Islamic Art
Autumn 2016
Islamic sources abound in anecdotes concerning ac- tivities such as the interpretation of omens in relation to specific events, the recourse to astrological or geo- mantic consultations to support major decisions and the use of talismanic devices in battle and other criti- cal circumstances. Bibliomancy, a divinatory practice performed by randomly opening books, for instance, is attested since the beginning of Islam. According to the Egyptian historian al-Damiri, the Umayyad caliph al-Walid II (r. 742-744) went as far as ripping a page of the Qur’an when the forecast invoked through its ca- sual opening disappointed his expectations. The con- struction of Baghdad, intended as the new capital of the ‘Abbasid empire by its founder, the caliph al-Mansur (r. 754-775), was begun in 758 at a time determined by a team of astrologers that included a Jew and a Zoroas- trian. A geomancer, Remmal Haydar, trained the Shah of Iran Tahmasp Safavi (r. 1524-1576) for over six years in the arts of geomancy (intepretation of marks traced on soil) and oneiromancy (interpretation of dreams), activities which appear to have occupied the Persian ruler more than state affairs in his final years, as the Ve- netian ambassador to Iran Vincenzo degli Alessandri complained in his account. The same diviner eventual- ly became one of the most trusted advisors of the Otto- man Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520-1566), known to have received a talismanic shirt capable of ‘turning aside bullets’ from his chief consort Hürrem Sultan (figure 1).
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If the written sources weren’t enough to show how widespread divinatory and talismanic practices in fact were, a plethora of daily objects, instruments, tools and luxury items produced by Muslims and for Mus- lims from Morocco to China confirm the impact these had on people’s lives across all levels of society. One of the finest and most extraordinary surviving examples is the horoscope of Prince Iskandar ibn ‘Umar Shaykh (1384-1415), the grandson of the Turco-Mongol ruler Timur (Tamerlane) (figure 2). Compiled by the court astrologer Mahmud ibn Yahya ibn al-Hasan al-Kashi in 813 AH /1411, that is, when the prince was already 27, the prediction is in fact based on the observations taken at his birth. What was the reason for such a de- lay, one may ask? Was there no interest in producing a
Figure 2. The nativity book of Iskandar ibn ‘Umar Shaykh. Shiraz (Iran), 22 dhu’l-hijja 813 AH / 18 april 1411, ink, colours, and gold on paper. Wellcome Library, London (Ms. Persian 474, fols 18b–19a) © Wellcome Library, London
Figure 3. Magico-medicinal bowl, Syria 565 AH / 1169, copper alloy, cast and incised. Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London © Nour Foundation, Courtesy of the Khalili Family Trust
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