Persian, Il’Khanid. c – Ink and opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper.

41. Depicts a story from Shahnama (Persian Book of Kings)
189. Bahram Gur Fights the Karg, folio from the Great Il-Khanid Shahnama. Islamic; Persian, Il’Khanid. c – Ink and opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper x 30 cm.
Depicts a story from Shahnama (Persian Book of Kings)
Produced by artists in the Mongol court in Persia.
The Shahnama is an epic poem by Firdawsi written about 1000 CE and is still taught in Iranian schools today. The poem celebrates Persian heroes and love, life and suffering.
In this image, Persian King, Bahram Gur defeats a Karg (Horned wolf) entirely alone.
Symbolized civilized society beating chaos
Shows influence of Chinese landscape painting

42. Bahram Gur Fights the Karg (Horned Wolf) (detail), from the Great Mongol Shahnama, c , Iran, ink, colors, gold, and silver on paper, folio 41.5 x 30 cm

43. 190. Whole page left, and detail, right: Sultan Muhammad, The Court of Gayumars, c.1522, 47 x 32 cm, opaque watercolor, ink, gold, silver on paper, (Safavid), Tabriz, Iran.

44. 190. Sultan Muhammad, The Court of Gayumars, c
190. Sultan Muhammad, The Court of Gayumars, c.1522, 47 x 32 cm, opaque watercolor, ink, gold, silver on paper, (Safavid), Tabriz, Iran.
Illuminated manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of the Kings)
Poem written prior to Islam coming to the area, features, love suffering and death
Illuminated manuscript completed under Safavid rule
Safavids were descendants of Sufi shaikhs who were mystical leaders from Ardabil. (They controlled much of modern Iran and Azerbaijan.)
Safavids were great patrons of art and architecture
Human and animals, for the most part, are forbidden in Islam, but iconoclasm (broken images) stopped at certain points in history.
Calligraphic text and painting with mountain landscape, King Gayumars (first king of Persia) dressed in leopard pelts, son on left and grandson on right.

45. The Court of Gayumars
The accompanying texts translates as: When the sun reached the lamb constellation,9 when the world became glorious, When the sun shined from the lamb constellation to rejuvenate the living beings entirely, It was then when Gayumars became the King of the World. He first built his residence in the mountains. His prosperity and his palace rose from the mountains, and he and his people wore leopard pelts. Cultivation began from him, and the garments and food were ample and fresh. period/a/the-court-of-gayumars

46. Detail, Sultan Muhammad, The Court of Gayumars, c
Detail, Sultan Muhammad, The Court of Gayumars, c. 1522, 47 x 32 cm, opaque watercolor, ink, gold, silver on paper, (Safavid), Tabriz, Iran.

47. King Gayumars (detail)

48. 191. The Ardabil Carpet, Unknown artist (Maqsud Kashani is named on the carpet's inscription), Persian: Safavid Dynasty, silk warps and wefts with wool pile (25 million knots, 340 per sq. inch), C.E., Tabriz, Kashan, Isfahan or Kirman, Iran (Victoria and Albert Museum)

49. 191. The Ardabil Carpet, Unknown artist (Maqsud Kashani is named on the carpet's inscription), Persian: Safavid Dynasty, silk warps and wefts with wool pile (25 million knots, 340 per sq. inch), C.E., Tabriz, Kashan, Isfahan or Kirman, Iran (Victoria and Albert Museum)
May be the world’s oldest, and largest, Islamic carpet
Carpets were made for mosques, homes and used on walls to create warmth in winter
Ardabil was home to Sufi saint, Safi al-Din Ardabili (Sufism is Islamic mysticism). He trained follows in Islam. His descendants became the Safavids. Safavid rule lasted until 1722.
The carpet was made for a shrine and was a set of two.
Made of wool with many knots per square.
Patterns are geometric, plant scrolls, floral and central medallion. There is a calligraphic inscription at one end:
Except for thy threshold, there is no refuge for me in all the world.
Except for this door there is no resting place for my head.
The work of the slave of the portal, Maqsud Kashani.
Maqsud Kashani was most likely charged with ordering the carpet for the court.

50. At the Victoria and Albert Museum in London

51. Plan of the shrine at Ardabil, showing where the carpets were situated (permission, Victoria and Albert Museum)

52. Detail

53. Detail