The Mihrab at the MET
The Mihrab (Prayer Niche) at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art is a ceremonial space found in Mosques, it symbolizes where Muhammad threw his spear to face Mecca for prayer. This Specific one is from Iran and dates back from a Madrasa in Isfahan, Iran in 1354–55. Covered with a mix of blue, gold, green, and white mosaic tile, the blue tiles range in shades from an electric blue to a vibrant sky blue. The tiles used are called mosaic tiles, these are different from using different colored tiles with a solid color or so on the tile and placing them to create an image. No, these tiles already have designs painted on them, and they are arranged to flow together and make the design.
The inner actual niche part, is decorated by repetitive floral designs and the upper part of the niche has a different kind of organic design using the Meander, a frame technique and straight in the middle is Kufic inscription framed with a mini decorative band wrapped around it. On the arabesque arch of the niche is more Kufic inscription but the way it’s written also creates a pattern within the writing, which is hard to miss with its white background and dark letters but even tho it stands out, it complements the piece and ties in with everything. Not only is Kufic script inside and around the niche itself but it surrounds the whole Mihrab like a picture frame, with a dark blue tile background and white inscriptions.
Even though this Mihrab is a bit busy from the numerous designs going on since the color scheme keeps to blues as a base with different color accents it still has a rhythm to it. Also, the designer of this prayer niche created everything balanced and symmetrical, from where the never-ending floral designs stop and the aligned and straight borders begin. Even the Kufic script has an equal distance between each letter or phrase which makes it easy to comprehend if one were to understand Arabic. Yet, even for one who doesn’t understand it seems plainly written out and highly ornate. The good thing about it being so busy is that there’s always something to look at.
When one finishes looking at one design they move on to a new design that has a whole different feel to it, some new detail to discover such as little leaves and flowers on the upper face of the Mihrab. Even though the Islamic art style is aniconic art, which here mean no living figures in their art, it still feels lively and vibrant because of their organic, geometric, and colorful designs. The color scheme that the artist used ties it all together and makes it unified as one piece, if mixed with any other base color it would seem all over the place.
Since this Mihrab is for prayer and is a ceremonial piece it’s understandable that it would seem so ornamental, the decorative designs are to symbolize the beauty, majesty, and perfection of Allah. The Kufic borders represent that the words of the Quran, or the words of Allah and how his words are eternal, that he always has the last word in everything. According to The Metropolitan Museum (Met), the center inscription of the niche says “The Mosque is the Abode of the Pious”, these are the words of Muhammad from the Hadith and since these words are at the center it insinuates how valuable Muhammad’s words are to them.
That at the center of all the ornamental beauty stand the words of the prophet, the center of not solely prayer but of their religion. Even the vibrant colors of the Mihrab give off a regal yet calming feel to it, and the blues that are used are like ones that would be used to paint the sea, perhaps to project Allah’s vastness and majesty as the creator. This Mihrab is a good representation of the Islamic art, its themes and what it stands for, as it incorporates almost all their styles of art, and its beauty. It’s a cultural wonder to viewers who see it, to witness the beauty and precision that is incorporated.
