ISLAMIC ART AND CULTURE { A RESOURCE FOR TEACHERS }

“Islamic art” is a label coined in the West in thenineteenth century. Unlike “Christian art” or “Buddhistart,” it does not describe art with a particular set ofreligious imagery. In fact, Islamic art has few exclusivelyreligious symbols comparable to the Christian cross.Instead, the term “Islamic art” designates all art,religious or secular, that was produced in lands underMuslim leadership. Its makers and its patrons mightbe Muslim or not. In this packet we look at worksthat span nearly a thousand years—from shortlyafter the foundation of Islam in the seventh centuryto the seventeenth century when the last two greatIslamic empires—the Ottoman and the Safavid—hadreached their peak. Although the defi nition of Islamicart usually includes work made in Mughal India, itis beyond the scope of this packet. The works we willlook at here come from as far west as Spain and as fareast as Afghanistan.Naturally, within this span of time and space many variations andstyles occ..