Painted tile with Qur’anic inscriptions, likely from a mosque or tomb, one of a pair

Persia (Iran)

late 13th–early 14th century

Earthenware with relief calligraphy and underglaze painted in turquoise and blue with gold luster overglaze, Kashan ware

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Kashan ceramic workshops in Iran specialized in manufacturing luster-painted architectural tiles well into the fourteenth century. These tiles bear inscriptions from different verses from the Qur'an, which are translated as follows: <I>His messenger who... (top) / ...Do not know.</I> (bottom) They were probably part of a mihrab, the sacred wall niche found in every mosque that orients the worshipper toward the holy city of Mecca during prayers. The opulence of the tiles illustrates the special attention given mihrabs in Muslim architecture; as the most important part of the mosque interior, these features had to stand out visual