Islamic Epigraphy (3/3)

INSCRIPTIONS FROM BiH

The first significant examples of Bosnian Islamic epigraphy fashioned by local artisans are, however, to be found on the domed mosques of the early 16th century (the Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque, Ferhad Paşa Mosque, Ali Paşa Mosque, etc.), the era also witnessing the emergence of the first great Bosnian calligraphers and poets.

All monumental domed mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina display very well executed tarihs or inscriptions. These are carved mainly by local calligraphers and artists, as opposed to the mosques themselves that are mostly designed by Ottoman architects. It’s in the late 15th and early 16th centuries that the first local calligraphers and stonemasons of tarihs are recorded. The best examples of this early epigraphy are the tombstone epitaphs which date from this period when the Bosniaks had just started to accept Islam. The inscriptions show that, already from the beginning of Bosnian Islamic history, the Arabic language was adopted and preferred in the domain of religious epigraphy.

The tradition of artistic stone carving in Bosnia and Herzegovina obviously predates the arrival of Islam. The transition from Bosnian Church styles and motifs to Islamic ones, revealing that masonry had been deeply rooted in the local economy of medieval towns, can actually be charted. The earliest Islamic tombstones extant date from the 15th century and bear not only earlier symbolic motifs, but also ‘unusual’ sounding names undoubtedly testifying that those buried had converted from Christianity to Islam. With the arrival of Islam in Bosnia, artistic traditions continued but underwent a process of transformation.

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