♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Woman vocalizes ] ♪♪ Narrator: Today, at a pivotal
moment in world history, two great museums beckon us to explore the splendor
of Islamic art -- lifting the veil on our shared
cultural heritage. ♪♪ The objects on display
in the Islamic galleries at The Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York and The Louvre in Paris reveal
a road map of connections. This explains why the foreign
seems familiar. ♪♪ [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: I have dedicated
my life career to Islamic art for many years now. Attracted no doubt
by the beauty. ♪♪ My eye was seduced
by the whole culture, a culture that may look
different in some ways, but, at the same time,
is actually quite close. ♪♪ Narrator: Universal museums, like The Louvre
and The Metropolitan, help dispel the idea
that cultures are exclusive, when, in fact,
they are intertwined. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: Today,
we live in a world that is connected and global, but our connected
and global world also has a history. [ Lintz speaks French ] Interpreter: Islamic art
is, without a doubt, more difficult to access for those who may not have
any knowledge of the culture. Whether they are Muslims
or non-Muslims, many just don't have
any knowledge of this very
complicated history. Narrator: The art of Islam
reflects 14 centuries of changing political
and cultural landscapes across three continents. Haidar: So, you're talking
about a tremendous mix of world images,
cultures, you know, and the result that came out in the literature and the art
of the Islamic world is very exciting. One of the glories
of Islamic art is inlaid metalwork. And one of the absolute
pinnacles of this technique and this type of art is
the Baptistère de Saint Louis. Narrator:
Created in Mamluk, Egypt, it became part of
the Royal Collections of France. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: It is a basin
of metal, copper alloy, inlaid with silver, that was crafted
in Syria or Egypt in the mid-14th century. And this basin
will be used later for the baptisms
of royal children, including Louis XIII. Narrator: The Mamluks were
slaves trained as soldiers who overthrew their masters and then ruled an Islamic empire
for 300 years from Cairo. [ Juvin speaks French ] Inside the basin,
we have friezes of riders, which illustrate the court life and the warrior concept
of the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt. Narrator: There are scenes
of battle and violence -- a decapitated head
and severed limbs. ♪♪ Canby: The interesting
thing is, of course, that there was no resistance
to using it for a Christian
religious rite -- baptism. Even though it had been made
by Muslim craftsmen, it worked just fine. [ Lintz speaks French ] Interpreter: I think that
an important thing to understand when you want to discover
Islamic art is that Islamic art is not
simply just an Arab art. Narrator: Nor is it simply
"religious art." The term "Islamic art" -- coined by 19th-century
art historians -- includes all art
produced in Muslim lands from the 7th century forward, from Spain to Morocco, Egypt, the Middle East,
Central Asia, and India, to the borders of China. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: Today, we tend
to think that Islam is the East. At least that's how Islamic art is presented in Western culture. But Spain was Islamic, and Morocco is
a Western kingdom. Narrator: Take, for instance,
the roaring Monzón Lion, a cast bronze fountain spout
created between the 12th and 13th centuries
in Islamic Spain. In characteristic Islamic style, the surface of the Lion
is completely covered with engraved decorations, including Arabic calligraphy. Haidar: Now, obviously, you are
talking about a huge variety. You're talking about Spain
to India and beyond. And everything in between
has its own style. It has its own materials,
and you might even say, "What's common between
all of this? What unites all of this?" Narrator: The most
obvious connection is the presence of Islam. Muslims believe that God
revealed a new faith to the Prophet Muhammad, beginning in 610 AD, near the city of Mecca, where the well-established
Jewish, Christian, and Pagan communities
rejected him. ♪♪ He moved to Medina and died
10 years later, in 632. Yet, in that mere 10-year span, Muhammad and his army
succeeded in conquering most of the Arabian peninsula
for Islam. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: When we talk
about Islamic art, everyone expects objects
coming from a mosque, and I think it is important
to say and repeat that Islamic art is not
only a religious art, but at the same time,
we also have to show in what way Islamic art
is religious. Narrator: Traditionally,
the creative focal point for Muslim communities
is the mosque. ♪♪ In its very simplest form,
the mosque is really a structure that gives you the direction
for worship towards Mecca. That's often just a simple wall
with an indentation in it that indicates the direction
that Mecca lies in. Narrator: Over time,
this indentation, called a "mihrab"
or prayer niche, became more elaborate. The brilliant blue tiles
of this dazzling mihrab are distinct to the Iranian city
of Isfahan, the blue city. More than 600 years ago,
artisans cut and pieced together tiny glazed ceramic tiles to produce the scrolling foliage
and calligraphic designs of this meticulous masterpiece. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: These mosaics
