More Ithra Curiosities
Egypt or Syria, 1304 Glass, gilded and enameled Height: 34 cm, Depth: 20 cm Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo 313 Image courtesy of Ithra.
Exquisite Mosque lamps give more just light, they carry legacies and embody intricate stories. The lamps at the Shatr AlMasjid: The Art of Orientation at Ithra symbolise the aesthetic vision of the Arab-Islamic civilization, which focuses on combining beauty with function. Lamps are just one of many treasures that be viewed and studied at this major exhibition that explores the historical meaning, evolution and function of mosques, their interiors and their artifacts. The exhibition runs through 2022. Here are just a few sneak peeks from the largest collection of Islamic masterworks ever displayed in Saudi Arabia.
Written in Thulth script, the name of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun is inscribed alongside verse 35 of Surah 24 of the Holy Qur’an: “Allah is the Light of heavens and the earth.” This mosque lamp originally hung somewhere in the Qalawun complex in Cairo.
Egypt or Syria, 1304
Glass, gilded and enameled
Height: 34 cm, Depth: 20 cm
Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo 313
Image courtesy of Ithra.
Egypt or Syria, 1304 Glass, gilded and enameled Height: 34 cm, Depth: 20 cm Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo 313 Image courtesy of Ithra.
Ostrich eggs are placed atop minarets in West Africa. They were also brought back from Makkah as Hajj souvenirs. This ottoman example, decorated with Qur’anic inscriptions, was originally suspended above a mosque lamp to prevent rodents from consuming oil placed inside.
Egypt,19th century
Ostrich egg and paint
Length: 17 cm, Width: 13 cm
Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo 1/393
Image courtesy of Ithra
Egypt,19th century Ostrich egg and paint Length: 17 cm, Width: 13 cm Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo 1/393 Image courtesy of Ithra
Originally placed in a mosque or madrasa, this colored glass window depicts a mosque flanked by two cypress trees and is surrounded with the inscription: “inform the believers” from Sura 61:13 of the Holy Qur’an.
Egypt, late 17th or early 18th century
Stucco and stained glass
Height 131 cm, width: 65 cm
Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo 1/386
Image courtesy of Ithra
Egypt, late 17th or early 18th century Stucco and stained glass Height 131 cm, width: 65 cm Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo 1/386 Image courtesy of Ithra
