Sameer Rahim’s novel, Asghar and Zahra, is published by John Murray.
An exhibition about the civilisations that could be found along the trade route connects cultures at every turn, writes Sameer Rahim
Sameer Rahim is impressed by a 16th-century Iranian manuscript illustrating a Sufi poem of seduction and spiritualism
As two of the British Library’s most beautiful manuscripts show, the art of illustration hit new and extraordinary heights in 15th-century Herat
Built to rival the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the great mosque in Damascus has always been claimed by rival faiths
A whirlwind journey through 5,000 years of Iranian civilisation charts change and continuity in a culture that has absorbed all manner of influences
Diana Darke’s new book makes the case for the widespread influence of Islamic architecture on European buildings. But how convincing are her claims?
Museums have avoided displaying images of the Prophet in recent years – but might this not do a disservice to the heritage of Islam?
The discovery of an important manuscript reshapes our understanding of early Islamic culture
The ancient mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun deserves to be much better known
A meticulous study of the Chester Beatty Ruzbihan Qur’an does justice to the ingenuity of its calligrapher
