São Paulo – A Muslim architecture-style prop gate and an original Arab fountain, built in Syria, welcome visitors at the entrance to the "Islã: Arte e Civilização" (Islam: Art and Civilization) exhibition. The event will continue until March 27th, 2011 at the Banco do Brasil Cultural Centre in São Paulo (CCBB/SP), is co-promoted by the Library and Research Centre of South American-Arab Countries (Bibliaspa) and counts on support of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
The exhibition, which takes up the venue from the basement all the way up to the third floor, features gold items, furniture, tapestry, clothing, weapons, armours, utensils, mosaics, ceramics, glass objects, paintings, calligraphy and scientific and musical instruments. "It is a collection that is seldom seen worldwide, and has never been seen in Brazil," says Paulo Farah, the chairman of Bibliaspa and curator of the exhibition.
The exhibition features over 380 items dating from the 8th to the 21st century and takes visitors on a tour of the history of Islamic culture. More than half the items were brought over from Syria. Also featured is a significant presence of Iran, Lebanon, with seminal artwork, Brazil and African countries, such as Mauritania, Morocco, Libya, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Mali.
On the passages from hall to hall, maps and a storyline recount the periods of territorial expansion of Islam, highlighting the most important events linked to Islamic territories. Next up are architectural plans of the major mosques, such as the Umayyad Mosque, in Damascus, the Dome of the Rock Mosque, in Jerusalem, and the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul, in 360 degree projections.
According to Farah, who shares the curatorship of the exhibition with Rodolfo de Athayde, among the highlights are the original fragments of the Al Hair Al Gharbi Palace, in Syria, including items that boast strong Greco-Latin influence and ceramics and glass objects on display behind glasses, such as enamelled blue ceramic oil lamps. In the back of the room is a piece of solid wood with inscriptions that was used as part of a barrier in the 11th century.
The trip inside Islam continues with the miniature of Shahnameh, a scale model, and carefully illustrated texts that tells stories from the 15th century, which once belonged to the Royal Library in Tehran, as well as a series of scientific objects such as an astrolabe from the Golestan Palace, in Tehran, and a spherical astrolabe from Isfahan, dating from the 11th century, which represents a celestial globe.
These items relate to a panel about knowledge in the Islamic world: the innovations of the House of Wisdom, established in Baghdad in the 9th century, the accomplishments of philosopher and doctor Avicena and the rescue of Aristotle by the Andalusian philosopher Averroes.
A safe holds the treasures of goldsmithing, including Syrian 11th century jewels, such as bird-shaped gold earrings, silver from the Tuareg people and an exclusive collection of ancient coins from various times.
The famous Persian rugs, an example of popular art raised to the height of sophistication which still remains intact in cities such as Tabriz and Isfahan, are shown alongside metalworks and a 12th century iron mesh armour that was worn at the time of the Crusades. A central glass display is dedicated to the typical blue ceramic, common across the entire Islamic world.
Visitors are also taken inside Azem Palace, the residence of the Pasha, who used to rule over Syria during the Ottoman period, the last of the great Muslim empires. Highlights include the armchairs and the chests made from mother of pearl, accompanied by items like handicraft, garments and musical instruments made by the Syrian Ahmad Al-Hariri.
On the third floor, the focus is on written words. A collection of manuscripts and books that show the art of Arab calligraphy in their complexity and riches. A page of the Koran dating back to the ninth century, made out of gazelle hide, shares the spotlight with gilded pages of the Koran dating back to the 17th century and a piece of fabric embroidered in gold, showing a Sura (a chapter in the Koran), originally from Iran in the 17th century.
"One of them brings a chapter of the Koran that is dedicated to Mary and shows the connection with the Christian and monotheistic religion," explained the curator. In the space, there is a basalt stone with text in Arabic, maybe one of the oldest witnesses to the presence of Arabic, dating back to the eighth century, African boards used for literacy training and teaching in general and objects used for sculpting and writing.
"The basalt stone is the first vestige of written Arabic without dots separating the letters," explained Farah. The curator also pointed out two manuscripts written by former Islamic slaves in Brazil. "Phrase ‘there is now strength or power but that in God’ was placed in a leather bag to be used as a mojo," he explained.
The exhibition may be visited from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. Groups may schedule visits guided by over 20 monitors. Visitors may opt for exploration of spaces alone or in the company of friends, as was the case with cinema producer Henriete Ramos, who was enchanted with the exhibition. "It is all beautiful. Calligraphy is part of the etching in miniatures, enamelled jars, wood carving," she says. "It is necessary to visit each floor of the exhibition in one day to be able to read all that is written and observe each detail," she recommends.
According to Farah, the partnership between Bibliaspa and the CCBB will also be taken to the South American Arab Culture Festival, to take place from March 18th to 31st, and should include talks on archaeology, the importance of Islam in Brazil, calligraphy and music.
Service
Islam: Art and Civilisation
CCBB
Address: Rua Álvares Penteado, 112
Centre, São Paulo
Telephone: (+55 11) 3113-3651
Admittance is free
The exhibition may be viewed from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum and Mark Ament