techniques were first developed in the Greek and Roman worlds. It's a little-known fact
that the cultures of Islam used the technical
and decorative repertoires of late antiquity. Narrator:
As Muslim armies conquered more and more territory, local artistic traditions
were blended into an evolving Islamic style. ♪♪ ♪♪ In the 12th century, Muslim artisans skillfully
hammered and pierced copper to create the intricate
openwork pattern of this mosque lamp. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: And then
there is an inscription on the upper part of the bowl. "There is one God,
and God is God," and that is what creates
the first pillar of the Islamic faith. Narrator: Designed to hang
from the ceiling, the lamp filled the room
with filtered light, symbolizing the presence of God. [ Lintz speaks French ] Interpreter: For me,
it symbolizes the foundation of Islamic art. It is a lamp that comes from
the famous Dome of the Rock, built by Abd Al Malik, one of the first Caliphs
in the Umayyad world in the end of the 7th century. ♪♪ Narrator: The Umayyads
are responsible for the first great monuments
of Islamic art and architecture. The Dome of the Rock
in Jerusalem is the oldest Islamic shrine
in the world, built on the site
of a Roman temple. ♪♪ [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: And this is
a symbolic way, I think, to show that the Caliph Umayyad is the new Roman Emperor
of this Mediterranean world. ♪♪ Narrator: The Umayyads
set up their new capital outside of Arabia,
in Damascus, Syria, an area that had
long been exposed to the cultures
and sensibilities of the Mediterranean world. Here, they built the
Great Mosque of Damascus, which employed forms
and elements of classical art familiar to westerners, like columns, vaults, and domes. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: We're talking
about a territory that partly overlapped
the ancient Roman Empire. We, at The Louvre, wanted to reiterate
that continuity, between antiquity
and the Islamic world. Narrator: At The Metropolitan,
this bronze Umayyad pitcher from the 7th century
shows the merging of Persia's 4,000-year-old
artistic traditions with a new Islamic aesthetic. Haidar: And it has
this long handle, very elegant handle,
and if you look at it, you see that
it's actually a feline, perhaps some kind of
a leopard or mountain cat that's elegantly stretched
its whole body over to form the handle. But what is it doing? All around the rim is a goose
that it's chasing. It's hunting a goose. It's really the great
Persian theme of hunting which informs so much
of Persian art. Narrator: But the body
represents a transition in taste from figural art
to repetitive designs. Elaborate patterns
of scrolling vines, geometric shapes,
or calligraphy often point
to an Islamic influence. Calligraphy is a way
to reproduce the written word through an artistic drawing. [ Lintz speaks French ] Interpreter: Obviously,
calligraphy as a core component of Islamic art
is not a coincidence. It is fundamentally related
to the fact that the Islamic world is
an entity with Islam as its dominant
and official religion. Narrator: Arabic calligraphy is
found everywhere in Islamic art. The hull of this galleon glows
with sweeping golden strokes. A closer look shows the image
to be a "calligram," composed of calligraphy. Canby: The writing
of calligraphy was considered the highest art. More important than painting
and other arts because it was devotional
and because, of course, the first thing that
a great calligrapher would do would be to copy the Qur'an. The Qur'an is the holy book
of the Muslims. It is the revelation handed down
from God to Muhammad. It is canonical. No word in the Qur'an changes. They are the same words
that were written down after Muhammad recited them
in the 7th century. [ Juvin speaks French ] Interpreter: This manuscript
is a Qur'an from the time of the Mamluk Sultanate. It was made in Egypt in Cairo at the end of the 14th century. Narrator: The back of the book
is actually the front. Arabic, like Hebrew, is read from right to left. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: And then we have
a double opening page with a particularly
elegant design. Again with a frame to highlight
all its splendor. And we have the first verses
of the Qur'an that were copied on a delicately
decorated background with plant foliage dotted
with lotus buds. Narrator: It's natural that
a beautiful sacred book would need to be displayed
with elegance and respect. Bookstands like this one,
called "rahlas," were the focus
of artistic enterprise throughout the Islamic world. It's made from
a single piece of wood that would have had to be
split and separated so that it falls
in the form of an "X," but if you stand it up together,
you can see that it was, essentially, formed
from a single piece of wood. On the sides of this bookstand,
you find extraordinary, very fine, very deep carving. And if you look at it closely,
you realize that it's been conceived of
on three different levels. You have almost secret,
hidden inscriptions at the very deepest level. God's name and the sacred name
of the Prophet underpin everything else
that you see. Narrator: Sacred writing
is woven into every aspect of Islamic life. The 99 names of God are stitched around the circumference
of this prayer rug at the Louvre. [ Charlotte speaks French ] Interpreter: In Islam,
there is a way to evoke God through a number of names
