Damascus (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
Visiting the shrine of Sheikh Ahmed el-Tijani in Fez (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
I got to understand that Islam makes a clear link with light even when that link is far from apparent. Islam is also very much about the light of knowledge that fights the ignorance of darkness.
— Sabiha Al Khemir (curator)
A new exhibit, “Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World,” looks at the use of light in Islamic art, philosophy, mysticism, and science. This exhibit at the Fundación Focus-Abengoa, a cultural center in Spain, will run until February 9th.
Of most interest to me is the sacred geometry of a ceiling section from the Sufi shrine of Sidi Ahmed Tijani in the Moroccan city of Fez (where I spent Eid just a few weeks ago) that features a sixteen-pointed star at the center of each panel. As you can see in the picture to the left, even the entrance to his shrine is decorated with ornate carvings and colors…
We’re seeing every day the horror of the war in Syria, so it feels right to show also how much light the Islamic world can bring.
— Sabiha Al Khemir
