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Summary: This Muslim history guide to Damascus covers Caliph Muawiyah I's tomb, the Prophet's Companion, early Islamic history, and Muslim heritage.

This article organizes key points from the original text about visiting the tomb of the scripture scribe and companion of the Prophet, Caliph Muawiyah I. It keeps the original paragraph and image order. It is for readers interested in Muslim life, Islamic culture, and Chinese Islamic writing. It also helps with searching for topics like Shia, Sunni, and Ramadan.

Bab al-Saghir Cemetery in the south of the old city of Damascus is a very ancient graveyard. It holds the graves of many companions of the Prophet, such as Bilal, as well as several children of Imam Ali and Imam Hussein. Near these graves is a tomb tightly enclosed by layers of iron railings. It is inscribed with the name Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, the first caliph of the Umayyad Dynasty. This is the burial place of a highly controversial caliph in religious history. He is both respected and hated, but he was a key figure who shaped early religious history: Muawiyah I.

During Ramadan in 2025, the Saudi MBC studio aired a series called Muawiyah. With a production cost of 100 million US dollars, it is the most expensive television series in Arab history. The show caused huge controversy and sparked massive discussion as soon as it aired. Iraq and Iran directly banned the series, and Al-Azhar University in Egypt issued a fatwa calling on people not to watch it.

In the Sunni narrative, Muawiyah's sister Ramla married the noble Prophet in 628. Muawiyah converted to the faith in 630. Because he was literate, the noble Prophet appointed him as a scribe, making him a scripture scribe. After Abu Bakr was elected caliph in 632, Muawiyah became a commander in the conquest of Syria. He followed Caliph Umar into Jerusalem in 637 and was later appointed governor of Damascus. He served as governor of Syria during the time of Caliph Uthman and organized the first naval battle in religious history. Sunnis believe he made a great contribution to the unity of the Caliphate and recognize his status as a companion of the Prophet and a scripture scribe.

In the Shia narrative, Muawiyah opposed the election of Ali as caliph, which triggered the first civil war in the faith. After Ali was assassinated, he forced Hasan to abdicate. Shia Muslims deny Muawiyah's status as a companion of the Prophet and a scripture scribe, and even consider him a disbeliever.

Muawiyah I died of illness in Damascus in 680 and was buried in the Bab al-Saghir cemetery. Several documents from the 9th and 10th centuries mention the tomb of Muawiyah I, including records that Ibn Tulun, a ruler of Egypt and Syria, built four porticos for the tomb in the 9th century. The current tomb of Muawiyah I was renovated in modern times. For a long time, this site was attacked by Shia visitors from places like Iran and Iraq, who damaged the fences and threw stones and shoes.













Next to the tomb of Muawiyah I is another tomb enclosed by iron railings, where the fifth Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik (reigned 685-705) and the sixth Caliph al-Walid I (reigned 705-715) are buried.

In his early years, Abd al-Malik lived a pious life in Medina and was a Tabi'un, meaning a follower of the Prophet's companions and one of the first generation born into the faith. In 683, the people of Medina opposed the rule of Muawiyah I's son, Yazid I, and expelled all Umayyads from the city, forcing Abd al-Malik to flee to Damascus. After the direct descendants of Muawiyah I passed away, Abd al-Malik, his distant cousin, was elected Caliph in 685. During his 20-year reign, Abd al-Malik constantly quelled internal divisions within the Umayyad Caliphate while resisting attacks from the Byzantine Empire. In the final years of his rule, the country was peaceful and his power was secure. His main achievements include introducing a unified currency to replace Byzantine and Sassanid coins, and replacing Greek and Persian with Arabic as the official language. He ordered the construction of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which is the oldest surviving Islamic building.

During the reign of Al-Walid I, the Arab Empire conquered Morocco, the Iberian Peninsula, the Sindh region of South Asia, and Transoxiana in Central Asia, reaching its largest territorial extent in history. He used the massive wealth from these conquests to build and expand many mosques, most the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. He also built the famous ancient city of Anjar in Lebanon and the Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek. He was the first caliph to implement a social welfare system, which earned him great respect among the poor and the disabled. Under his rule, the Umayyad Dynasty was prosperous and reached its peak.







Umayyad coins on display at the 'Forging Narratives: The Coinage Heritage of Saudi Arabia' special exhibition at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia.

First are the gold coins from the time of Caliph Muawiyah I. The front shows the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (reigned 610-641) and his two sons, Constantine III and Heraclonas, while the back features Latin text. Unlike Byzantine gold coins, the Umayyad gold coins lack crosses on the emperor's crown and scepter, and the cross on the steps on the back has only a vertical bar without a horizontal one.

Umayyad gold coins from this period reflect the early culture of the Umayyad Dynasty, which continued to inherit Byzantine culture. When Bedouin nomads from the Arabian Peninsula poured into the magnificent city of Damascus, they saw a rich and colorful Byzantine culture everywhere. Because of this, they continued to use Byzantine culture in areas outside of religion, such as music, art, and architecture, becoming the heirs to Byzantine culture.







In 693, Caliph Abd al-Malik minted gold dinars in Damascus, and in 696, he removed human figures, keeping only Arabic text. During the same period, Abd al-Malik also promoted the replacement of Greek with Arabic in Syria, eventually making Arabic the sole official language of the Umayyad Dynasty. From this point on, the Umayyad Caliphate stopped being just an inheritor of Byzantine and Sassanid cultures and turned into a true Arab civilization.









I visited Qasr Kharana in Jordan, which was built in 710 during the reign of Caliph al-Walid I.

The most special thing about Qasr Kharana is how it blends Byzantine and Sassanid architectural styles. The palace is built with plaster and rubble, and the second floor features barrel vaults supported by transverse arches, which is a typical Sassanid style, though it still differs from Sassanid buildings in Iran. The arches at Qasr Kharana do not connect to the load-bearing walls but rest on corbels, and they use new types of wooden lintels to make the building more flexible and earthquake-resistant.







Hammam al-Sarah in Jordan was built in the early 8th century during the reign of Caliph Abd al-Malik or al-Walid I.

The bathhouse was built using neatly cut, medium-sized stones and decorated with intricately carved fluted moldings. Inside the main hall, there is a beautifully designed fountain supplied with water from an elevated water tower on the east side. There is also a walled garden site nearby, which is known as the oldest Islamic garden site.