and adjectives, and they are all mentioned here. ♪♪ You also have many inscriptions, and that makes this rug
a high quality. It is very, very difficult
to weave the inscriptions because you must be very precise
and, as you know, writing is very important
in Islamic art. Narrator: Arabic script
in the Qur'an was the physical manifestation
of God's message. As the empire spread
beyond its early borders, the Prophet's native tongue
became the official language, tying religion to power
and the Arabian identity. ♪♪ ♪♪ Haidar: When you come to
our galleries or to any museum or any place where you have
evidence, objects, scholarship, you're not just told
that Greek medicine was translated into Arabic, but there you have
the manuscript itself, the evidence itself with
all the accurate information. That's the great thing
about a museum. You can make up your own mind
about it, and you've got all the tools
before you to do so. And that is really
very empowering. Narrator:
When the Umayyad Dynasty fell to its rivals,
the Abbasids, in the 8th century, the center of the Islamic world
shifted east to Baghdad, and so did the seat
of collected knowledge. This marked the start
of the Golden Age of Islam. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: We have to keep
in mind that the Islamic world served as a kind of conservatory for the knowledge inherited
from antiquity. Narrator: In Baghdad,
the Abbasid caliphs gathered scholars
to collect and translate all the knowledge
in the known world. It was an epic undertaking. For 400 years, the arts and the sciences
flourished. It was all destroyed when
the Mongols conquered Baghdad in the 13th century. But what they achieved
in that period is known as
a Golden Age of Islam, because it advanced all the things
that humanity values, not just the Muslim world,
but the world. ♪♪ Narrator: These are pages from
a popular medical reference titled "De Materia Medica," one of the first
scientific texts to be translated from Greek
to Arabic in 9th-century Baghdad. It was written by Dioscorides, who was a Greek who lived
in what's now Turkey in the early first century A.D. And this was translated
into Arabic and then illustrated. Narrator: It's a pharmacopeia,
with descriptions of about 1,000 medicines
made from plants. This page, on the other hand, shows men making medicine
out of honey. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: It is through
these Arabic translations that texts
from classical antiquity, especially Greek and Roman, were retransmitted to the West. Narrator: When we study
the ways cultures converge, science often lies
at the intersection. This is an Islamic astrolabe,
meaning "star holder," based on an ancient
Greek instrument for predicting the position
of the moon, stars, and other planets. In fact, some of the instruments
that you see were shared technologies between
Muslim and Christian sailors who would love
to get their hands on these kind of
advanced instruments while they were establishing
trade routes around the world, because everyone always wants
the latest gadget, whether it's an iPhone
or an [chuckles] astrolabe. It's a kind of
unifying interest. Narrator: The astrolabe was
refined in the Islamic world, most notably by
the astronomer al-Sufi, who described 1,000
different uses for this instrument, including the direction
of Mecca for prayer. Here we have a manuscript, which is the "Book of Images
of the Fixed Stars" by al-Sufi. Now, this was written
in the late-10th century originally, then copied
and copied and copied. Narrator:
This 15th-century copy, made 500 years after
al-Sufi's original, is open to a double page
showing two enthroned figures. Canby: Really what this is,
is the constellation Cassiopeia. And Cassiopeia, in this book, and all the other
constellations, are shown in two views. The one on the right
as if seen from outside the heavens looking down. The one on the left,
as if we were looking up, seeing the stars in the heavens. Narrator: Over the centuries, court astronomers updated
their calculations. Canby: There's a lot of
variability in the sky, and although they're called
the fixed stars, nothing's fixed at all, so that was part of the genius
of these scientists, that they understood that and that they were
such good mathematicians that they could recalculate and recalculate over time. ♪♪ [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: We must
keep in mind that familiar words like "algebra"
or "algorithms" are originally from Arabic. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: And this domination
in geometry and algebra directly influences
their artistic productions. ♪♪ Narrator: The sophisticated
application of geometry can be seen in this
elegant vaulted ceiling from Mamluk, Egypt. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter:
This vaulted ceiling has traveled from Egypt
to Europe to France in the late 19th century, but it was only
recently assembled for the opening of the new halls
in the Louvre Museum. This allows us to evoke the
splendor of princely interiors. That shows a finely carved
stone decoration with some arabesque of plants
and geometric patterns. Narrator: The art of geometry
cannot be denied in these 14th-century
Egyptian doors. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: We can
see the complexity of the geometric pattern on which
the decoration is based. This decoration is organized around what is called
"star polygons." These are the patterns
