Arabesques were devised to symbolize Allah, since using his likeness was prohibited. Arabesques are a combination of two other elements of Islamic art, vegetal art and geometric patterns. The importance of Arabesques is in the thematic idea that is portrayed in repetition of the patterns, because the repetition is representative of Allah’s perfect and infinite nature. Typically, Arabesques are carved into religious buildings; one famous example of this is on marble on the Taj Mahal (Parker). Obviously, because Arabesques are used on the Taj Mahal they are not solely Islamic, but they are so prevalent in Islamic Art that they have been named “, “the definitive characteristic in all Islamic art," according to Rachida El Diwani, a comparative literature professor at Alexandria University in Cairo, Egypt
Arabesques were devised to symbolize Allah, since using his likeness was prohibited. Arabesques are a combination of two other elements of Islamic art, vegetal art and geometric patterns. The importance of Arabesques is in the thematic idea that is portrayed in repetition of the patterns, because the repetition is representative of Allah’s perfect and infinite nature. Typically, Arabesques are carved into religious buildings; one famous example of this is on marble on the Taj Mahal (Parker). Obviously, because Arabesques are used on the Taj Mahal they are not solely Islamic, but they are so prevalent in Islamic Art that they have been named “, “the definitive characteristic in all Islamic art," according to Rachida El Diwani, a comparative literature professor at Alexandria University in Cairo, Egypt