Art

A book about the enduring legacy of Sheikh Amadou Bamba who founded the Mouride Way.

With Cd of high-res images included

Eric Broug

The marvels of Islamic patterns—the most recognizable visual expression of Islamic art and architecture—are not just a beautiful accident. The ancient practitioners of this craft used traditional methods of measurement to create dazzling geometric compositions, often based on the repetition of a single pattern. The results are magnificent in their beauty and awe-inspiring in their execution.

Now, with the aid of this book, everyone can learn how to master this ancient art and create their own intricate patterns or re-create classic examples. All one needs are a pencil, a ruler, a compass, and a steady hand. First, technical tips demonstrate the basics: how to draw a square, hexagon, or pentagon. This is followed by some of the best examples of geometric patterns from around the world, arranged into three levels of complexity, with careful, step-by-step instructions.

The book features geometric patterns from some of the most famous and beautiful Islamic architecture and art, including:
• La Mezquita, Cordoba
• Capella Palatina, Sicily
• Mustansiriya Madrasa, Baghdad
• Umayyad Mosque, Damascus
• Mosque of al-Salih Tala’I, Cairo
• The Koran of Rashid al-Din

Daud Sutton

The Sufi Tradition in Persian Architecture

“The square of the Ka’bah … is not just a square. It is also the symbol of stability and completion and a reflection of the quadrangular temple of paradise of which the Ka’ba itself is the earthly image. The octagonal form of so many mosques is not just an architectural device to enable the architect to place the dome upon a square base, but a reflection of the Divine Throne, which according to Tradition is supported by eight angels. The dome is not just a way to cover the wall. It is the image of the vault of heaven and beyond it of the infinite and illimitable world of the Spirit of which the sphere or circle is the most direct geometric symbol … in traditional art, nothing is ever divorced from meaning…” from the foreword by Seyyed Hossein Nasr