that we can see here. Narrator: Exotic woods,
like African rosewood and ebony, were often imported
at great expense from faraway lands. [ Juvin speaks French ] Interpreters: In these regions,
wood was rare, and they were trying to utilize every single piece of wood
that they had. Narrator: By the Middle Ages,
a thriving merchant economy and a sophisticated network
of trade routes helped established
the Islamic world as the first truly
universal civilization. ♪♪ There wasn't the idea
of being a world apart. It was really a world that was
connected to the wider world and that, I think, helped
facilitate robust economies and, you know, rich,
you know, opulent courts. ♪♪ ♪♪ Canby: Architecture is one of
the glories of Islamic art. Across the Islamic world
from Spain to India, one can think of
the most notable buildings in the whole world,
most famous buildings, and they are Islamic. Narrator: One of the most
important monuments in the Islamic world
is in Spain. The Great Mosque of Cordoba
is considered the oldest Islamic structure
in Europe and the most innovative. Canby: The early conquerors
of Spain, the early Muslim conquerors
of Spain, built the Great Mosque
in Córdoba. The beautiful mihrab, the marvelous
multilayered arches with the kind of striped or ablaq decoration. Narrator: The mosque's
unique style is distinct to Moorish Iberia, where a confluence of cultures
caused the Spanish lands to develop differently
from the rest of Europe. The Arabs had come
in the 8th century, but the Iberian Peninsula
was inhabited by Christians and Jews,
at that point. There, for a while, people really seemed
to live in peace with one another and tolerance. Narrator: This courtyard at
The Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrates
the artistic harmonies created by these
overlapping cultures. It was constructed
inside the museum by artisans from
the imperial city of Fez in Morocco. We wanted to create
a Moroccan court because it's related
to the gallery for Western Islamic art, the art of Spain, North Africa,
and Southern Italy, the eight centuries of Islam
in Europe. And we also wanted
to bring the hand of a kind of living craftsman
to our galleries. Narrator: The starting point
for the Moroccan Court was four freestanding columns
from the 15th century -- original works of art. Haidar: But everything
that's carved around them, the stucco above
and the woodwork and the tile work is all modern, and it's all been made
in an appropriate style by these living craftsmen. Narrator: Out of 40,000
craftsmen in Fez, the Met chose
the Naji family company, run by four brothers
and their father. Adil: We are seven generations
in this business, but for me and for my family, it's unlike any other project
that we ever undertaken because this will serve
as reference for scholars to learn more about
the Islamic architecture. We were working in Morocco
for almost six months, in which we fabricated
all the loose tiles. Narrator: The cut-tile pieces
were then fitted together on the floor like a puzzle but upside down before,
being set in a concrete mortar. Adil: We had to get some
variation of colors -- for instance,
three shades of blue. There are two shades of green, so it has the characteristic
of an ancient, antique panel. The wood was carved in Morocco,
out of cedar, from the Atlas Mountains of Fez. And we used some
of the best woodcarvers in the city. Narrator: The plaster
was carved on site by master craftsmen who excel
in sculpting arabesque or "flowing vegetal"
compositions. Designs were laid down
with stencils, then fashioned by hand
using special tools. Adil: For us,
we were transported back to the year 1300. For instance,
the plaster on the walls, they were smoothing it
with their hands. When I look at this court,
I see hands everywhere. Everything is touched by hands. Haidar: It's incredibly magical
when you have artists actually working in the spaces
with the art of the past. By highlighting this incredible
art that still survives, we actually accomplished
a great deal. We got a Moroccan court
out of it, for sure, but we also -- We were able to really
elaborate the idea of eight centuries of Islam
in Europe and its connection
to North Africa. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: We can,
indeed, wonder about the place of Islamic art
at The Louvre and in Western art collections. In Europe, the Islamic world
was, and is, right here at home. The Islamic world was,
and is, European. Narrator: Many Islamic objects
found in the collections of European museums
were gifts from rulers or taken as the spoils of war. Interpreter: As far as
the Louvre is concerned -- and you may already know this --
the museum dates back to 1793 and is a product
of the French Revolution. Narrator: The French
Royal Treasury included magnificent pieces
of Islamic art and became the property
of The Louvre in 1793. [ Lintz speaks French ] Interpreter: As early as 1893,
The Louvre opened a section on "Muslim" Arts. That was the word that was used
in the late-19th century. Narrator: Today, the new
Islamic galleries of The Louvre are marked
by an undulating golden roof that conjures images
of a floating veil, a flying carpet, or windblown desert sands. The surrounding
neoclassical facades affirm the place of Islamic art
in European art collections. [ Juvin speaks French ] Interpreter: One of the ways
that eastern Islamic objects came into European collections
was through church treasuries. ♪♪ Narrator: On display
at The Louvre, this ewer from the Royal Abbey
