Treasures of Islam : Art and Design in Islamic Manuscripts

"Treasures of Islam" is a selection of the some of world's most beautiful and rare works of art and design from Islamic manuscripts held in the McGill University Libraries collection.

The images cover a period from the ninth century to the twentieth century and make clear why Islamic book-making has been a source of fascination for many centuries.

A collaborative effort, it involves a calligrapher, a painter of miniatures, and an illuminator working together to produce beautiful images, such as those presented here. "Treasures of Islam" is divided into four categories: Calligraphy: forty examples from the ninth to the nineteenth centuries that range in style from elegantly executed Qu'aric fragments to richly decorated diplomas; Miniatures: forty-two meticulous miniature paintings, dating from the thirteenth through the twentieth centuries, many taken from the manuscripts of Fidawsi's Shahnamah and Nizami's Khamsah; Bindings: sixteen lacquer bindings, dating from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries, with intricate decorations of plants, animals, and human figures; and Manuscripts: eight Arabic manuscripts, dating from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries, presented in their entirety, including prayer books, poems, and a manuscript about calligraphy.