The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus was built under the direction of Caliph al-Walid I in 706. He kept the outer walls of the Roman mosque's inner sanctuary and moved the Corinthian columns and arcades from inside the mosque to the main hall, finishing the new mosque in 715 and making it a 'wonder of the world' in the writings of medieval Muslim scholars.

Before the Great Mosque of Damascus was built, traditional mosques were all flat-roofed halls. The Great Mosque of Damascus uses a basilica-style layout, featuring three wide, long halls and a central nave topped by a tall dome.









The Great Mosque of Damascus is world-famous for its rich Umayyad-era mosaic decorations. These mosaics show various natural landscapes and buildings in a late Roman style, following a classic naturalistic approach.

Some Arabic historical records suggest the craftsmen and materials for the mosaics came from the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, but a 2022 chemical analysis study showed that most of the mosaics were actually made in Egypt. Although these mosaic images show traces of Byzantine style, some scholars believe their craftsmanship is more consistent with mosaic techniques from Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.

The meaning of the mosaic images has been a subject of long-standing debate. Some believe they represent the known world at that time, others think they depict Damascus and the Barada River, and some argue they show scenes of Paradise. Currently, there is more evidence for the Paradise theory, as the landscapes without human figures fit the idea of an empty Paradise waiting for people to arrive after the Day of Resurrection.













The ancient city of Anjar in Lebanon was built by al-Abbas, the son of Caliph al-Walid I, between 714 and 715. This place has been an important route connecting Beirut and Damascus since ancient times, and it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.

It is believed that the ancient city of Anjar likely used many captives brought back by Prince al-Abbas from his campaigns against the Byzantine Empire as laborers, which is why the stone carvings have a strong Byzantine style. The entire ancient city is based on a Roman city plan, with a rectangular layout surrounded by thick walls, where two main roads intersect at four gates to divide the city into four sections. The main road is lined with columns and rows of shops that look like Roman tabernae, while a classic four-sided Roman gate known as a tetrapylon stands at the intersection. The city is divided into four functional areas: the southeast holds the grand palace and mosque, the northeast contains the small palace (harem) and bathhouse, and the northwest and southwest are residential zones.















The Umayyad Mosque in Baalbek, Lebanon, was also built by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I in 715, the same year as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. These two mosques stand together as the oldest surviving masjid buildings in the world.

Compared to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Baalbek Umayyad Mosque is simpler, but its overall style is very similar. Some stone parts inside the main hall may have been taken from the nearby Roman-era Baalbek Citadel, and the column capitals show a strong Roman-Byzantine style. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim history guide to Damascus follows Sufi sage Ibn Arabi, mosque-area travel, shrine history, and Islamic heritage from the original article.

This article summarizes the key points of visiting the Sufi sage Ibn Arabi in Damascus. It keeps the original paragraph and image order. It is for readers interested in Muslim life, Islamic culture, and Chinese Islamic writing. It also helps with searching for content on namaz, Hajj, and Ramadan.

Salihiyah, located at the foot of Mount Qasioun, is the most important historic district in Damascus outside the old city. Historic buildings from the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman dynasties stand along both sides of the Friday market (Jumu'ah market). Some look plain from the outside but are hundreds of years old.

After the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, many scholars, jurists, and civilians fled to Damascus for refuge. In 1156, the famous Hanbali scholar Ibn Qudamah moved from the West Bank to Damascus to escape the Crusaders and later settled in Salihiyah. He once admired this land and said, 'This is a place of barakah (blessing).'

Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, wanted to provide a safe and stable environment for the scholars and immigrants who fled from Jerusalem to Damascus. Because Ibn Qudamah's home at the foot of Mount Qasioun in the north of the city had become an academic center for the Hanbali school, Saladin decided to build the Salihiyah community at the foot of Mount Qasioun.

The most famous landmark in Salihiyah is the Shaikh Mohiddin Mosque (Masjid Shaikh Mohiddin), which houses the tomb of the famous Sufi sage Ibn Arabi.

Ibn Arabi was born in 1165 in what is now southern Spain, which was then called Al-Andalus. Starting at age 28, he traveled throughout the Middle East for many years, performed Hajj multiple times, and lived in Tunisia, Morocco, and Mecca. At age 58, he finally chose to settle in Damascus to focus on teaching and writing. He passed away in Damascus in 1240 at the age of 75. After Ibn Arabi passed away, his works were translated into Persian, Turkish, and Urdu. They had a great influence on the entire Muslim world, and he is known as a founder of the development of Sufism.

The shrine (gongbei) of Ibn Arabi was originally quite small. In 1518, Ottoman Sultan Selim I ordered its reconstruction during his visit to Damascus, which showed how much the Ottoman Empire valued Sufis at the time. After it was built, the shrine was first named the Selimiye Mosque after the Sultan. Because Ibn Arabi’s title, Muhyiddin, means 'reviver of the faith,' the mosque is also known as the Sheikh Muhyiddin Mosque. On the first Friday (Jumu'ah) of Ramadan after the mosque was finished, the Sultan personally visited to attend prayers and gifted the mosque a pair of silver socks.

The mosque blends architectural styles from the late Mamluk and early Ottoman periods. The shrine is located below the mosque, and you enter it by taking the stairs on the east side of the courtyard. Inside the shrine, besides Ibn Arabi himself, lie his two sons and his followers.

















The tiles on the walls of the shrine were laid in 1760.







The Sheikh Muhyiddin Mosque follows a traditional Damascus layout, with a courtyard surrounding the front of the main prayer hall and an Ottoman-style minaret built above the main gate. The walls are covered in yellow and white marble, and there is a Damascus-style pool in the middle of the courtyard. The wall decorations mix Ottoman and Mamluk styles, and the Corinthian capitals on the stone pillars of the main hall feature beautiful carvings. The two large candlesticks in front of the mihrab are also very characteristic of the Ottoman style.



















When I first arrived at the Sheikh Muhyiddin Mosque, I happened to catch a funeral prayer (janazah) for a sheikh, and I could really feel the strong religious atmosphere here.







Not far to the east of the Sheikh Muhyiddin Mosque is the Hanabila, another famous mosque in the Salihiya district. Hanabila Mosque is a famous early Ayyubid dynasty mosque in Syria. It was founded between 1208 and 1210 by the famous Hanbali scholar Ibn Qudama. He was born in Jerusalem and settled in Damascus in 1197, which became his main center for scholarship.

The mosque follows the Ayyubid architectural style. It centers on a courtyard, and the main prayer hall follows the layout of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, though its structure is more compact. The mosque still has a beautiful pulpit (minbar) and window carvings that are over 800 years old.





















