661-750 Mucawiya, governor of Syria, established the Umayyad caliphate. This period is considered formative in Islamic art, as it precipitated a flood of Persian influence on the art of the invaders. Conversely, Islamic rule restricted the depiction of representational figures, so images became more stylised.
750 Power shifted with the new Abbasid dynasty from Damascus to Baghdad and the style known in the West as “arabesque” developed.
909-1171 The North African Fatimid court at Cairo, built to rival Baghdad, encouraged a boom in the decorative arts. Lustreware ceramics from this period were signed, showing the high regard in which artists were held.
1040-1157 The Seljuk period, when “animated” Arabic script was developed, in which letters transform into animal or human figures.
1171-1260 Arts such as enamelled glass, inlaid metal work and wood carving flourished under the Ayyubid dynasty.
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1256-1353 The Mongol invasion brought East Asian influences to bear, while the increased use of paper meant that the art of the book thrived.
1370-1507 Timur (or Tamerlane) carved out a vast empire and brought craftsmen to his capital, Samarkand, beginning a glittering period of influence for Islamic art.
NANCY DURRANT