of Saint Denis, Paris, was carved from a single piece
of very pure, very fine crystal. [ Juvin speaks French ] Interpreter: It's a ewer
that arrived in that abbey in the 12th century, and, therefore, it is
one of the oldest objects in our European collection. Narrator: But it was
created in Egypt during the reign
of the Fatimids, a Shia family who claimed
the absolute right to rule as descendants
of Muhammad's daughter, Fatima. Canby: There are seven of these
in the world. A scholar calls them
The Magnificent Seven. Narrator: Under the Fatimids, Cairo became the cultural
capital of the Islamic world. That world included
the Holy Land. For 200 years, crusaders from Europe fought to take control
of Jerusalem until they were repelled
once and for all by the Mamluks. Then the Mongols came calling. Canby: So, this beautiful
glass bottle with an enameled scene around it shows fighters dressed
as Mamluks. So, Egyptians and Syrians
on the one hand and Mongols on the other. And it's being made
by the Mamluk glassmaker, so, of course,
there's an edge there in favor of the Mamluks. Narrator: In Islamic Egypt, the Mamluks elevated
the ancient craft of glassmaking to a fine art. Their gilded and enameled
mosque lamps were coveted well beyond the borders of Islam
and exported far and wide. [ Juvin speaks French ] Interpreter: We find
these objects in China, and others will travel to Europe and will influence the famous
Venetian glassmakers, the glassmakers of Murano, who will eventually supersede
Islamic glassmakers. Narrator: In fact,
Italy's close ties to advanced
Islamic civilizations enriched
the Italian Renaissance. This ivory box
at The Metropolitan, carved in southern Italy, is a prime example
of those interconnections. Canby: There are figures standing on the corners
that have turbans. This is a fantastic mixture
of the Romanesque style of carving and sculpture
and images that really are related
to the Islamic world. Narrator: In Islamic Spain,
finely carved ivory objects, such as this one at The Louvre, were bestowed as gifts
upon members of the royal family. Made from a single ivory tusk, its sheer size is exceptional, but the carving makes it
a masterpiece. In 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella
ousted the Muslims, completing the 700-year
Reconquista of Spain, and then launched
Christopher Columbus on his first voyage west
to a whole new world. To the east, the Islamic Empire
reached the borders of China. ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Martinez speaks French ] Interpreter: One of the ideas
at the heart of the presentation is not to isolate
the cultures of Islam, but to show that they were
like other cultures -- intermediaries. Narrator: At the Louvre,
this 13th-century dish shows the influence
of Chinese ceramics on Islamic pottery. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: So first,
what is the most Chinese, I would say, in this dish is its color --
this turquoise color. It was made in Iran, by imitating the technique
of celadon glaze. The Chinese ceramics with
a single monochrome color, usually green or blue colors, began very early
in the 10th century and were supposed
to imitate jade. Narrator: The fish
and the lotus leaves are Chinese motifs, but the concentric circles
of geometric patterns and elegantly stylized
calligraphy ground this masterpiece in the Islamic
artistic tradition. [ Martinez speaks French ] Interpreter: Oftentimes,
pieces like these reflect a technique that was
born, for example, in China, which was mastered
in the Islamic lands, and which was then passed on
to the West, so you can see the continuity. ♪♪ Narrator: As early
as the 9th century, Chinese pottery was being
exported in huge quantities, traveling along the Silk Road. ♪♪ Eventually, pottery centers
in Iran, like Nishapur, were producing some
of the most experimental and beautiful pieces
in the Islamic world. Here, dripping in browns,
greens, and yellows, is the Nishapur version of the popular
Chinese splashware. And this radiant white bowl,
18 inches in diameter, is the Nishapur potters' answer
to Chinese porcelain. A thin coating
of white fluid clay covers a red earthenware body. The black abstract design is actually Arabic calligraphy,
which reads, "Deliberation before action protects you from regret." At the dawn of the 13th century,
when this pierced jug was made, the proficiency
of Iranian potters had reached a pinnacle. Canby: Technically speaking,
the jug is remarkable because it has two layers. It has an outer pierced layer
of vegetation inhabited by fantastic animals, such as harpies or sphinxes. So, human-headed lions, human-headed birds, but this profusion
of fantastic beasts was there to protect the owner. Narrator:
These star-shaped tiles contain astrological images
of the Zodiac. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: Here is the image
of the astrological sign of Leo, with its associated planet,
the sun, in the back. And these tiles here
were certainly made in the city of Kashan. Narrator: The potters of Kashan were famous for delicate tiles in the shape of crosses and the skillful execution of the metallic
luster technique. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: The design is
painted on an opaque glaze, usually white,
using metal particles, mixing copper and silver. And then a fairly complex firing results in this
shimmering reflection, a metallic hue that
sometimes resembles gold. Narrator: Ceramics of this