Rukniyah Madrasa is located on the far east side of the Salihiyah district in Damascus. It was built in 1224 by the Ayyubid governor of Damascus, Rukn al-Din Mankurs al-Falaki, who is also buried there. Rukniyah Madrasa is the first Ayyubid building with a courtyard covered by a dome. The building consists of two square sections: the larger part is the madrasa, and the smaller part is the tomb. The minaret was added later.

Because the Ayyubid dynasty was busy fighting the Crusades, the architectural style of this period is known for being simple, sturdy, and durable. Rukniyah Madrasa belongs to the Hanafi school of law. It has now been converted into a mosque, and the main hall is not open except during the five daily namaz prayers.









Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi Mosque was built in 1764 by Sheikh Mustafa al-Nabulsi, the grandson of the famous Syrian Sufi sheikh and poet Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi. Both Sheikh Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi and Sheikh Mustafa al-Nabulsi are buried there. Unfortunately, since most mosques in Damascus do not open their doors except for the five daily namaz prayers, I could not go inside.

Sheikh Abd al-Ghani's family came from the Banu Jama'a. For generations, they served as chief judges and great Sufi sheikhs during the Mamluk dynasty. One branch of his family settled in Damascus after the Ottoman Empire conquered the Mamluk dynasty in 1516. They continued to hold positions such as the Shafi'i Grand Mufti of Damascus and teachers at the Umayyad Mosque.

Sheikh Abd al-Ghani was born in Damascus in 1641. His father switched from the Shafi'i school to the Hanafi school after a debate with Hanafi students. This was the mainstream school of the Ottoman Empire at the time. Abdul-Ghani began studying Islamic law as a child. He joined the Qadiriyya and Naqshbandiyya Sufi orders and spent seven years in quiet retreat at home. He traveled widely across the Middle East and wrote over 200 books. He was especially known for his deep research into the Sufi sage Ibn Arabi.

Before Sheikh Abdul-Ghani, the Salhiyya district of Damascus followed the Hanbali school of law. He was the first to bring Hanafi and Shafi'i ideas to the area and hosted many Hanafi students in his home.







The Jharkasiya Madrasa is on the market street in the Salhiyya district of Damascus. It was built in 1237 by the Ayyubid general Salim al-Din al-Hattra for his teacher, the Ayyubid general Jharkas ibn Abdullah. Both Jharkas ibn Abdullah and Salim al-Din al-Hattra are buried inside.

Jharkas was a commander in Saladin's personal guard and witnessed all of Saladin's military campaigns. The Jharkasiya Madrasa has a very rare double-domed tomb. Historically, the school taught both Hanafi and Shafi'i law, but today it serves as a mosque.





The Mershadiyeh Madrasa is on the west side of the Salhiyya district in Damascus. It was built in 1252 with funding from Khadija Khatun, the daughter of the Ayyubid Emir of Damascus, Al-Mu'azzam Isa. She is buried in the courtyard after her passing.

The square minaret of the madrasa is the only surviving example of 13th-century Ayyubid architecture in Damascus. The madrasa is currently closed. You must contact the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums to enter.







The Takrityya Madrasa is on the far west side of the Salhiyya district in Damascus. It was built in 1298 by the Emir Taqi al-Din al-Takriti, who is buried inside. This building dates back to the Mamluk period, but it keeps the strict and simple architectural style of the Ayyubid dynasty. The Mongol army destroyed this place in 1300, but it was rebuilt later.









Rabia Khatun, the sister of Ayyubid founder Saladin, built the Sahiba Madrasa in 1233, and her tomb is inside. People call this madrasa a model of Ayyubid architecture because of its thick walls and beautiful carvings that only use simple geometric shapes.

This madrasa once taught the Hanbali school of thought, which was the mainstream school at the time. Today, it is a primary school for girls, and generations of local residents have studied here.





Juma Market, the main road of the Salihiya historic neighborhood in Damascus.

The market in Salihiya grew quickly during the Ayyubid dynasty as more people moved here from Jerusalem. The Juma Market in front of the gongbei of the Sufi sage Ibn Arabi only sold goods after Friday namaz at first, but it eventually became a permanent market while keeping the name Juma Market. It is still a great place for nearby residents to shop today.



















Handwritten signs at the market. view all

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Summary: Islamic Art Guide: Saudi AlUla Exhibition at Beijing Forbidden City is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on AlUla, Forbidden City, Arabian Heritage while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.

From January 6 to March 22, 2024, the West Wing of the Meridian Gate at the Palace Museum hosted the exhibition 'AlUla: Wonder of Arabia,' which introduced the ancient oasis city of AlUla in the northwest of Saudi Arabia's Medina Province.

This concludes the sharing of the three major exhibitions held at the Meridian Gate of the Palace Museum to start 2024.

[Exhibition Visit] The Essence of Iranian Artifacts at the Meridian Gate of the Palace Museum

[Exhibition Visit] Exhibition on Ancient Cultural Exchanges Between China and West Asia at the Meridian Gate of the Palace Museum

The Al-Mabiyat site is located in Saudi Arabia's Medina Province, 20 kilometers southeast of the ancient city of AlUla. Starting in 1985, King Saud University conducted several years of archaeological surveys and excavations here, discovering many remains related to irrigation, mining, and ceramic production. Academic research suggests this is likely the ancient Hejazi city of Al-Qurh, which rose during the Umayyad Caliphate in the 7th century and declined during the Abbasid Caliphate in the 12th century.



The ancient city of Al-Qurh prospered because it sat on the trade and pilgrimage routes connecting the Levant and the Hejaz region, and it left behind many historical records. The famous 10th-century Arab geographer Al-Maqdisi recorded that Al-Qurh was the most prosperous and populous area in the Hejaz after Mecca. The city had a diverse population, very cheap dates, and high-quality, abundant spring water. Another famous 10th-century Arab geographer, Istakhri, recorded that among the towns of the Hejaz, the size of Al-Qurh was second only to another ancient town, Al-Yamama. The 12th-13th century Greek-descended geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi recorded that Al-Qurh was located in a very fertile valley covered with villages from one end to the other.

The picture shows 9th-10th century water jugs, goblets, wall tile fragments, iridescent glazed pottery shards, glazed pottery shards, amphorae, and glassware unearthed at the Al-Mabiyat site.















