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Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
posted by
Pat_B
on May 29, 2007 at 7:18 AM
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Thank you Taps
I'm glad you enjoyed this. Spain is a fascinating place, i went to Barcelona when i was still studying engineering, i fell in love with the architecture and the culture as whole, but i dream of going back to andalusia now that i have a better appreciation of what they have there.
posted by
lindo
on May 24, 2007 at 4:12 PM
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Scriber:
that type of artistic work can hardly be duplicted today because i have a kid that won't let me out of his sight for 10 minutes
. But you are right about this work needing a lot of time and not in small increments because in calligraphy any break (even to go to the loo) would lead to a change in the density of the writing. I was forced to finish each block of writing before i could stop for a breather and that is why i find it hard to emulate my older works at my present sitaution.
posted by
lindo
on May 24, 2007 at 4:09 PM
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offy
i am flattered that you think my post educational, the truth is I am not qualified to educate anyone on anything, I merely share impressions and recollections.
I agree with you on Petra, it is a magical place that is worth visiting indeed but Jordan is not safe not just for Americans but to practically everyone. In my post "painful past" i mentioned that Mustapha Alaqaad the renowned Syrian director was killed by a suicide bombing in Amman Jordan along with his daughter while they were attending a wedding.
Babylon is also offlimits, but there is another problem here, two in fact: the first is that since Babylon was built with mud brick it has almost but vanished, unlike Egyptian monuments that were made of stone and have survived the elements. The second problem is that many historic buildings in Iraq were damaged by the American aerial bombing prior to the fall of Baghdad including the iconic spiral minaret of Samerra.
Your best bet to see ancient Babylonian architecture is to visit the Berlin, where they have transported the gate of Ishtar with it glazed brick facade decorated with winged lions and other amazing motifs. All your best in your quest to see and learn more about this world. God bless you.
posted by
lindo
on May 24, 2007 at 4:03 PM
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lindo
Fantastic--the post, the artwork, the comments are all just fascinating. That part of Spain is just wonderful to see and experience.
posted by
TAPS.
on May 24, 2007 at 9:56 AM
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that type of artistic work can hardly be duplicted today when speed is
the key in building and in a sense, art.
posted by
scriber
on May 24, 2007 at 3:48 AM
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lindo
Very pretty..I am trying to picture your sunset in Libya. There are many exotic places I still wish to see although I have been blessed to have already visited many in the world. On place that is high on my list is the lost city of Petra. Since the 1980's I have tried to learn everything about the place outside of Hollywood. Unfortunately for we Americans the destination is currently not recommended travel. The down side of all the turmoil in this world that people who really have an appreciation for other cultures and history are limited in where we can go. Alas maybe someday, I just hope it is in my days. What a wonderful journey it would be. For now I am content to explore our own history (although only 300 hundred years) but I feed on historic places. Another site I would love to visit is Babylon..the hanging gardens..Having already traveled through out Europe the urge to take the earlier civilizations and explore is increasing attractive. Your picture is quite lovely and please continue to educate us on such places you have traveled. Sally
posted by
Offy
on May 24, 2007 at 3:02 AM
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Riri
thank you
posted by
lindo
on May 24, 2007 at 1:27 AM
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I missed you Proc
take care and blog soon.
posted by
lindo
on May 24, 2007 at 1:27 AM
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Bhaskar
You've described it better than i did
. I guess it makes YOU the true artist
. But then again i was really young when i went to Andalusia, now when i look at pictures of it, it feels like a dream where only the sensation of having been there remains, nothing else.
posted by
lindo
on May 24, 2007 at 1:16 AM
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bandanafish.
If i had only been to one REALLY exotic place, they all seem to be a variation of the same culture in some way, even the European destinations feel too familiar. I am beginning to think that nothing will feel exotic enough for me!
posted by
lindo
on May 24, 2007 at 1:12 AM
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This is beautiful.
It's wonderful how you've been to so many "exotic" (from the western perspective) places, and experienced all these amazing things.
posted by
bandanafish
on May 23, 2007 at 9:37 PM
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i lindo, I was reading your answer to Nauticos.
Arabic inscriptions, unsurpassed for their exquisite details, its veil- like transparency of filigree work on the walls and ceilings, that allow air and the sun to be freely admitted, as in the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur (where I live) are all fantastic Mughal architectural works. Thus I can picture the things that you so exquisitely can put in words too. A true artist that you are, lindo.
posted by
Bhaskar.ing
on May 23, 2007 at 8:32 PM
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hi lindo,just delivering flowers till I can blog properly again.
posted by
proc
on May 23, 2007 at 5:52 PM
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Troosha
Yes it is. it was part of my graduation project, i never managed to produce anything decent since, it is as if i am a totally different person now.
posted by
lindo
on May 23, 2007 at 3:10 PM
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Lindo
How beautiful. Is this one of your pieces?
posted by
Troosha
on May 23, 2007 at 2:44 PM
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posted by
riri0322
on May 23, 2007 at 2:14 PM
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Sorry to disagree Naut,
The first verse that was revealed to muhammad was from Surat Alalaq and it was :"READ". and it set the tone for the 9 centuries to come, it wasn't until the Ottoman takeover of the Muslim territories that learning was discouraged in favor of the state's take on the religion. Arabs ( and by those we mean the ones that were living in The Arabian Peninsula) had no use for science and arts before Islam, for them poetry was their one and only creative outlet. Islam is fundamental to the cultural leap in at least two ways: its refrain from portraying the human form has lead to developing decorative forms to stand on their own, calligraphy developed into intricate designs that decorated everything from buildings to tapestries and glassware. It served as inscriptions of mottos and verses of the Koran as well as aesthetically pleasing designs. Islamic architecture blossomed to meet the rituals and teachings of Islam as well as embodying and demonstarting the philosophy of the faith.
the other point was that most of the leading scientists of the Islamic periods were very knowledgable in terms of Islamic teachings and they found that science showed them God's greatness and that he was the one and only creator of the universe, fields like astronomy (the heavenly bodies and astronomical and meteorological phenomena are mentioned a lot in the Koran), medicine, geography,chemistry, and philosophy were very popular for their practical applications as well as broadening the mind.
A final point, the Koran praises in many verse Al'olamaa (those who know), the name was assumed by the Muslim "clergy" but i believe that it means anyone who seeks knowledge. A belief that is supported by the Islamic culture's contributions to humanity. In Hadith (the sayings of Muhammad) he says "Seek knowledge even if it was in China", "If a person dies while seeking knowledge then he has died God's service", and " a person is asked on Judgement day about his life:how he had lived it, his knowledge: how he had used it, his money: how he earned it and how he had spent it, and his body: in what did he exhaust it." among many others.
posted by
lindo
on May 23, 2007 at 1:03 PM
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lindo
The 'Moorish' i.e. Arabic architecture in Spain is breathtakingly beautiful, and represents one of the finest examples of Arabic culture in Europe!
Let me now make a hugely oversimplified statement, based on the very limited knowledge of Islam I have only recently acquired, and my reading of the Koran: the expansion of Arabic power up until the 15th century was the result of Islam, the flowering of Arabic culture occurred in spite of it. Islam is not a religion that is inherently friendly to the arts and to learning!
posted by
Nautikos
on May 23, 2007 at 6:30 AM
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