Sharjah Museums Authority exhibition explores the role of water in Islamic heritage and art

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA) has inaugurated a six-month long exhibition titled Drop by Drop Life Falls from the Sky. Water, Islam and Art at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization.

Sheikh Khalid Bin Issam Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation, Sharjah, inaugurated the exhibition in the presence of Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE; Giuseppe Finocchiaro, Italian Consul General in Dubai; Alberto Saco, Deputy Director in charge of Tourism and Trade in Torino; Manal Ataya, Director-General of SMA; Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi, Assistant Undersecretary for Arts and Heritage Sector, Ministry of Culture and Youth; Ida Zilio Grandi, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute — Embassy of Italy to the UAE; Giovanni Curatola, Professor at the University of Udine and curator of the exhibition and Dr Zaki Aslan, Director, ICCROM-Sharjah.

Organised in collaboration with the Italian Fondazione Torino Musei, it features 120 artifacts that are being exhibited for the first time outside Italy, related to water and people’s daily lives in the Islamic world. They include decorated jugs, cups, carpets, fountains and other artifacts sourced from different parts of the Islamic world. Running till December 11, the exhibition was initiated with a manuscript containing the Quranic verse: “And we created every living thing from water”. Collections on display are on loan from various renowned Italian public and private collections, and from the permanent collection of Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and Sharjah Art Museum.

Revolving around the themes The Blessings of Water and Islam, Water and Daily Life and Traditional Hammam and the Gardens, the items displayed in the exhibition collectively illustrate the historical development of the numerous roles played by water in daily life, and represent its artistic embodiment in Arabic and Islamic arts and culture. Highlighted is the strong presence of water in Islam and Islamic heritage and civilisation, with water being mentioned several times in the Holy Quran, in verses that imposed rules on mankind’s behaviour towards this element, thus making Islam the only religion that set rules to protect water.

Glass bottle from Iran.

Visitors are taken on an intellectual journey to previous civilisations, with a focus on Islamic civilisation, through illustrating, from an artistic perspective, the deep-rooted cultural similarities and differences in the relationship binding water and evolution and how water has contributed to the creation of diverse civilisations and rich legacies of literature, philosophy and music, among other spheres.

Items also illustrate water’s role in Islam in a religious context and show how it was used in the traditional Islamic baths known as Hammam, highlighting their health and social connotations, while also shedding light on its use in agricultural engineering and garden irrigation through techniques such as water canals and fountains.

Lener said that “I am truly honoured to welcome this first Italian-Emirati exhibition which will pave the way for more cooperation between two highly acclaimed and prestigious cultural institutions, namely, Fondazione Torino Musei and the Sharjah Museum Authority, thus sending a message of hope and inspiration to our countries.”

He added: “Our precious relationship with Sharjah Museums Authority gets stronger through this exhibition which focuses on water as the most important element for life and human survival and as a precious asset that must be protected. Water is the foundation of every civilisation based on the dynamics and methods of water transport and distribution.”

Ataya commented that “we are delighted to organise this exhibition, which is our first cooperation with Fondazione Torino Musei, to highlight the historical ties and common cultural heritage binding Italy and the material culture of the Islamic world. “It is important for us at SMA to partner with international institutions to display unique collections to our audiences which have never been seen before in the UAE or in the region, which contributed to shaping our shared human history throughout the ages.”

Zelio Grandi said Islam has greatly focused on water by mentioning it repeatedly and diversely in the Holy Quran, sometimes expressing Paradise. Among collections exhibited is a basin made from copper and decorated with gold and silver used by King Sultan al-Malik al-Nāṣir al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Qalāwūn, in the first half of the14th century.  Also seen are a 19th century jug and a huge basin made from Ottoman tombac inlaid by gold-plated copper in the 19th century, a 16th century Ottoman plate made from ceramics with the image of a multi coloured jug, a bronze jug with bronze formations and animal-shaped gold ornaments designed in India in the 16th century.

Other objects include a bronze ewer from 10th century in India, with a globular shape that rests on a circular slightly splayed foot, incised with meanderings, and the body chased with bands reminiscent of turban’s folds. Visitors can also enjoy a 19th century Kashkul (begging bowl), an oil paint canvas titled a Nubian Boy by Arthur von Ferraris from 1936, and an engraved porcelain portable water jar made from cooper in the 19th century. The exhibition also features a Kilga (jar stand) from 12th century Egypt, Tugrakes (Golden Horn) Tondino dishes from the 16th century Turkey, Lajvardina pottery ewer from 13th century Iran, a candlestick reused as a bucket in Northern Iraq in the 13th century and a 10th century bowl with fish designs from Central Asia.