After the ancient city of Al-Qurh declined in the 12th century, the oasis town of AlUla to the northwest rose in the 13th century, continuing to serve as a trade and pilgrimage town connecting the Levant and the Hejaz. The old town was only gradually abandoned after the new city of AlUla was established in the 1970s. The last family moved out of the old town in 1983, and the old town mosque also stopped services after 1985. Today, the old town of AlUla has become a folk culture village. Its 870 mud-brick houses are separated by narrow, winding alleys, and it still preserves the mosque, market, and castle buildings.

After people moved out of the old town of AlUla in the 1970s, some daily items were left behind, and this exhibition displays a portion of them. These include inlaid book stands (rehal), Arabic calligraphy pens, palm baskets, kerosene lamps, water-drawing axles, and pack saddles. Palm groves are scattered across the oasis around the old town. People often spent their summers in the groves to escape the heat and only returned to live in the old town during the autumn and winter. The exhibition hall also screens a film called "Rebuilding the Old Town and Oasis," which recreates scenes of daily life in the old town of AlUla.















In 1900, Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II began building the Hejaz Railway to connect Damascus and Medina. The AlUla station officially opened in September 1907. Because the AlUla station is exactly 1,000 kilometers from the start of the railway, it holds significant symbolic meaning. This exhibition displays several items from the Hejaz Railway, including railway components marked with "Hejaz," pocket watches featuring the Hejaz Railway logo, and telegraph machines. view all

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Summary: Islamic Art Guide: China and West Asia Exchange at the Forbidden City is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on West Asia, Forbidden City, Ancient Trade while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.

From January 12 to April 11, 2024, the Exhibition of Ancient Civilizations of China and West Asia was held at the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City displayed many rare artifacts not usually seen in regular exhibitions. The National Museum of Iran also provided many blue-and-white porcelains. You can view them alongside the Iranian artifact exhibition next door at the Meridian Gate (see "Exhibition Notes: Iranian Artifacts at the Forbidden City Meridian Gate").

Xinjiang textiles from the Qianlong period.

A blue-ground Hui-style gold and silver brocade (huihui zhijin yin jin) from the Qianlong period in the Forbidden City collection. Hui-style brocade (huihui jin) was sent to the imperial court as tribute from Xinjiang. Besides Xinjiang, it was also produced in Central Asia, West Asia, and North India under the Mughal Empire. Hui-style brocade was often woven with gold and silver threads, and its patterns reflect the artistic style of Central Asia and Persia.





A colorful Hotan silk (hetian chou) from the Qianlong period in the Forbidden City collection.



A colorful tree-bark pattern Hotan silk (hetian chou) from the Qianlong period in the Forbidden City collection, which is what we know as Atlas silk (aidelaisi chou).



A green Mashru fabric (mashlubu) from the Qianlong period in the Forbidden City collection, which was a type of pile fabric from the Xinjiang region during the Qing Dynasty.



Blue-and-white porcelain in the Forbidden City collection, fired in the shapes of West Asian and North African bronze ware.

A Ming Dynasty Yongle period blue-and-white gourd-shaped flask with ribbon handles and Islamic patterns in the Forbidden City collection. Behind it is a bronze vessel with the same shape that I photographed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, dating back to the Mamluk Sultanate in the 14th century.





A Qing Dynasty Qianlong period blue-and-white vase without handles (wudang zun) featuring scrolling floral patterns and Arabic calligraphy in the Forbidden City collection. This is one of five such vases from the old Qing palace collection. One is currently on display at the Wuying Hall ceramics exhibition. This piece is an imitation and innovation of the Ming Dynasty vase. The Qianlong Emperor personally designed and modified the imperial poem cloisonné inner liner, allowing it to be used for flower arranging. Behind it is a bronze vessel with the same shape that I photographed at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, dating back to the Mamluk Sultanate.





A Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white plate with a lotus pond and mandarin duck pattern and a rhombic flower-shaped rim in the Forbidden City collection. Yuan dynasty blue and white porcelain uses su-ma-li cobalt ore imported from the Kashan region of Iran. The petal-shaped rim (linghuakou) and dense decorative style of the plate are influenced by Islamic culture, while the mandarin duck and lotus pond in the center is a decorative theme popular in China since the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods. The following photo I took at the Iran exhibition at the Meridian Gate next door shows a petal-shaped geometric pattern copper basin from Rafsanjan in southeastern Iran, dating to the Seljuk Empire in the 11th to 12th centuries.







A Ming Xuande period blue and white flower-patterned water sprinkler (huajiao) from the Palace Museum collection. This style of water sprinkler was made in Jingdezhen during the Ming Yongle, Xuande, and Qing Yongzheng periods to imitate West Asian copperware. The exhibition also displays a copper pot of the same shape from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which dates to early 16th-century Afghanistan.





Porcelain with Arabic script from the Palace Museum collection.

A Ming Zhengde period blue and white candlestick with Arabic script from the Palace Museum collection. The following is another Zhengde blue and white Arabic script candlestick on display at the Ceramics Gallery in the Hall of Martial Valor (Wuyingdian).











A Qing Kangxi period blue and white three-legged incense burner with Arabic script in panels from the Palace Museum collection.



Early Islamic glassware from the Famen Mosque and Palace Museum collections.

A Tang dynasty engraved glass plate from the Famen Mosque Museum, unearthed from the Famen Mosque underground palace in 1987. The four-lobed sections and the center form a mihrab decorative pattern unique to Islamic culture, making it a representative piece of early Islamic glassware unearthed in China. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a similar piece, unearthed in 1939 from the Tappeh Madreseh madrasa site in Nishapur, Iran, and estimated to date to the early 9th century. This madrasa is believed to have been built by the Tahirid ruler Abdallah ibn Tahir, who reigned from 828 to 845.



A Tang dynasty stamped straight-sided glass cup from the Famen Mosque Museum, unearthed from the Famen Mosque underground palace in 1987. This is a common type of early Islamic glass cup, popular in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and Syria before the 11th century.



An 8th to 10th-century glass bottle from the Palace Museum collection. Its shape is the same as the perfume oil bottles popular in the Islamic world from the 9th to 11th centuries. Because the bottom looks like a molar tooth, it is called a molar flask.



An 8th to 10th-century glass bottle from the Palace Museum collection. This shape was popular in the early Islamic period and may have been used to hold spices or cosmetics. Similar items have been found in Nishapur, Iran, and Samarra and Ctesiphon in Iraq. After these glass bottles arrived in China, they were also used to hold Buddhist relics. They have been found in the underground palaces of the Jingzhi Mosque Pagoda in Dingzhou, Hebei, and the Miaotong Pagoda in Lianshui, Jiangsu.



