Caliph Harun al-Rashid

Fabric dye & acrylic on fabric, 60 x 50 cm, 2.000 Turkish Liras

In 762, Caliph al-Mansur moved the capital of the Abbasid Empire from Damascus to Baghdad. The reign of his grandson Harun al-Rashid is considered the Golden Age of Islamic Civilization for its scientific and artistic accomplishments. While Europe was experiencing its Dark Ages, Baghdad saw the translation of scientific and literary masterpieces from Greek, Chinese, and Persian to Arabic, as well as the establishment of great libraries—facilitated by learning papermaking from the Chinese. 1,001 Arabian Nights is also a product of Harun al-Rashid’s era.

Inspired by a 16th-century Ottoman miniature painting