Browse Items (30 total)

An illuminated manuscript of a prayer book; This prayer book holds significant historical and religious value, as it is believed to be referenced back to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. On the outside, the book is covered with gold-tooled brown leather.…

A map of the Islamic world; This map shows the conquests of the Islamic world up until 132 H / 750 CE. According to the legend, the map depicts the Islamic world until the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in 11 H / 632 CE. It also illustrates the…

Screenshot of al-Nuwayri's original encyclopedia; The screenshot was taken from the YouTube video "Elias Muhanna - Translating a Classical Arabic Encyclopedia." During the presentation, Elias Muhanna shows the audience an image of the vast volumes…

Map of Ottoman Empire; This map illustrates the territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Suleiman I, otherwise known as Suleiman the Magnificent. The Ottoman Empire, under his rule, emerged as a world power, extending its…

An illumination from the Baysunghur Manuscript; This leaf is a representation of Majnun, situated at the Kaaba in Mecca, surrounded by Persian text dating to the Timurid Dynasty. Founded in Shiraz, Iran, the anthology is believed to have been…

An illustration of a peacock-shaped hand washing device and Arabic prose; This leaf is from a Syrian copy of Ibn al-Razzāz al-Jazarī’s The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, which was written in 602 H or 1206 CE and is dated to 715 H…

An image of the tomb of Khadija Umm al-Ashraf; This is the tomb of Khadija Umm al-Ashraf, located in present-day Cairo, Egypt. The tomb was built in honor of Khadija Umm al-Ashraf and is believed to have been constructed during the Mamluk dynasty,…

An illustration of the coffin of Imam 'Ali; This folio from the "Book of Omens" of Ja'far al-Sadiq, an eminent Islamic jurist, scholar, and theologian, features an illustration of the coffin of Imam 'Ali. The illustration portrays a camel carrying…

On the other hand, it is worth noting that medieval Islamic societies were marked by a common theme of death and violence, specifically with the Crusades, plague, and Mongol attacks. In addition to the impact of these historical events, the…

Berkey's fourth and final section, "Medieval Islam," spanned from 390-905 H / 1000-1500 CE, and was the most recent era among all other periods. During this time, Islam was politically fragmented with no specific empires ruling for long periods.…