This 8th-10th century glass bottle in the Palace Museum collection features a design with small applied glass discs on the exterior, a style originating from Iran or Syria.



This 14th-century gold-painted glass twin-handled vase in the Palace Museum collection features Quranic verses on the belly, several blue-ground gold-painted circular emblems on the body, and a twin-bird pattern in the center. This type of vessel was often used as an oil lamp bottle in mosques or palaces during the Mamluk dynasty in Egypt.









A Caucasian long sword from the Qing dynasty in the Palace Museum collection.

A Qing dynasty Caucasian Shashka long sword in the Palace Museum collection, engraved with Arabic inscriptions. The Shashka long sword was a weapon used by the Adyghe people (Circassians) living in the North Caucasus mountains, with the earliest records dating back to the late 17th century. The Shashka long sword is characterized by a hilt that fits entirely into the scabbard, making it look like a blade without a handle.

The Circassians converted to Islam in the 17th century under the influence of the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire. In the late 19th century, they suffered massacres and genocide during the Russian invasion. The surviving Adyghe people were taken in by the Ottoman Empire, and most now live in Turkey.







Ming dynasty blue and white porcelain from the Sheikh Safi al-Din gongbei in the National Museum of Iran.

Porcelain from the Sheikh Safi al-Din gongbei (Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble) is held in the National Museum of Iran, and a large number of artifacts from the same site are also on display at the Iran exhibition next to the Meridian Gate.

Sheikh Safi al-Din (1252-1334) was a Kurdish Sufi master during the Ilkhanate period and the founder of the Safaviyya order. This order eventually established the Safavid dynasty in 1501. After the Safavid dynasty was established, they expanded the Sheikh Safi al-Din Shrine (gongbei) in Ardabil, northwestern Iran, on a large scale between the 16th and 18th centuries, turning it into a massive building complex. The Porcelain House, built in the 17th century, has a huge cross-shaped space. The small niches densely packed on the walls were once filled with Chinese porcelain. Today, most of these porcelains are kept in museums in Tehran.

Late 16th-century blue and white bowl with a floral and fruit branch pattern.





16th-century blue and white octagonal long-necked vase with a crane and deer pattern.



Early 15th-century blue and white porcelain plate with lotus bundle patterns.



Early 15th-century blue and white porcelain plate with a foliated rim and grape branch patterns.



Early 15th-century blue and white porcelain celestial globe vase (tianqiuping) with white dragon and sea wave patterns.



14th-century blue and white porcelain plum vase (meiping) with scrolling peony patterns.



14th-century blue and white porcelain jar with mythical beast and scrolling peony patterns. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Islamic Art Guide: Iranian Artifacts at Beijing Forbidden City (Part 1) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Iranian Art, Forbidden City, Islamic Heritage while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.

The East Wing of the Meridian Gate at the Forbidden City hosted the 'Splendors of Persia: Exhibition of Iranian Cultural Relics' from January 12 to April 11, 2024. The National Museum of Iran sent many precious artifacts for everyone to enjoy.

I visited the National Museum of Iran in 2019, as seen in my article 'Exhibition Notes from the Museum of the Islamic Era in Iran'.

I will share some of the artifacts from the exhibition with you below.

Was the Zhengde Emperor's Islamic name 'Suleiman'?

For this Iranian exhibition at the Meridian Gate, the Forbidden City contributed a heavyweight artifact: a white-glazed, iron-red decorated plate with Arabic and Persian inscriptions, fired at the imperial kilns during the Zhengde period (1506–1521) of the Ming Dynasty. Previously, the Wuyingdian Ceramics Gallery only displayed the front, but this time we finally got to see the bottom of the plate, which holds much more information.

According to Li Yihua's 1984 article 'Two Pieces of Zhengde-era Arabic and Persian Porcelain—Also Discussing the Influence of Islamic Culture' in the 'Journal of the Palace Museum', this is the only red-decorated piece among the more than 20 pieces of Zhengde Arabic and Persian porcelain in the Forbidden City's collection. The wall of the plate features a Hadith: 'The Exalted and Majestic Lord says, whoever does a good deed the size of a speck of dust, (or) whoever does a bad deed the size of a speck of dust, He will see it; this is the reward for those who do good.' The most interesting part is the three lines of text on the bottom of the plate. Li Yihua interpreted them as 'Dimani Khan, namely Aman Suleiman Shah,' and suggested it might have been commissioned for a country in the Arab region. However, some scholars lean toward the idea that 'Dimani Ke' should be 'Da Mink,' meaning 'Great Ming.' Based on this, the text reads 'The ruler of the Great Ming is King Suleiman.' This means the Zhengde Emperor's Islamic name was likely 'Suleiman,' which is why some people jokingly call this piece 'King Solomon's Treasure'.

During the Zhengde period, the palace was very fond of using porcelain with Arabic and Persian inscriptions. Most were bowls, cups, brush rests, and boxes with the same shapes as official kiln wares, and the content was mostly Quranic verses, Hadith, and praises. According to research by Professor Jin Liyan and records in the 'Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty,' the Zhengde Emperor studied Islamic knowledge in 1509 (the third year of Zhengde): 'Hearing that Hui Muslims do not eat meat slaughtered by others, but must slaughter it themselves, and that they have kind hearts and read scriptures, he invited them into the palace to learn from them.'







The largest astrolabe from the National Museum of Iran

The National Museum of Iran brought its largest astrolabe for this exhibition. It weighs five kilograms, is over forty centimeters in diameter, and is made of six pieces of brass. It uses scales to mark geographical zones, and the crown-shaped decoration at the top is engraved with the names of two rulers from the Safavid and Qajar dynasties on either side.

The astrolabe comes from the famous Golestan Palace in Tehran. Golestan Palace was the royal palace of the Qajar dynasty and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013. Golestan Palace was first called Tehran Citadel. It was built during the reign of Tahmasp I (ruled 1524-76) of the Safavid dynasty and rebuilt during the reign of Karim Khan (ruled 1750-79) of the Zand dynasty. After Agha Mohammad Khan (ruled 1789-97) of the Qajar dynasty made Tehran the capital, he officially converted Tehran Citadel into Golestan Palace. Between 1925 and 1945, Reza Shah (ruled 1925-41) of the Pahlavi dynasty ordered the demolition of most of Golestan Palace for modern urban construction. Modern-style commercial buildings were built there one after another during the 1950s and 1960s.









