Review: The World History of Rashid al-Din, 1314:
A Masterpiece of Islamic Painting
5/5
So pervasive is Samuel Huntington’s notion of a ‘clash of civilisations’ between Islam and the West that I laughed out loud in amazed relief when I came across Private Eye’s ‘Caliphate Clash’ cartoon several weeks ago.
In its critique, Private Eye highlighted instead a ‘clash of ignorance’ , where popular perception and basic knowledge about Islam rarely goes beyond noting very specific ritual practice popularised by the 5-pillar definition even, sadly, amongst some Muslims themselves. This kind of religious illiteracy poses obvious dangers in its refusal to engage with art and culture and, indeed, everyday life. And so it was refreshing to see this kind of ignorance about Islam as a world faith and civilisation being addressed. A one-off cartoon addressing such misconceptions is one thing to be hopeful about, an entire exhibition of precious manuscripts, however, quite another to celebrate.
Marking the 700th anniversary since its production in Tabriz, Iran under the patronage of the Mongol Ilkhanids in 1314, the exhibition of Rashid al-Din’s Jami al-Tawarikh (‘World History’ or ‘Compendium of Chronicles’) offers a rare opportunity to enter into a conception of world history that encompassed not only the Mongols themselves, but also the Chinese, the Franks and the Indians.
Featuring 17 folios from the University of Edinburgh’s own library, and complemented by loans of objects from the National Museum of Scotland, the exhibition is divided into five sections, each accompanied by detailed commentary and individual picture captions: Images of War, The World of Islam, People of the Book, Images of Kings, and the Mongol Empire. A slideshow also helpfully provides time-lapse maps showing the rise and expansion of the Mongols.
People of the Book was for me the most fascinating section. A literal translation of ‘Ahl al-Kitab’ from Qur’an 3:113 (and other verses) referring to Jews, Christians and Sabians, the term invokes the shared heritage of Abrahamic communities of interpretation and has historically often been extended to any faith community possessing sacred scriptures. In so doing, the term provides a potent framework within which to think about not only our common humanity, but also the absolute necessity for fruitful engagement with diversity and difference. This section comprises images of the monotheistic prophets known to all of us through age-old stories — Moses (Musa) the infant floating down the River Nile, him again with Aaron (Harun) as Pharaoh’s army drowns in the Red Sea, Jonah (Yunus) and the ‘Whale’, and the great patriarch Abraham (Ibrahim) cast into the fire by Nimrod (Namrud), yet seemingly unharmed. Simple brushstrokes belie complex yet elegant details in the facial expressions, the wave patterns, and the depiction of movement in this and indeed the rest of the sections.
It is a considered, careful, and sensitive collection. No explicit mention is made, for example, of the patently false, but unfortunately oft-repeated, idea in popular culture that human representation is forbidden in Islam. The works simply speak for themselves — not only are there plenty of human figures being represented in the Jami’ al-Tawarikh, very many, as just described, are of venerated prophets and their literally iconic narratives.
The best part is that you can take a little piece of the exhibition home with you. Yes, there are (free!) postcards, but in a master stroke of thinking about continuing public engagement with the exhibition, there is also a gorgeous, full-colour glossy A3 pickup at the exit that reproduces each of the 17 folios in their miniature glory, replete with descriptive and eminently accessible captions. And if that weren’t enough exhibition goodness, the curators have also made available a full, digitised version of the library’s collection here.
Also associated with the exhibition are what promise to be two remarkable back-to-back lectures on 24 October: ‘Illustrating History: Rashid al-Din and his Compendium of Chronicles’, by Professor Sheila Blair and ‘Stories of the Prophets in the Edinburgh ‘World History’ of Rashid al-Din’ by Professor Robert Hillenbrand.
For a breathtaking glimpse of the power of patronage, the value of art, and the importance of history in a medieval Islamic context, this small but wonderful, wonderful exhibition provides salutary lessons in going some way towards addressing contemporary clashes of ignorance that remain, however unfortunately, forseeably salient.
The World History of Rashid al-Din, 1314: A Masterpiece of Islamic Painting runs from 2 Aug — 31 Oct 2014, Monday — Saturday 1000–1700 at the University of Edinburgh’s Main Library, 30 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LJ. Admission is free and open to the public. For further information and tickets to the associated lectures, please visit http://bit.ly/rashid-al-din-lectures. This review was first published here.
