Ali Baba is well known to have discovered amazing treasures once hidden in a secret cave. He, alone, knew how to enter this cave and he, alone, could have profited from this discovery. Yet, he embarked on a different path and as a rightly-guided Muslim decided to share the hidden treasures and thus invaluable wisdom with the world.
Let us follow his example and invite you to visit our website for a collection of selectes pieces of Islamic Art no longer hidden: Open sesame!
IFTAHU - Islamic Finest Treasures And History Unveiled
The presentation of Islamic art in museums is becoming ever more popular and has found admireres looking for respective websites to enjoy virtual presentations.
What makes art Islamic ?
The tag “Islamic” in this context refers to every artistic production made in the Islamic Empire (6th -13th century/1-700 Hijrah). Islamic art has been produced in lands where people spoke a myriad of languages but shared a common belief in the tenets of Islam and a common knowledge of Arabic, the language of the Qur’an. What all these pieces of art have in common is their principal characteristic that they are not made for art’s sake. Rather, it is the function of an object that should be considered by the viewer.
Since the portrayal of religious figures in human form is a delicate subject in Islam, calligraphy rooted in the appreciation of beautiful writing (first and foremost of the qur’anic scripture) and vegetal decoration and ornaments obeying the laws of geometry, thus reflecting the divine infinity, have become the basis of Islamic art.
IFTAHU.ORG might open up new perspectives to the world, unveiling the hidden knowledge of the Islamic golden age that has enriched western civilisation in almost all aspects of life. We venture to remind the world of the richness and openness of the Islamic Empire during Medieval times when Islamic scholarship was at the pinnacle of enlightenment. The inspiration and inventiveness of that era led to the scientific and technological advances later on brought about by western renaissance.
This project brings the artistic legacy of that time into focus. We, a team of devoted students
| Marijana Drljepan Karima Elsayed Hanna Daniel Eszter Anna Golyanskaya Josipa Lacic Elisabeth Lopéz Semeleder Gorana Lovric Aldiana Medjedovic Raluca Minciu Livia Mitrea Birgit Mitterlehner Yao Chenhui Marijana Drljepan Romana Eidler Karima Elsayed Hanna Daniel Eszter Anna Golyanskaya Josipa Lacić Elisabeth Lopéz Semeleder Gorana Lovrić Magda Matcak Aldiana Medjedović Raluca Mindciu Livia Mitrea |
Christoph von Pohl Sandra Pulzer Maria Yuuzuki Ripplinger Alexandra Roata Nicoleta Rus Nicole Schwarz Emilia Strommer Aca Szabo Izabel Tironi Éva Visky Natalija Vonic Birgit Mitterlehner Christoph von Pohl Hannah Pucher Sandra Pulzer Elisabeth Rettenbacher Maria Yuuzuki Ripplinger Alexandra Roata Nicoleta Rus Nicole Schwarz Emilia Strommer Aca Szabo Izabel Tironi Éva Visk Natalija Vonić |
under the supervision of Dr. Annelies Glander, have compiled this collection of Islamic art and history and would like to share it with you. The very composition and all technical details regarding the website have been created and are attended to by Dr. Ibrahim Elsayed.
We invite you to step back 1000 years in time into the golden age of Islamic civilisation and to discover the pioneering spirit and outstanding excellence of Muslims achievements shown by their artistic work.