Sheikh Safi al-Din Shrine (gongbei)

For this exhibition at the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City, the National Museum of Iran brought a large number of Ming dynasty porcelains from the Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble (gongbei). It was a real eye-opener, as I did not get to see these porcelains when I visited the National Museum of Iran before.

Sheikh Safi al-Din (1252-1334) was a Kurdish Sufi master during the Ilkhanate period and the founder of the Safaviyya order. This order eventually established the Safavid dynasty in 1501. After the Safavid dynasty was established, they expanded the Sheikh Safi al-Din Shrine (gongbei) in Ardabil, northwestern Iran, on a large scale between the 16th and 18th centuries, turning it into a massive building complex. The Porcelain House, built in the 17th century, has a huge cross-shaped space. The small niches densely packed on the walls were once filled with Chinese porcelain. Today, most of these porcelains are kept in museums in Tehran.

16th-century Ming dynasty blue and white porcelain with cloud and crane patterns.



15th-16th-century Ming dynasty blue and white ewer with openwork, peacock and peony patterns, and lotus scroll patterns, featuring unglazed panels.



Late 16th-century Ming dynasty blue and white ewer with seahorse and floral patterns.



Late 16th-century Ming dynasty blue and white jar with bird and flower patterns.



Late 16th-century Ming dynasty blue and white jar with scrolling vine patterns.



16th-century Ming dynasty blue and white bowl with polychrome figure patterns.



16th-century Ming dynasty blue and white porcelain bowl with seahorse and floral patterns.



Early 15th-century Ming dynasty white porcelain plate.



15th-century Ming Dynasty celadon plate with chrysanthemum petal patterns.



15th-century Ming Dynasty celadon plate with floral branch patterns.



14th-century Yuan Dynasty blue and white plate with phoenix and flower patterns. The outer wall is stamped with the seal of the Abbasid Caliph.









Late 14th to early 15th-century Yuan and Ming Dynasty large celadon plate.





Early 16th-century Ming Dynasty blue and white bowl with Arabic script and Xuande mark.



16th-century Ming Dynasty yellow-glazed plate.



Late 16th-century Ming Dynasty iron-red glazed porcelain plate with fish patterns.



16th-century Ming Dynasty brown-glazed bowl with Jiajing mark.



Late 15th-century Ming Dynasty blue and white moon flask with arabesque patterns.



Late 14th-century Ming Dynasty blue and white ewer with scrolling flower patterns.



15th-century Ming Dynasty blue and white plum vase (meiping) with scrolling lotus patterns. The vase body is stamped with the seal of the Abbasid Caliph, which can also be seen on other items in this exhibition. The text reads, 'Abbas, servant of the King of Supreme Power, dedicated to King Safi'. After the Mongol army destroyed Baghdad in 1261, the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt re-established the Abbasid Caliphate in Cairo. The Abbasid Caliphs in Egypt continued to serve as religious authorities but could not get involved in secular affairs. In 1517, the Ottoman Empire conquered Cairo, the last Abbasid Caliph was taken to Istanbul, and the Abbasid Caliphate came to an end.





A 16th-century Ming Dynasty jade cup with a dragon-shaped handle and beast-ear decorations, featuring the seal of the Abbasid Caliph carved on the bottom.





A 17th-century brass candlestick from the Safavid Dynasty.



A 16th-17th century double-headed brass candlestick from the Safavid Dynasty, engraved with Persian poetry by the famous poet Saadi:

One night I could not sleep and stayed awake all night,

I heard a conversation between a moth and a candle.

I am a lover who burns willingly with all my heart,

Why do you cry out in pain with tears streaming down?







Nishapur

Nishapur is an ancient city on the Silk Road in northeastern Iran, once one of the four major cities of the Greater Khorasan region. Nishapur became the capital of the Persian Tahirid Dynasty in the 9th century, grew into an important cultural and commercial hub under the Persian Samanid Dynasty in the 10th century, and continued to thrive during the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century. Between the 9th and 11th centuries, trade routes from Transoxiana in Central Asia, China, Iraq, and Egypt met here. Glazed pottery produced in Nishapur at that time became a major trade commodity in the West, rivaling Baghdad and Cairo.

In 1221, Nishapur was massacred by the Mongols and then destroyed, leaving the former metropolis buried deep underground. It was not until archaeological excavations by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York between 1935 and 1940 that countless artifacts were discovered beneath the farmland. Today, most of the excavated Nishapur artifacts are kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as in museums in Tehran and Mashhad.

A 10th-11th century stucco panel with floral patterns.









A tombstone from the 9th to 11th century featuring Kufic script for Yahya ibn Ja'far.





A 9th to 10th-century glazed pottery bowl with slip-painted horseman designs.



A 10th-century glazed pottery bowl with geometric patterns.



A 9th to 10th-century Nishapur-style glazed pottery bowl with geometric and plant patterns.



A 9th to 10th-century Nishapur-style glazed pottery bowl with geometric and plant patterns.



A 10th-century Nishapur-style glazed pottery bowl with slip-painted imitation Kufic inscriptions.



A 10th-century glazed pottery bowl with Kufic script.



Glass lamps, glass cups, and glass bowls from the 9th to 10th century. Besides glazed pottery, Nishapur was also a center for glass craftsmanship from the 9th to 11th century.









A 10th-century Sari-style glazed pottery bowl with slip-painted bird patterns.



Gorgan.

Glazed pottery from the ancient city of Gorgan. Gorgan was an important city on the Caspian coast during the Sasanian period and remained a center for Zoroastrianism after the 8th century. The old city of Gorgan was destroyed during the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, and it was moved to the current new city during the Ilkhanate period.

A 10th-century glazed pottery bowl with slip-painted antelope patterns.



A 13th to 14th-century Ilkhanate-period glazed pottery jar with a single handle and calligraphic text.



Luster-glazed ceramic plate with figure patterns from the Ilkhanate period, 13th-14th century.





Glazed ceramic bowl with geometric patterns from the Ilkhanate period, 14th century.



Glazed ceramic bowl with floral patterns and calligraphy from the Ilkhanate period, 13th century.





Gorgan-style luster-glazed inscription brick with Thuluth script from the Ilkhanate period, 13th-14th century.





Glassware and bronze ware from the ancient city of Gorgan.

Single-handled glass jar, 9th-10th century.



Glass ewer, 10th century.



Single-handled glass jar, 10th century.



Bird-shaped glass ewer from the Seljuk Empire, 11th-12th century.



Glass bowl with flower patterns from the Ilkhanate period, 13th century.



Glass bottle with circle patterns from the Ilkhanate period, 13th century.



