Musto Observatory

This session explores textual artifacts that have originated or been adapted for use in one or more of the cultural traditions of Islam. The interplay between cultures, including relationships between different Islamic cultures or between Islamic and other cultures, will be a particular focus. The geographical range of our session’s presentations extends from China to Venice; the time frame focuses on the late medieval through early modern periods. A variety of media are considered, including pre-Ottoman funerary monuments (kümbets); the first Arabic printed book; banners inscribed with Qurʾānic “victory verses” (Rāyāt-e Naṣr-ʾĀyāt); and everyday objects. While attending to the specificity of local traditions, the session considers the significance of these textual artifacts in intercultural and historiographic perspective.