Picturing Shi'ism

Now that I have finally finished a very busy semester, I can start blogging again! Don't worry-- I haven't stopped immersing myself in all things Persian :) As a final project for a class about Shi'ism, I recently wrote a paper about popular devotional art from Iran and Iraq. I came into this class with a basic knowledge about Shi'ism but as I began collecting images of religious posters, banners, and internet imagery I started to understand the significant emotional dimensions of Shi'ism and how visualization stands at the very core of it. Contrary to popular belief that Muslims don't "like" figural imagery, Shi'ism has always embraced it and has popularized it to such an extent that it has become its own visual vocabulary. Every Shi'ite knows the iconic face of Imam Hussein-- his determined expression and piercing eyes in portraiture or his arrow-riddled body in combat-illustration. He was the hero-martyr in what was the most defining moment in Shi'ism-- the Battle of Karbala in the deserts of Iraq where the Prophet Muhammad's descendants were brutally murdered by the army of Yazid or taken captive. The Day of Ashura commemorates this event and people often carry posters of Hussein, Imam Ali (the cousin of the Prophet), or the 12 Imams in processions. South Asia has also had a rich tradition of Shi'ite devotional art-- depicting Hussein's horse Zoljaneh and the hand of Fatima (the daughter of the Prophet). Posters like these are very instrumental as they help create a collective memory and identity for Shi'ites as well as capture the idealized personas of the Holy family to inspire emulation among devotees. I know I was totally captivated!  

An old painting of the Battle of Karbala from Qajar Iran 

(left) Portrait of Imam Ali and his sword, (middle) Imam Hussein, Abbas, Zayneb and Ali Asghar the martyred infant, (right) Imam Hussein

Two posters of Imam Hussein in the Battle of Karbala

Imam Hussein, Imam Ali, and Abbas with the 12 Imams below including the Mahdi (the Imam in occultation) at the far left with a ray of light as his face--yet to be seen.

Two posters of Zoljaneh (Imam Hussein's white stallion), another illustration of the 12 Imams, and a photo of boys in Iraq holding a poster with Hussein and Ali

(clockwise) poster of Imam Ali in Iraq, a poster from India of a young boy and girl reading the Quran, the Battle of Karbala--its martyrs are depicted as roses, and Buraq (the Prophet Muhammad's holy steed that flies to heaven) 

A collage of Imam Ali portraits from the Internet

Islamic talisman from South Asia with the names of Ali, Fatima, Hassan, and Hussein in the stars.The hand in the middle has the names of the 12 Imams written in its palm. 

Color Through Light

Stained Glass from Nasir al-Mulk Mosque (Shiraz) 

& Khaneh Tabatabaei-ha (Kashan)

Iftar in Mashhad

These are a series of photos from Fars News Agency by Meysam Dehghani taken in Mashhad, Iran.  Muslims gather at the Shrine of Imam Reza at sundown to break their fast--which is called "Iftar" during the month of Ramadan.  Traditionally, a date is eaten first alongside a cup of tea.  "Ramadan Mubarak" to my Persian friends!

For more information about Ramadan in Iran:

Persian Domes & Tiles

More of my photo-collages:

Persian Medicine: Islam & Science

After the midterm exam, our class watched a fascinating documentary about the contributions to medicine and science from the Islamic world.  Inspired by this film, I collected a number of images from Arabic and Persian manuscripts which contain anatomical drawings. Below are some photo-collages that I made.

Optometry and pharmacology were fields that were especially advanced during the time of the "Translation Movement" (800 A.D. to 1150 A.D.) which was centered in Baghdad. Medical textbooks were collected from all parts of the world and translated into Arabic-- culminating into the world's most sophisticated and expansive resource of medical knowledge in Medieval times.

Whirling Dervishes

Sufi whirling is a form of Sama or physically active meditation which originated among Sufis, and is still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. It is a customary dance performed within the Sema, or worship ceremony, through which dervishes (also called semazens) aim to reach the source of all perfection, or kemal. This is sought through abandoning one's nafs, egos or personal desires, by listening to the music, focusing on God, and spinning one's body in repetitive circles, which has been seen as a symbolic imitation of planets in the Solar System orbiting the sun.

This video was filmed in Istanbul. The female dervishes are wearing the red, yellow, and lavender skirts, while the men are in white.

When spinning, the right hand is lifted, palm-out, towards god and his gifts. The left is palm down towards the earth, to both draw forth its sustenance and to deliver god's gifts of the spirit to humanity.

Worlds within Worlds

A new exhibit is opening at the Smithsonian Sackler Gallery in DC.  Here are the details and a few images from some of the featured manuscripts:

Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran
July 28, 2012 - September 17, 2012
Museum: Sackler Gallery
Location: Sublevel 1

Between 1556 and 1657, the greatest Mughal patrons -- emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan -- formed grand workshops that brought together and nurtured India's leading painters, calligraphers, and illuminators. This artistic legacy is on view with 50 of the finest folios and paintings from the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery collections, which form one of the world’s most important repositories of Mughal and Persian paintings. The exhibition opens with a selection of Persian book arts, then focuses on the groundbreaking synthesis achieved by Persian emigres and local Indian artists, and ends with superb works created under Akbar's son and grandson. Highlights include six folios from the Late Shah Jahan Album, which have sumptuous borders that exemplify the emperor's love of jewels, flowers, and grandeur.

Karbala & Shi'ism

Today I finished watching a documentary available on Netflix titled "Pilgrimage to Karbala".  It follows the journey of a 'pilgrimage bus' from Tehran to Karbala, Iraq--where Imam Hussein's shrine is located. The film does a terrific job explaining the concept of martyrdom in Shia Islam and connects this concept to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Iran-Iraq war of the 80s, and Iran's continued resistance to foreign domination. The pilgrims were a diverse group of men and women of various ages and professions who find themselves making this precarious trip to Iraq in the summer of 2006.  For anyone interested in understanding what conservative Shi'ism looks like today and how it influences political ideology--this is a good place start.  :)

Landscape & Architecture in Painting

Persian Landscapes & Architecture (Link), a set on Flickr.

Today I found the motherload of beautifully digitized Persian manuscript paintings. In 2005, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art showcased over 300 classical paintings dating from the 14th century to 17th century (Timurid and Safavid eras). Unfortunately the Museum website removed their digital images of the paintings, but a fellow blogger: pruned.blogspot.com has been able to resurrect a number of them and here is a slideshow of what was retrieved. Many of the miniatures depict scenes from the Qur'an, One Thousand and One Nights, the Shahnameh, and a few portraits. A real visual feast!

Click on the link above to view the whole set or click on the pruned.blogspot link. The flickr slideshow option tends to blur the images :(