Artist: Unknown
Title: Mihrab (Prayer Niche)
Date/period: A.H. 755/ A.D. 1354-55
Cultural location: Iran
Current location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Surah 1. The Opening
1. In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
2. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;
3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
4. Master of the Day of Judgment.
5. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.
6. Show us the straight way,
7. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.
Author: Mohammed
Title: The Qur 'an
Date/period: AD 610
Cultural location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Tyra S. Holloway
FAS 201: Introduction to the Humanities
Southern New Hampshire University
November 28, 2021
The Beauty of the Aniconic: A Comparative Perspective of Islamic Art
The artworld is full of beautiful icons and symbolic images, but can beauty be found in
the absence of these things? For my final project, I have the privilege to compare two works of
Islamic art, one visual and the other literary, that share the common theme of beauty, but with a
twist. Both pieces are what is known as aniconic, which is defined as the opposition to the use of
icons or visual images to depict living creatures or religious figures (Encyclopedia Britannica,
2016). The visual work of art that I have selected is a Mihrab (Prayer Niche). Although the artist
is unknown, the Mihrab (Prayer Niche) was created between A.D. 1354-1355 in Iran and is one
of the earliest examples of mosaic tile artistry of the Madrasa Imami, a theological school in Iran
The literary artwork I have chosen to consider is the Surah 1 (The Opening) of the Qur'an. The
Qur'an is considered to be the finest work in Arabic literature and the Surah 1, or Surah Al
Fatiha, as it is called in Arabic, is its first sura or chapter. The Qur'an is believed to have been
orally revealed to the Prophet Mohammad beginning in 610 A.D while he was in the Cave of
Hira near Mecca in Saudi Arabia and later dictated to scribes. In comparing these pieces, I will
discover how they represent beauty with the absence of visual images, but also consider the
modern contemporary influence of beauty of Islamic art and culture.
To uncover the beauty of the Mihrab (Prayer Niche), one has to understand the history
and culture that created it. Since Islamic art is aniconic and forbidden by religious law to include
themes and images, the artists are able to create a unique style of art that is synonymous to
Islamic culture and religion. According to the authors of Art of the Islamic World: A Resource for
Educators, "the most important element in any mosque is the mihrab" (Ekhtiar et al. 46-47). The
mihrab is believed to be a prayer niche, niche being an opening in the wall of the mosque that
indicates the direction towards the holy city