Single-handled bronze ewer, 9th-10th century.



Two-handled bronze cauldron with inscriptions from the Seljuk Empire period, 12th century.





Ray.

Ray is located in the southern suburbs of Tehran and is an important ancient city in northern Iran. It is referred to as "Layi" in books like the History of Yuan. In 1043, Tuğrul Beg, the founder of the Seljuk Empire, made Ray the capital of the empire and carried out large-scale reconstruction of the ancient city. Under the rule of the Seljuk Empire, Rey reached its peak with a massive marketplace and a very prosperous trade scene. Import and export trade, mainly in silk, connected the entire Eurasian continent. At that time, Rey was the center for making painted pottery in Iran, and Rey-style painted pottery was an important handicraft of the period.

In 1220, the Mongol army invaded Rey, which was then under the rule of the Khwarazmian Empire. Because there was no fierce resistance, the Mongols did not massacre the city. Even so, the residents gradually left, and the center for pottery production moved to the southern city of Kashan.

Stucco figure from the Seljuk dynasty, 11th to 12th century.



Ceramic tile from the Seljuk dynasty, 11th to 12th century.



Single-handled pottery jar from the 9th century.



Three-handled pottery jar from the 9th to 10th century.



Blue-glazed narrow-necked pottery vase from the Ilkhanate period, 13th century.



Rey-style Mina'i glazed pottery bowl with a camel rider pattern, from the late Seljuk dynasty to the Ilkhanate period, 12th to 13th century.





Rey-style Mina'i glazed pottery bowl with a sphinx pattern, from the late Seljuk dynasty to the Ilkhanate period, 12th to 13th century.



Glazed pottery bowl with geometric patterns from the ancient city of Rey, Ilkhanate period, 13th to 14th century.



Seljuk dynasty.

Bronze ware from the Seljuk dynasty.

11th-12th century Seljuk dynasty single-handled bronze lamp with a bird figure from Quchan. Quchan is in northeastern Iran near the border with Turkmenistan. The lamp has Kufic script and scroll patterns on both sides. Similar designs were found in Nishapur, which may link to traditions in northeastern Iran.



12th century Seljuk dynasty bronze ewer with calligraphy in the Khorasan style.



12th century Seljuk dynasty bronze incense burner from Sowme'eh Sara. Sowme'eh Sara is on the Caspian Sea coast in northwestern Iran.





11th-12th century Seljuk dynasty bronze basin with a floral rim and geometric patterns from Rafsanjan. Rafsanjan is in southeastern Iran. It is the world's largest producer of pistachios and a center for carpet production in Iran.



11th-12th century Seljuk dynasty bronze candlestick with three animal-shaped feet in the Khorasan style.









Summer palace of the Ilkhanate.

Artifacts unearthed at the Takht-e Soleyman site, the summer palace of the Ilkhanate. Takht-e Soleyman is a World Heritage site that served as the summer palace for the Ilkhanate in the 13th century. The Ilkhanate blended Eastern and Iranian art here to develop a unique Ilkhanid artistic style.

Takht-e Soleyman is the only surviving secular building complex from the Ilkhanate. The walls of the Great Khan's palace still have beautiful glazed tile decorations, which directly reflect the cultural and artistic exchange between China and Iran in the 14th century. The glazed tiles show various flowers, animals, and figures. The themes cover Chinese mythology, Iranian mythology, and calligraphic scripture, showing a blend of many cultures. Some of the tile themes come from the famous Iranian epic, the Shahnameh, which shows how the Ilkhanate integrated into Iran at the time.

Late 13th to early 14th century stucco panel with bird patterns.



Late 13th to early 14th century, Lajvardina glazed tiles with deer and lion patterns.





13th to 14th century, lusterware glazed tiles with camel and sphinx patterns. Lusterware, also called iridescent glaze, is a decorative technique using a second low-temperature firing. This second firing uses a reduction atmosphere to create a shimmering metallic finish.





13th to 14th century, Lajvardina glazed tile with a dragon pattern. This piece is a signature artifact from Takht-e Soleyman, and the National Museum of Iran even sells magnets featuring it.



12th to 13th century, late Seljuk to Ilkhanate period, green-glazed pottery bowl with carved scrolling leaf patterns in panels.



Late 13th to early 14th century, lusterware glazed pottery bowl with animal patterns.





Late 13th to early 14th century, Ilkhanate period, glazed pottery bowl with a twin-ram pattern.





Kashan

Glazed pottery from the ancient city of Kashan. During the 12th to 14th centuries under Seljuk and Ilkhanate rule, Kashan was a major center for producing high-quality glazed pottery in Iran. In modern Persian, the word for tile (kashi) comes from the name Kashan.

13th to 14th century, Ilkhanate period, lusterware glazed pottery jug with one handle and a sphinx pattern.



13th to 14th century, Ilkhanate period, lusterware glazed pottery jug with human figure patterns.



13th to 14th century, Ilkhanate period, lusterware glazed pottery watering vessel with human figure patterns.



13th to 14th century, Ilkhanate period, lusterware glazed mihrab with Thuluth script inscriptions. This mihrab is definitely one of the best pieces on display at the National Museum of Iran.









14th-century Ilkhanate period, Saveh, Lajvardina glazed molded inscription tile. Saveh is located southwest of Tehran and was an important city during the Ilkhanate period. Lajvardina is an overglaze technique known for its lapis lazuli-like blue base glaze, often seen on building facades from the Ilkhanate period.



14th-century Ilkhanate period, Sultanabad, glazed pottery bowl with mythical bird and deer patterns. The bowl depicts the Simurgh, a mythical bird from Persian legends. During the Sassanid Empire, the Simurgh was depicted with a dog's head and a peacock's tail, but it transformed into a peacock-like image under Chinese influence during the Ilkhanate period.





Timurid Dynasty

14th-15th century Timurid period, Borujerd, silver-inlaid bronze stemmed bowl.



14th-century Timurid period, Khorasan region, mosaic tile with checkerboard Kufic script.



16th-17th century Shahsavar, overglaze painted tile with human figures.



Safavid Dynasty

16th-17th century Isfahan province, stucco panel with calligraphic inscriptions.



17th-century Amol, blue glazed pottery bowl with floral patterns. Amol is located on the Caspian Sea coast. It was a major trading hub in history and continued to grow during the Safavid Dynasty, becoming a favorite residence of the Safavid King Abbas II, who reigned from 1632 to 1666.



16th-century Amol, blue and white porcelain plate.



