Islam first came to northern Africa in the 8^th century CE by way of conquest by Muslim groups, but the ensuing spread of the Islamic religion through Africa was largely peaceful. Muslim merchants and missionaries traveled through Africa to Spain and established trade routes among these regions, and most African peoples accepted, or at least tolerated, the new religion. When African peoples began converting to Islam, many African leaders realized that this would also help with trade relations and bring wealth to their communities.

Even when people did not convert, the spread of Islam impacted the local cultural practices and beliefs of the African communities, such as the further development of traditional African geometric and abstracted artforms. Knowledge was also shared and developed, including counting and measuring systems, mathematics, architectural technologies, and writing systems, which led to high levels of literacy in most of Africa by Medieval times. The objects in this exhibit illustrate the importance of Islam in African cultures, how Islam became central to the identities of many African peoples, and how these cultures interacted to create sophisticated civilizations.

Light shades, or lamp shades, are used in the Islamic tradition as a means to diffuse light in the home or in a mosque. Light is an important symbol in Islam because, according to the Qur’an, God is not only light, but a source of light and the essence of light. In this way, light has become the symbolic incarnation of divine force. In this tradition, light is used to sacralize a space and to help people see hidden realities of truth and the world. Light shades would help to diffuse and spread the presence and force of God.

This specific light shade is unusual because it is ceramic and unglazed. Light shades are typically made of glass or, less often, of reflective, glazed ceramic. However, this light shade is pierced with elaborate cut-out designs that create geometric shapes of light and shadow throughout a room, and this reflects how geometry is used in Islamic art to reveal the divine order and harmony inherent in creation.

 

The Qur’anic writing board, which is used as a desk-like surface, is one of the central functional objects used in Islamic education in Western Africa. The boards serve as symbols of education and masculinity, and they are decorated with ornamental patterns and calligraphy. The decoration and the texts written on the boards usually reflect local practices, so while the writing boards are similar across Africa, each is unique.

The elaborate patterns and decoration on this specific Qur’anic writing board identifies this as a type known as a festive board. Festive boards typically contain the Sūrah al-Fātiha, the first chapter of the Qur’an, with prayers for guidance and mercy, along with a short excerpt from the Sūra al-Baqarah, the second chapter of the Qur’an, with themes on guidance. These texts symbolize the completion of the study of the Qur’an and graduation from Qur’anic school.

 

Kufi skullcaps are short, rounded caps that are knitted or crocheted using a variety of yarns, and that are worn by men of the Islamic faith. These caps indicate that the wearer is a follower of Muhammad because Muhammad and his companions wore head coverings. The skullcaps are typically worn as a sign of respect to God and his teachings, as a display of loyalty to Islam, and as a display of modesty, because they cover the head. In Nigeria, Muslim men tend to wear Kufi skullcaps in everyday life, but fine, beaded caps are worn especially for official functions such as weddings and Islamic celebrations.

 

In the Tuareg culture, both men and women commonly wear elaborate jewelry in everyday life, as this illustrates their status in society. The higher the quality of jewelry that a family owns, the more wealth and prestige that family is believed to have. Given the importance of jewelry, there are many types of necklaces, and this one is likely a Tcherot, or amulet necklace.

Tcherots are worn as necklaces or wrapped around the upper arm, and the amulet is typically made of silver, a material with a warm shine that is believed to bring happiness and good fortune. Each Tcherot is usually filled with paper with Qur’anic inscriptions for protection from evil forces, and some even have small pieces of a mirror inside or outside, to protect against the Evil Eye.

 

 

This blue and white bowl and teacup are made of earthenware with a tin-white glaze, and they are Moroccan imitations of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain.  Chinese porcelain was highly regarded in Islamic cultures and seen as a consumer luxury good in Africa. Although Islamic culture condemned eating from vessels made of precious metals, owning porcelain dishes was allowed; nevertheless, because porcelain was a rarity and exclusive to those who could afford it, owning and using porcelain also conveyed higher social status. As Moroccan imitations of porcelain, these glazed earthenware vessels were made for those who aspired to appear as being higher in status.