quality and complexity required technicians
and artists. Interpreter: And there were also
calligraphers who collaborated with the ceramic workshops
to achieve this type of extremely precise
inscription. Here we have
a Qur'anic inscription. ♪♪ And here exactly in this area
is the imprint of a finger, probably of the ceramist
who created this decoration. Maybe when he put it
in the oven, he imprinted the mark
of his finger. It's a little accident
during the production, which leaves us
a very touching trace from the artist
who created that work. Narrator: Kashan's
pottery industry somehow survived
the Mongol invasion of the 13th century. But traces are all that remain
of medieval Nishapur, which was destroyed along with other Iranian cultural centers. Genghis Khan placed
all of Eurasia under Mongol rule. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: So, here we have
a representation of Iranian society just before
the arrival of the Mongols. Narrator: This stucco portrait, a fragment
from a life-sized sculpture, decorated an Iranian palace
near the city of Rayy before it was razed
by Mongol armies. [ Lintz speaks French ] Interpreter: I think
it is interesting when we talk about Islamic art, we think it is a religious art and that the Qur'an
forbids human representation. Narrator: In truth,
figures are only forbidden in religious art
and architecture. [ Lintz speaks French ] Interpreter: The human figure is
quite present everywhere and all the time in Islamic art. Narrator: In time,
Khan's successors, the Ilkhans, or lesser Khans, created a new world order and placed themselves
at the very center. This painting
of Jonah and the Whale is based on the
"Compendium of Chronicles," written by Rashid-al-din, a Jewish official
in the Ilkhanate court. It is considered
the first attempt at a true world history. Part of the motivations
were in order to actually put
the new conquerors of Iran into the story of Iran. So, they were kind of
writing themselves into world history. Narrator: Jonah and the angel
are shown with Mongol features, and the angel is dressed
in traditional Mongol clothing. Ultimately, key Mongol rulers
accepted the Muslim faith. This is one of the largest
Qur'ans ever made. Narrator: Each line of script
is over 3 feet long, and each page was originally
over 7 feet tall. It was made for
the brutal conqueror of Central Asia, Tamerlane, who saw himself
as the rightful successor to Genghis Khan, as well as the "Sword of Islam." The calligrapher who copied
these lines, Umar Aqta, actually was
a master calligrapher who first came to Tamerlane
and presented to him the tiniest Qur'an
you could imagine -- tiny, tiny writing. Well, he presented
this virtuoso Qur'an to his patron, to Tamerlane, who was not impressed at all. So, this could be really
a big problem in those days. If Tamerlane wasn't
pleased with you, that could mean
the end of your career, the end of your life,
and many bad things. So Umar Aqta decided that
he would do the opposite, and he would make
the biggest Qur'an ever made. It had to be brought
to the palace on a cart because it was
so big and so heavy. When he presented it
to Tamerlane, the Sultan was very happy. ♪♪ Narrator: In the thousand years since Muhammad received
his first revelations, the Islamic world had
grown, divided, conquered, and finally settled
into three empires -- the Ottomans in Turkey, the Mughals in India, the Safavids in Iran. The Safavid capital, Isfahan, was a dazzling modern city. Much of it was newly built
in the 17th century, although it was a very old city, and this tile panel
has a typical scene of what would have
gone on there. The tile panel depicts a woman in a rather provocative pose handing a glass of wine to a European suitor. Now, whether this woman
was a proper lady or not a proper lady is up for discussion. But the basic idea is
that La Dolce Vita was alive and well in Isfahan in the 17th century. Narrator: At The Louvre, a similar panel shows
a young prince and his poetry teacher engaged in a poetic joust. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: The prince, who
is educated in the art of war, is also educated to write
in calligraphy, to compose,
first of all, poetry, and then to recite his work
to his poetry master. Narrator: In Persia,
poetry and literature were centuries-old traditions that eventually gave rise
to a new genre of painting -- the art of the illustrated book. Under the Safavids,
so in Iran in the 16th and 17th century, the art of the illustrated book achieved new heights. Narrator: These folios
are from the most famous illustrated manuscript
of the 16th century in Iran -- the Shahnameh,
or "Book of Kings," made for the Safavid Shah
Tahmasp. Canby: It is luxurious
in every way. The absolute peak of perfection in Persian painting. Narrator: Real gold and silver
were used in the paintings, and other colors were made
from grinding up gems and turning them into paint. Canby: There are many,
many battle scenes. There are love scenes. There are encounters
with witches, demons, dragons, all kinds of wonderful monsters,
actually. Haidar: It had over
250 illustrated pages, and one of the opening folios
is this one, which shows
the invention of fire. Narrator: The paintings are
based on the epic poem by the Persian poet Ferdowsi, written over 500 years earlier, around the year 1000. 50,000 rhyming couplets
tell the tales of the ancient kings of Persia, from mythical beginnings until Persia was conquered
