Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World

Nur: Light in Art and Science in the Islamic World explores the use and significance of light in Islamic art and science, revealing how light is a unifying motif in Islamic civilizations across the globe.

Taking its starting point from the Arabic word for light, both in its physical and metaphysical sense, Nur is divided into two principal sections. The first is devoted to art and includes manuscripts illuminated with gold and colored pigments, luster-ware ceramics, metal objects with gold and silver inlay, and objects made in precious and semi-precious stones.

The second section focuses on the field of science, in particular equatorial sundials, astrolabes and anatomical instruments, which illustrate the influence of the Islamic world on scientific thought. At the same time, Nur emphasizes the way in which historically, Spain has been a cultural bridge between the Islamic world and Europe and a gateway for the arrival of Islamic discoveries in fields such as medicine, geometry and astronomy.

In addition, this book explores the idea of light as a shared, unifying metaphor in Muslim, Christian and Judaic cultures.