Of mediÆval history as associated with the decorative arts, the rise and development of the Arabs is the most remarkable. The wide appreciation and liberal patronage of the arts by the Khalifs; the influence of its religion and precepts upon contemporary and later periods of art; the distinct individuality and geometrical arrangement of its ornamentation; all had a most marked effect upon tradition and craftsmanship.

The history commences with Mohammed, A.D. 570-632, who founded and consolidated the empire, of which, under Omar, A.D. 635, Damascus became the capital; in A.D. 638 Kufa and Bassora were founded in Persia. In A.D. 641 Egypt was conquered and the Mahometan capital, FustÂt, founded. Persia was conquered in A.D. 642, Spain invaded in A.D. 711, Bagdad in Persia became the capital of the Arabian Khalifs in A.D. 762, and in A.D. 827 Sicily was conquered; but it was not until the dynasty of Ibu-Tulun, A.D. 868-914, that the history of Cairene art begins, of which the mosque of Ibu-Tulun in FustÂt, or old Cairo, is the earliest example. Under the Fatimy dynasty, A.D. 867-1171, Cairo was founded, and the arts, receiving further encouragement, were now introduced into Sicily and Europe. In A.D. 997 the Mahometan invasion of India took place. In A.D. 796-965 the mosque of Cordova was built, and in A.D. 1236 the kingdom of Granada was founded and the Alhambra was built by Mohammed ben Alhamar, A.D. 1248, and Mahometan art, as exemplified in the architectural decorations, arms and armour, woodwork, ivory, textile fabrics, and illuminated books, reached its culmination under the Mamluk dynasty, A.D. 1250-1516.

Thus the Arabs, from a roving tribe, became, by religious zeal and conquests, the most powerful and wealthiest nation of mediÆval times, assimilating and influencing the customs and the arts of the different nations and provinces.

The term Mahometan Art includes Arabian, Moresque, Persian, Indian, and Sicilian, all having the same characteristics yet distinguished by the racial influence and custom. The Arabian is marked by its flowing, interlacing, and symmetrical lines, geometrical arrangement (doubtless derived from Byzantine sources), and its prevalence of inscriptions or texts from the Koran. In Spain a more complex geometrical arrangement is found, intermingled with a flowing foliage or arabesque of a purely conventional type. This style is noticeable for its entire absence of any natural forms and its abundant use of inscriptions, and glazed and enamelled tiles, distinctly influenced of Persian tradition though purely geometric and formal. These tiles cover the lower part of the wall, the upper portion, as also the ceiling being decorated with arabesques of modelled plaster in flat relief, of two or more planes, enriched with red, blue, white and gold; this is typical of the Moresque style. The Sicilian work is remarkable for its beautiful fabrics of silk and the prevalence in its ornament of birds, animals, and heraldic forms, showing the continuity of the traditions of Persia.