Articles
CONTENT | Issue 2
- 1. The word of Editor-in-chief
ISLAMIC ARTS MAGAZINE 02 - 2. View more
SHORT REVIEW OF SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ISLAMIC ARTS - 3. City with rich Islamic tradition
SARAJEVO - 4. Interview: Elvis Hajdarevic
WHILE I WORK, I FEEL FREE, AS A CHILD WHO JUST RESEARCHES - 5. Qur’anic manuscripts
QUR’AN FROM MEHMED KOSKI-PASHA MOSQUE IN MOSTAR - 6. Museum of Islamic Art in Doha (Qatar)
A NEW AWAKING OF THE ARABIC SPIRIT - 7. Interview: Vaseem Mohammed
‘FAMILIAR AND UNFAMILIAR TERRITORIES’ - 8. Book review
THE IMPERIAL CITIES OF MAROCCO - 9. Book review
THE ORIENT IN A MIRROR - 10. World’s famous mosques
SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE - 11. Interview: Julien Breton
FROM CLASSICAL TO LIGHT AND VIRTUAL CALLIGRAPHY - 12. Esse Quam Videri Project
MUSLIM SELFPORTRAIT - 13. City with a rich Islamic tradition
WHO SEES ESFAHAN AS IF HE SAW A HALF OF THE WORLD - 14. The Mosque in Slovenia
MOSQUE IN LOG UNDER MANGART - 15. Art therapy
THE THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES
City with a rich Islamic tradition
WHO SEES ESFAHAN AS IF HE SAW A HALF OF THE WORLD
One of the truly historic cultural centres of the Islamic world is the city of Isfahan in Iran. Its building peak reaches in 17th century under the rule of Safavid dynasty and Shah Abas the Great. Today, this city is the unavoidable destination for all who wish to get to know directly the greatest achievements of Islamic art.
Even before the first coming to Iran, one has to be fascinated with the country, if not for other reason, then for the well-known fact that in that region for the last 5000 years, many cultures of the ancient East blossomed. It is enough to get reminded of the ancient Persian empire, the winning dynasty Ahemenids and their grand city centres Suza and Persopolis, which though in ruins, still capture with its beauty, guiding the thoughts to those times when they were the inviolable centres of the kingly power.In Iran of today, some other cities come in the first plan; we could say a new cultural and political centre. Whoever comes from a small place and in his life did not travel a lot; the meeting with mega polis such as Tehran can represent a bit traumatic experience. The first that you face is the fact that almost 15 millions inhabitants lives in it. It is the city that the glance from the neighbouring mountains cannot reach and in which as a guest you feel like an ant that got lost in someone’s alien anthill. However, historically looking, Teheran is neither cultural nor religious centre of Iran, since the first place have the cities like Esfahan and Qom. However, it is at present, the main spot of geo-political world of that part of Asia. Indeed, in Tehran some cultural locations can be found, that need to be visited, like museum of archeology, museum of carpets, museum of contemporary art or the previous residences of the dethroned Shah Reza Pahlavi. This complex is made of several architectural pavilions whose interior and exterior are made in the manner of European classic styles, reflecting the same decadency as the residence of Dolma Bahce in Istanbul. Same as in Dolma Bahce where we can’t feel the true Islamic spirit of Turkey; neither can Pahlavi residence have the feeling of authentic Islamic Iran.
The rest of the article you can read in the magazine.