by the Arabs in the 7th century. Some say Ferdowsi was
driven by nostalgia for Persia's lost
cultural identity. Haidar: This manuscript
represents a high point of painting in Iran. It idealized the world to the point where
terrible battles and dramatic events turned into a kind of vision
of loveliness, almost. And this kind of painting
deeply influenced the Ottomans and the Indians
on both sides of Persia. Narrator: In southern India, the kingdom of Bijapur
closely identified with Safavid Iran. This painting shows
an imaginary gathering of Bijapur's past
and present rulers seated on an exquisite Persian carpet. And then you have
great sweeping mountains, these pink mountains
in the background with trees and vistas. The central figure
sitting enthroned in the middle of the painting with one foot resting
on the globe is the founder of the dynasty,
Yusuf. And all around him
on that fabulous carpet are his descendants. In fact, this covers
a period of 200 years. But it also gives you a sense
of how grand their vision of themselves was. Narrator: In reality,
Bijapur would soon fall to the relentless aggressions of the Mughal Empire
to the north. Magnificent bejeweled daggers,
like these, were part of the Mughals'
courtly costume, symbols of their military might and limitless wealth. Haidar: They ushered in,
possibly, one of the most opulent eras of world art ever. Ruler after ruler
brought new facets to the idea of opulence, of creativity,
of accomplishment. Narrator: One of the most famous
Mughal rulers is Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal. This is his portrait. ♪♪ Haidar: He's in a very
regal position. He is straight-backed
on a horse. He is haloed. He has all these
martial attributes. He also has opulent patterning,
opulent daggers, opulent textiles all around him
to signify his great taste and the great opulent court
from which he comes, and the opulence
for which he stands, because he, of course,
is the builder of the world's
most opulent building. ♪♪ Narrator: The ivory white
Taj Mahal is made of marble, inlaid with precious
and semi-precious stones, a perfect harmony of arches,
domes, and minarets. In the central chamber lie the graves of Shah Jahan
and his queen. The surrounding jali screens filter soft light, bathing them in a play
of shadows and patterns. Haidar: "Jali" means
sort of a pierced screen. And to manipulate hard stone
into lacy, porous filigree is an incredible
technical achievement of the great stone-cutting
traditions of India, which, of course, go back before
the Muslim period, as well. Narrator: This jali is designed
as a pattern within a pattern. The main part of the jali consists of two
overlapping trellises, one which is made
of bolder lines and that is octagon-based. And then within that
on a kind of inner level, which is actually inside
the bigger trellis, is a smaller pattern,
a star-based pattern. And at the heart of every star, you find a small
meander pattern -- this little element here. This and that. This together is a meander. So it takes a lot
of figuring out. And then, of course,
you execute it. ♪♪ Narrator: Islamic Art
would reach a zenith during the final empire of Islam as the Ottomans
drew creative inspiration from throughout
their expansive realm. ♪♪ Narrator: This is the official
insignia, or "tughra" of Suleiman the Magnificent, the greatest ruler
of the Ottomans, Islam's final empire. Ribbons of ink reveal
the Sultan's name and title, amid watercolor fields
of flowers and real gold. In the 16th century,
under Suleiman's rule, the Ottoman state
became a multinational, multilingual superpower. Haidar: The Ottoman empire
was a huge empire, and huge parts of the world
were brought together not just by military conquest,
political ties, all the routine ways in which
an empire is held together, but also through the language
of artistic expression. And you found this great
unified artistic style that spread across
the Mediterranean that is distinctively
and uniquely Ottoman. Narrator: Royal workshops produced luxury items
for the court while commercial factories
in provincial centers turned out products for patrons
of all types. The city of Ushak was,
and still is, known for the production
of carpets. Ushak carpets are
particularly famous for this great medallion style
that you see. You see that the central
medallion is complete, but on the edges,
each of the medallions has actually been
cut off in half. And there's a reason for that. You create the illusion of infinite repetition. And the idea of infinity
really alludes to the divine. And so there's a very high ideal
woven into the fabric, in one sense, of these carpets. Narrator: The factories in Iznik
produced refined ceramics with splendid designs,
like this plate with a peacock surrounded by feather-like
saz leaves. ♪♪ [ Speaks French ] Interpreter:
"Saz" is a Turkish word that has a meaning close
to "enchanted forest," so we're really in the world
of magic, of the imagination,
with a peacock who is flying and walking
in a forest of large serrated leaves,
slightly elongated, a little swirling,
which gives a swirling pattern to the entire surface
of the plate. Narrator: Saz leaves surround
a dragon in this dynamic drawing by the celebrated artist
Shah Quli. Haidar: Now, he was
obviously trained in the art of calligraphy, because if you look
at the way the line goes on the back of the dragon,
it's thick and thin. It moves like
a calligraphic pen. But the dragon has real life.
