Here we will post articles and featured media written by RSSA members and artists
The Kitab ash-Shifa of Qadi Iyad
by Mohamed Zakariya
One of the most popular and beloved books among Muslims. Like the Delail ul-Khayrat, it is one of the most copied works by scribes and calligraphers, the best copies of both being of Moroccan or Ottoman provenance. They are legendary.
Impressions of a Murakkaa
by Mohamed Zakariya
Many years ago, wandering through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I came across a little book displayed in a glass vitrine in the Islamic Art section. It seemed to be calling me. I knew it was a murakkaa – a small album containing examples of calligraphy, Islamic style. Time was short, and as the book was open, I could examine only two pages. I was struck by the unusual treatments of marbled paper – something different from the known styles of Turkish ebru. Great waves and swashes, colors deep and rich, many picked out in pecky little irregularities – the effect was rather like a squirrel burying nuts and marking the locations with his secret nut-GPS. I pinned my eyes on this micro-vista, memorizing it for later use.