17th-century glazed pottery plate with underglaze floral patterns from northern Iran.



16th-century bronze incense burner with a dragon head from Yazd Province.



16th-century bronze plate with floral patterns and inscriptions from Kermanshah Province.



16th-century bronze candlestick from Isfahan. In 1598, Safavid King Abbas I (reigned 1588-1629) made Isfahan his capital. He rebuilt it into a prosperous and beautiful city, and Isfahan entered a golden age of culture. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Islamic Art Guide: Iranian Artifacts at Beijing Forbidden City (Part 2) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Iranian Art, Forbidden City, Islamic Heritage while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Encountering Persian Poetry in the Forbidden City—Exhibition Notes at the Wuyingdian Ceramics Museum. The Ceramics Gallery in the Hall of Martial Valor (Wuyingdian) at the Forbidden City officially reopened on May 1st after renovations. It is useful for readers interested in Forbidden City, Islamic Art, Persian Culture.

The Ceramics Gallery in the Hall of Martial Valor (Wuyingdian) at the Forbidden City officially reopened on May 1st after renovations. I visited over the weekend, and because I arrived early, I was able to experience the gallery without any crowds.









The first piece I want to share is the Ming Yongle period blue-and-white porcelain 'wudang' vase with scrolling floral patterns and Arabic script, produced at the Jingdezhen imperial kilns and held in the former Qing palace collection. Both its shape and decorative motifs imitate 14th-century brassware inlaid with silver from the Middle East. A white-glazed 'wudang' vase of the same shape was once unearthed at the Ming imperial kiln site in Zhushan, Jingdezhen. Originally, this piece of porcelain had no name, but because the Qianlong Emperor thought it looked like a vase without a base, he gave it this name.

This piece uses the imported 'Sumali blue' glaze characteristic of the Yongle and Xuande periods. Because it is a 'high-iron, low-manganese' cobalt pigment, the patterns often exhibit black-blue metallic crystalline spots of iron oxide. When viewed from the side, one can see an uneven texture, and the black-blue and cobalt-blue colors complement each other beautifully.









After the recent renovation of the Ceramics Gallery, they displayed a comparison photo of the 'wudang' vase alongside a 14th-century Egyptian Mamluk dynasty brass stand inlaid with silver from the British Museum; the shapes are indeed identical!



There are also blue-and-white porcelain candle holders with Arabic script and white-glazed porcelain plates with red-enamel Arabic and Persian script, all produced by the imperial kilns during the Ming Zhengde period (1506–1521). The imperial court during the Zhengde era was very fond of using porcelain with Arabic and Persian script. The third issue of the 'Journal of the Palace Museum' in 1984 published an article by Li Yihua titled 'Two Pieces of Zhengde-era Arabic and Persian Script Porcelain: Also Discussing the Influence of Islamic Culture.' It mentions that the Palace Museum holds over 20 pieces of Zhengde-period porcelain with Arabic and Persian script, but only one piece features red enamel. The four Arabic phrases in the center of the porcelain plate read, 'Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, says,' and the three lines of Arabic in the center of the plate are from the Quran, Surah Al-Isra (17:29), the latter half: 'And do not make your hand chained to your neck nor extend it completely and [thereby] become blamed and insolvent.' Additionally, there are four lines of Arabic Hadith on the wall of the plate, which mean: 'Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, says: Whoever does an atom's weight of good, or whoever does an atom's weight of evil, He (Allah) will see it; this is the reward for those who do good.' "

The most interesting part is the three lines of text on the bottom of the plate, which Li Yihua interpreted as 'Dimani Khan, namely Aman Suleiman Shah,' suggesting it may have been commissioned for a country in the Arab region. However, some scholars are more inclined to believe that 'Dimani' should be 'Da Mink,' meaning 'Great Ming.' According to this, the text reads 'The ruler of the Great Ming is King Suleiman,' which means the Zhengde Emperor's Arabic/Persian name was likely 'Suleiman (Solomon).' Therefore, some people jokingly refer to this piece of porcelain as 'King Solomon's Treasure.' Coincidentally, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire during almost the same period was the famous Suleiman the Magnificent (reigned 1520–1566).









There is also a very classic Ming Tianshun (1457–1464) imperial kiln blue-and-white porcelain three-legged cylindrical incense burner with Persian poetry and a 'Tianshun Year' mark. The outer wall is inscribed with poetry from 'The Orchard' (Bustan) by the famous Persian poet Saadi. After this renovation, they thoughtfully included a translation of the poem. Appreciating Persian poetry fired over 500 years ago inside the Forbidden City—my Inner Asian appreciation level just went up by 10,086.











During the Ming Yongle and Xuande periods (1403–1435), the blue-and-white porcelain produced by the imperial kilns learned much from the vessel shapes of the Middle East from the 12th to 14th centuries, resulting in many shapes that had never appeared before. After this renovation, the Ceramics Gallery in the Hall of Martial Valor specifically placed display boards for comparison, making it look very clear. In particular, this Ming Yongle blue-and-white jar with brocade patterns features motifs that are very classic in the Arab and Persian cultural spheres and can be seen on many famous mosques.



















The newly renovated Ceramics Gallery has opened the Yudetang (Hall of Bathing in Virtue) on the west side of the Hall of Martial Valor as an exhibition hall for export porcelain. The most interesting thing about the Yudetang is that there is a beamless hall behind the outer hall that looks very much like a Turkish bath. The ceiling and walls are paved with white glazed bricks, flawless and pure. Behind it, there is an iron fireplace for heating water, which uses copper pipes to bring water into the room.

In his article 'A Study of the Yudetang in the Forbidden City's Hall of Martial Valor,' Shan Shiyuan argued that the Yudetang is a relic of the Yuan Dynasty imperial palace and was an Arabic-style bathhouse for the garrison commander outside the southwest corner tower of the Yuan Dadu palace city. Previously, during maintenance of the Forbidden City, white glazed tiles from the Yuan Dynasty were excavated near the Yudetang. They are very similar to the glazed bricks of the bathhouse and are very different from the yellow and green glazes commonly used in the Ming and Qing Forbidden City. Before the War of Resistance, the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture identified this bathhouse, noting that its dome is extremely similar to the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople... and it is likely a Yuan Dynasty structure.

Unfortunately, only the outer hall of the Ceramics Gallery is open this time. The Turkish bath in the back is not open to visitors because the passage is too narrow. From the outside, one can only see a part of the dome, which feels so much like the traditional bathhouse domes I have seen in Turkey. view all