He has great teeth. He has real vigor
in the way he moves. And all around him are these
delightful leaves. Narrator: Saz leaves are
found on colorful Iznik tiles, like these,
which still today enliven the walls
of mosques and palaces throughout Istanbul. Iznik potters also catered
to the pilgrimage trade, creating souvenir tiles
of holy sites for travelers to set into
their walls back home. This tile shows the Kaaba, that holds the black stone, in the Holy City of Mecca. A similar tile shows
the Holy City of Medina, not a required stop
for pilgrims, but a part of
the Muslim way of life. Canby: One way for people
to understand how people lived is to actually look at a room
where they did live. Narrator: This is
an actual room, from an 18th-century
nobleman's home in Damascus, Syria, a prosperous commercial center and a main gathering place for the hajj caravans to Mecca. Haidar: The Damascus Room
is one of the great, beloved treasures
of our collection. It took us almost eight years
to put this room together. Narrator: In those eight years,
The Metropolitan did extensive research
and conservation on the smallest of details to the massive ceiling
installed 20 feet above. Haidar: The room has
tulip designs, for example, that are very much from a period
in Ottoman history, when there was a great
tulip rage going on. So you have these sort of
delightful tulips all over. And then you also have a strong
imprint of Mamluk design where you had very powerful
geometric forms and banding of a certain type and medallion-based decoration. And you see that in the ceiling. You see that in some of
the wall panels, as well. Canby: There is Arabic poetry around the cornice and the poetry
praises the house, praises the owner of the house, and praises
the Prophet Muhammad. In the meantime,
some of the imagery on the panels on the walls is really borrowed
from European sources. Narrator: The Damascus Room reflects a cosmopolitan
climate firmly rooted in tradition. The Ottomans were enduring,
but not eternal. After World War I, their empire was divided up
by the Allies. A new term emerged --
the Middle East. Syria became a French mandate. In 1929, a team of French experts
working with local artisans to restore
the Great Mosque of Damascus made an important
artistic discovery. [ Speaks French ] Interpreter: Among the treasures
of the Department of Islamic Art at the Louvre is a set
of nine mosaic reproductions from the
Great Mosque of Damascus. Narrator: The long-lost mosaics dated to the original
construction of the mosque in the 8th century. For a thousand years, the mosaics were celebrated throughout the known world until they were completely
covered with plaster in Ottoman times. This not only hid them, but preserved
their original colors. Photography in those days
was black and white, so the team set out to make
paper reproductions in color. ♪♪ [ Juvin speaks French ] Interpreter: And here we have
a photograph that shows the artists executing
these reproductions on small pieces of paper that were then
assembled together. And, if we come closer,
we can see that each tessera tile of this mosaic
was made one-to-one, so this is
a beautiful reproduction. Narrator: Rediscovery
and discovery of a shared cultural heritage inspire the scholars
who research, conserve, and curate Islamic art
at The Louvre, The Metropolitan, and other great museums. [ Lintz speaks French ] Interpreter: I am deeply
convinced that personal growth comes from understanding
of others. I choose to gain that insight
through art because art is what
brings us closer to the depths of
a civilization's personality. ♪♪ Canby: I believe -- I really believe now
that these galleries are the antidote to Islamophobia. And even people who are
set against the ideas behind these things cannot avoid being taken in, pulled in, by the beauty of the objects. Narrator: Art, whether it was
made centuries ago or yesterday, can be a catalyst
for cultural understanding. [ Martinez speaks French ] Interpreter: So, yes,
this responsibility is enormous but it is also
a wonderful opportunity, almost like a utopia
to change the world. Museums can change the world. Haidar: I know that's
asking for a lot, but, in fact, I believe
it's very simple, because you just have
to take that first step on the path of something
that's beautiful and positive and you find yourself
going that direction without too much difficulty. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪
