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About
The Collection
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The
Fatimid
style hall4
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The
Fatimid dynasty was originally established in north Africa at the
beginning of the 10th century ( 9 - 10 A.D.). They
removed their capital from al-Mahdiyya near Tunis to Cairo newly
built by them in 972 A.D. and established totally independent
government of the Baghdad caliphate.
During
the reign of the Fatimid dynasty 969 - 1171 A.D. Egypt took the lead
in the cultural life in the Islamic World.
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The
Fatimid artists could create a highly rich and remarkable Islamic
Egyptian style. They were able to express with marvelous Sincerity
emotions and movements in impressionistic manner and great
luster-painted ceramic making.
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The
same technique of luster-painting was employed with a high degree of
perfection and skill on glass. A Gazelle galloping to the right in a
naturalistic movement representing the anatomic details of the
animal.
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A
Cast bronze figurine with simple engraved decoration of a crouching
hare. Decorative panel of wood originally ornamenting a cupboard of
the early 11th century A.D. depicting two confronted
horse-heads amidst in finite patterns of stylized floral scrolls
deeply undercut into the wood. In finite patterns become a part of
all Islamic art.
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Wood
plants seem to have Originally decorated the walls of the western
Fatimid palace built in Cairo in the 2nd half of the 11th
century A.D. They were reused in the Mamluk period to cover the
walls of the Maristan-mausoleum of Sultan Qalawun built on the same
site 1284 - 5 A.D. They were figuration facing the wall as the
building is of religious nature. The iconography of the plants
decoration represents scenes of the daily life activities in the
Fatimid court : hunting, playing music and dancing
as
well as several figures of animal and birds. Traces of old colors
are still evident on some areas of the plants. Islamic civilization
has often been wrongly interpreted as iconoclastic civilization.
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Throughout
the Islamic period ladies played an active role in social and
political life. This is evident through this transportable wooden
niche (mihrab) used
in
mosques to
point to
the direction of Mecca
during the daily five
prayers. It was made at the order of ‘Alam
wife of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Amer 1101 - 1131 A.D. to furnish the
Mausoleum of Ruqayya,
daughter of Ali the fourth successor of the
Prophet Mohamed. A developed style of linear abstraction and
geometric forms are strongly evident. Bounds of Arabic Kufic
inscriptions registering the foundation of the Mihrab including
Quranic verses.
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Textile
industry in Egypt in the Fatimid period reached a very high degree
of
perfection
using silk, linen and wool fabrics . The cities of
Alexandria, Damietta and Tannis in the Delta, al-Fayyum in middle
Egypt and al-Bahnasa in upper Egypt became main centers for textile
industry during this period. This linen textile is enhanced with
woven decoration in silk forming kufic Arabic inscriptions of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim made on the royal private loom
in the city of Damietta, dated 997 A.D. |
