Browse Exhibits (7 total)

Encounters of Islam

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The items curated for this exhibit reflect western voices of travelers to countries on the Asian and African continents. Significantly, two of the accounts are written by women, lending the reader a perspective from visitors in a time and place where gender segregation may have provided these writers access that their male counterparts likely did not share.

The lens through which new places, faces, customs, and ways of life are examined in these books is reflected in the way the writers describe the "religion of Mahommed," its followers, and their environs as "illustrated on scientific principles."   

Exploring the library's collection for these items made clear what voices are missing from the collection in terms of accounts of these places and eras. While the research value of the curated accounts cannot be overlooked, a larger lens would be available to researchers if indigenous voices from Egypt, India, etc. were part of the collection.

Environments and Knowledge

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This exhiibit allowed the curators to share items from Special Collections that reflect the production of knowledge in the Indian Ocean world. These sample items illustrate breadth and depth of knowledge in areas of study such as astronomy and botany. The value placed on literature is also evident in these curated items and allows for reflection on how tales traveled across the Indian Ocean and the borders between the Asian and African continents.

European Empire in the Islamic World

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The items in this exhibit offer a glimpse of the so-called "Islamic World" through the experience of not just European travelers, but those who established communities in the Indian Ocean world during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Maritime history, economic developments, political accounts, and observations of dress, customs and cultural encounters can be found in the pages of these books. The reader may be left wondering how these accounts would compare to those by the inhabitants of this region and their experience of encountering their European guests who would come to lay claim to these lands.

Illuminated Beauty

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Calligraphy, or beautiful writing, is arguably the most identifiable and time-honored form of Islamic art. By the 10th century, six distinct cursive scripts had been developed and put into use for texts such as the Qur’an, literary works, and official documents. These six scripts are thuluth, muhaqqaq, naskh, rayhani, tauqi, and riqa, each with distinct features as to the shape and length of letters and the level of decoration they contain. In the fifteenth century, the nasta’liq  script was developed in Iran and used primarily for poetry, including in places such as India and Turkey.

Calligraphy, among other forms of Islamic art, has been “characterised by an attempt to bring the Sacred into the world without representing the Divinity directly.”1 The beauty of the written word, both in meaning and appearance, are intended to draw attention, and adoration, to the Divine, without the use of figures. Variations in the calligraphy and decorative elements of illuminated Qur’ans from around the world tend to reflect the aesthetics of the regions in which they are produced.

 

1Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. "The Dominating Principle of Islamic Art Comes From The Quran."Islamic Arts & Architechture.16 March 2011.http://islamic-arts.org/2011/the-dominating-principle-of-islamic-art-comes-from-the-quran/.18 April 2016.

Islam in Africa

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These books hold accounts of travels through various parts of the African continent, including Mozambique, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Egypt, specifically areas surrounding the Nile. Among these accounts are those of Richard F. Burton (1821-1890), who published 43 volumes of his explorations and is known for his Orientalist views. A century later, Burton's accounts would once again garner attention, this time through Edward Said's critique in Orientalism (1978).

Islamic Asian Empire

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The Ottomans, the Safavids, and the Mughals were three major Islamic empires in South and Central Asia.

The Ottomans (1299-1923) famously conquered Constantinople from the Byzantine Empire. At the height of their power, they ruled over modern-day Turkey and much of Southeast Europe, Western Asia, the Caucasus, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa.

The Safavid Empire (1501-1736) ruled over Persia, now modern-day Iran. Their origins lay in the Safaviyya Sufi order, and the Portuguese referred to the Safavid Emperor as “The Great Sufi.” Furthermore, the Safavids institutionalized Shi’a Islam in Persia, which remains the religion of the state today.

The Mughals (1526-1857) were a Central Asian, Turko-Mongol group who came to rule over much of the subcontinent of India. Despite deriving legitimacy from their Turko-Mongol ancestors, they maintained an Indo-Persian identity, and were intense rivals of the Safavid and Ottoman Empires.

The books chosen for this exhibit offer a glimpse of three major Islamic empires, both as described by western travelers, as well as through historical documents and art work.

Mapping the Indian Ocean

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A series of maps, mostly from the 17th century, depicting regions that surrounded the Indian Ocean and were traversed by European explorers.