the launch of the Muslim hijiri calendar, the inauguration
of a new era and the flowering of a new art, one absent
the human figure. Calligraphy is perhaps the sine qua
non of Islamic art, in all its beauteous imbroglio and in
every possible rich material. Tombstones in the holy
cities of Mecca and Medina were carved with quotes
from the Quran; manuscripts of ink and gold on vellum
are astonishing in their opulence.
Roads to Arabia is many things, a tool for serious scholars,
and for everyday readers a window, both mysterious and
elucidating, on a world as new to us as it is ancient. H
Roads of Arabia
Exhibition companion tome
available from the
Smithsonian
Museum Store
Ladle
HYLAND