8/ The architecture adapts to its locale (heat, humidity, sun, weather, etc)
Conversation
9/ Islamic arts excel in geometry, because for most of its history it was forbidden to depict human likeliness, as that was reserved for Allah. So all their creativity went into geometric forms
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10/ You see this even in modern buildings like the Petronas Twin Towers, based on Islamic geometry
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11/ But most of all, Islamic arts have done amazing things with the written word. Far beyond anything we see in the West
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12/ It blurs the lines between illustration and communication, finding its way into the most unexpected places
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13/ There are 5 distinct styles of script, developed in different parts of the Islamic world. Masters of calligraphy were revered like the greatest artists, patronized by rulers and commissioned to do everything from archways to thrones
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14/ Language is sacred in Islam in a way not found in other religions. Therefore writing is sacred, words are sacred, even individual letters, such as this one depicting
“huwa,” or “he” meaning Allah
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15/ Islamic design is also just plain beautiful that we’ve almost forgotten is possible in our quest to outdo each others’ minimalism
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16/ I’m really interested to see where modern Islamic design goes. Here’s some neat examples. The second one shows the Blessed 99 Names of Allah in geometric form
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17/ Through most of history Islam was the great intellectual culture of the world. I think it would be a beautiful symmetry if they could be again, reminding the West of the value of tradition and the sacred
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Replying to
Dude come on. This is a pretty cartoonish cultural history of Islam from which you’re drawing pretty cartoonish lessons for the west. The real story is way messier.

