The world of Islam

Figure 3 - Ziech, M., (2016). World Muslim population

Above is a map of the current Islamic world. The countries with high Muslim populations may not necessarily be governed by Islamic law but Islamic culture would exist strongly in them. These are the regions that Islamic art would traditionally be found in.

In order to understand Islamic art, I think it's important to have some background information on Islam. Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion teaching that there is only one God and that Muhammad (PBUH) is the last messenger of God. The word "Islam" means to submit (to the will of God). My understanding of Islam is that it preaches peace and forbids evil.

Islam came about in Saudi Arabia approximately 1400 to 1500 years ago. The religion spread overtime mainly to surrounding countries, and at one point, stretched from Spain to western China. The religion spread into countries that are very different and distant from each other and in doing so, merged religious values with the current traditions and cultures of the places. This has resulted in the different forms of art sharing similarities in purpose but manifesting uniquely in each locale, for example, Masjids share a purpose as a place of prayer however their designs are unique to the locale that they are found in.