The fusion of Muhammadan doctrine with this Aryan (Persian) culture of old,[8] is an important event in the history of Art. For out of this fusion came forth into being a new phase of artistic expression completely different, in form and spirit, from its predecessors. Probably of equal importance is the fact that, although practised by divers races and subjected to many developments, fluctuations and variations, it has retained throughout the centuries its identical characteristics. What was the vital force that brought about this cultural evolution and unification? The answer appears to be Religion, as we shall see.
The foundation of the Muhammadan Empire was Religion. It was to the Holy Standard that the nations bent
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"Lips sweet as sugar on my pen bestow, And from my book let streams of odour flow." —J'Ami. |
ILLUSTRATED AND ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT
The complete volume of "Yusuf-ou-Zalikha", the popular poem by the famous mystic poet J'Ami, based on the Biblical story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. The scribe, Mir Ali Sultani.
The colophon reads:
"Terminated by the sinner, humble Mir Ali Sultani the penman, may God forgive his sins and shelter his faults. Terminated in the month of Moharram al Haram in the year A.H. 944 (in letters) (A.D. 1537) in the glorious city of Bukhara."
The Dedication in the handwriting of the scribe, in ornate gold lettering, reads: