![]() ![]() For a summary of the mihrab’s history, see Carboni and Masuya 1993, p. ![]() Now displayed as a splendid example of religious architectural decoration of Iranian Islamic art, the mihrab of the Madrasa Imami is one of the most significant and noteworthy works in the Museum’s collection. The Metropolitan eventually purchased it in 1939. Shipped to Philadelphia and stored in the University Museum there, it also spent some time in London, where it was shown at a legendary exhibition of Persian art at Burlington House in 1931. The mihrab was removed from the Madrasa Imami in the late 1920s, after skillful local potters had provided extensive (and almost undetectable) restoration in the area below the central inscription. ![]() This prayer nich underwent a series of restorations and relocations before it was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum. The most legible words are inside the rectangular cartouche at the center of the niche: ocher-yellow inscriptions in kufic script mentioning the prophet are followed by a clear, larger, cursive white reference to the function of the mosque. Inscriptional bands reflect the careful planning of the decorative program: the outer frame bears a Qur’anic inscription in white muhaqqaq script, in which words and letters progress in two superimposed lines from the bottom right to the bottom left (Qur’an 9:18–22), while an inscription in kufic script containing sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (hadith) frames the pointed arch of the niche and is set in blue against a white background, rhythmically punctuated by continuous vertical letter endings. The decorative achievement, combined with the challenge of creating a three-dimensional work that includes a deep, rounded niche with pointed vault, makes this one of the earliest and finest examples of mosaic tilework to survive. Created predominantly with tiles of contrasting dark blue and milky white glazes, the mihrab has additional turquoise, ocher-yellow, and dark green colors that enrich the complex geometric, vegetal, and calligraphic patterns. It was produced by joining together a myriad of cut-to-size glazed tiles to produce the intricate arabesque and calligraphic designs. The qibla wall, which is now whitewashed, was originally graced with this monumental and impressive mihrab. The madrasa was built shortly after the collapse of the Ilkhanid dynasty, when rival Injuids and Muzaffarid leaders competed for control over Isfahan. ![]() An inscription in the courtyard of this former school, now known as Madrasa Imami, is dated to the year A.H. Mihrab (Prayer Niche) This prayer niche, or mihrab, was originally an architectural element in a theological school (madrasa) in the city of Isfahan. To experts illuminate this artwork's story Along the frame, a reference to the five pillars of Islam is written in kufic: "He, blessings and peace be upon him, said: “Islam is built on five attestations: there is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God, he established prayer and the giving of alms and the pilgrimage and fasting of Ramadan." View more Listen The result is one of the earliest and finest surviving examples of mosaic tile work. Qur'anic verses run from the bottom right to the bottom left of the outer frame a second inscription with sayings of the Prophet, in Kufic script, borders the pointed arch of the niche and a third inscription, in cursive, is set in a frame at the center of the niche. This example from the Madrasa Imami in Isfahan is composed of a mosaic of small glazed tiles fitted together to form various patterns and inscriptions. The most important element in any mosque is the mihrab, the niche that indicates the direction of Mecca, the Muslim holy pilgrimage site in Arabia, which Muslims face when praying. ![]()
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