"Licit Magic": the Touch and Sight of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls
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"Licit Magic": The Touch And Sight Of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Alsaleh, Yasmine F. 2014. "Licit Magic": The Touch And Sight Of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:12274637 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA “Licit Magic”: The Touch And Sight Of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls A dissertation presented by Yasmine F. Al-Saleh to The Committee for Middle Eastern Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of History of Art and Architecture and Middle Eastern Studies Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts February 2014 © 2014 Yasmine F. Al-Saleh All rights reserved Dissertation Advisor: Yasmine F. Al-Saleh Professor David J. Roxburgh Professor Gülru Necipoğlu-Kafadar “Licit Magic”: The Touch And Sight Of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls Abstract The following study traces the production and history of the talismanic scroll as a medium through a Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk historical periods. My dissertation understands the protocol of manufacturing and utilizing talismanic scrolls. The dissertation is a study of the Qur’an, prayers and illustrations of these talismanic works. I begin by investigating a theory of the occult the medieval primary sources of the Neo-platonic tenth century Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ and al-Bunī (d.1225). I establish that talismans are generally categorized as science (‘ilm). Next, a dynastic spotlight of talismanic scrolls creates a chronological framework for the dissertation. The Fatimid talismanic scrolls and the Ayyubid pilgrimage scrolls are both block-printed and are placed within the larger conceptual framework of pilgrimage and devotion. The two unpublished Mamluk scrolls from Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah are long beautiful handwritten scrolls that provide a perspective on how the occult is part of the daily life of the practitioner in the medieval Islamic culture. Through an in depth analysis of the written word and images, I establish that textually and visually there is a template for the creation of these sophisticated scrolls. Lastly, I discuss the efficacy of these scrolls, I use theories of linguistic anthropology and return to the Islamic primary sources to establish that there is a language of the occult and there are people that practiced the occult. The word of God and the Qurʾān empower the scrolls I studied. As for the people who practiced the occult, I turn to the tenth century Ibn al-Nadim and iii Ibn al-Khaldun (d.1406), the people of the occult are understood. Yet, keeping in mind, that there is always a tension with the theologians that condoned practices of Islamic magic. This study illuminates new perspectives on the study of the occult. It becomes apparent there is a conceptual relationship between the occult and devotion. The talismanic scroll and its contents recontextualizes ideas about piety, belief, and concerns for the medieval Muslim believer be they supplications to God and the prophet Muhammad, or concerns about health, travel, military achievements or Judgment Day. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS AKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi NOTES ON TRANSLATION AND TRANSLITERATION x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi INTRODUCTION: TEXTUAL SOURCES 1 CHAPTER ONE: ṬILSĀM AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PRIMARY SOURCES 15 CHAPTER TWO: THE DEVOTIONAL BLOCK PRINTED SCROLL: 79 TALISMANIC AND PILGRIMAGE SCROLLS CHAPTER THREE: IN COLOR, THE ART OF THE TALISMANIC, 122 A STUDY OF LNS 12 MS AND LNS 25 MS FROM DAR AL-ATHAR AL-ISLAMIYYAH CHAPTER FOUR: LICIT PRACTICES, 179 THE SCROLL AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER OBJECTS OF THE OCCULT CONCLUSION 208 CATALOGUE OF TALISMANIC SCROLLS 220 BIBLIOGRAPHY 291 ILLUSTRATIONS 316 APPENDIX ONE 379 APPENDIX TWO 390 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Inspired by the women in my family and my Kuwaiti community, that one must continuously nurture an interest in the arts. As a child, my mother the belated Fawzia H. Sultan and her sisters dragged their children across the world to museums, galleries, and bookstores stimulating my mind to critically think about the various forms of knowledge. As an adult, I was encouraged to pursue a degree in History of Art by Sheikha Hussah Sabah Al-Salem. The Monday night lecture at Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah were the beginning of my love affair with the field of Islamic visual and material culture. Sheikha Hussah granted me access to the valuable scrolls at the Al- Sabah collection which is the primary focus of this dissertation. At the University of Pennsylvania, it was Renata Holod who opened that first door to the academic field. The History of Art department at the University of Pennsylvania fostered the beginning of my pursuit and understanding of Islamic devotional literature. I thank my friend Yasmina Benbouchta who allowed me to write my MA thesis on her family heirloom: a Maghribi Qurʿān. My interests in calligraphy and manuscript illumination were cultivated through this project. At Harvard, I continued to discover and explore important questions in the field of Islamic visual and material culture. My two dear mentors David J. Roxburgh and Gülru Necipoğlu-Kafadar encouraged and nurtured my interests in Islamic devotion and the occult. The courses, lectures, and office hours were invaluable support to the research and writing of this dissertation. As for the importance of understanding the nuances of language the significance of prayers, magical incantation and other linguistic tools found on talismans I am grateful to my third reader Steve Caton. This knowledge was supplemented by advanced courses in Arabic, vi Turkish and Ottoman: I thank the belated Wolfhart P. Heinrichs, Hakan Karateke and Helga Anetshofer. In terms of resources, this dissertation would not have been possible without the help of the Aga Khan Program. In particular, the valuable library resources be it visual images or bibliographic information provided by Andras Riedlmayer, Sharon Smith, and Ophelia Celine. These mentors provided me with essential tools that helped me write this dissertation. I am also thankful for the funding from the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In particular, Sue Kahn at the Center for Middle Easter Studies and Navina Haidar and Sheila Canby at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they helped facilitate and encourage the study of the talismanic scrolls. As I researched the various scrolls in collections in Kuwait, Turkey, the U.K., and the United States, there are countless people that I am grateful for their assistance. I would like to begin by thanking Sue Kaoukji at Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah in Kuwait who was the first person to show me the beautiful Mamluk scrolls at the Al-Sabah collection. Deborah Freeman, Sophie Budden, and Benjie Hilario who were instrumental to the many hours I spent studying the scrolls. At Harvard’s Arthur M. Sackler, I thank Mary McWiliams and Yasmin Hilloowala provided me with access to comparative devotional material. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the Islamic department I thank Maryam Ekhtiar, Annick Des Roches and Warren Bennett who granted me access to the block printed scrolls, and countless other comparative objects. In conservation, I would like to thank Yana Van Dyke. At Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, I would like to thank Jane Siegel who was generous with her time and showing me the scrolls. At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, I would like to thank Linda Komaroff and the Islamic art department. In Istanbul, Turkey, in particular, I would like Mr. Korhan Karakoc at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Fethi Etem at the Turkish Embassy in vii Kuwait who helped facilitate my permission to work on the collections in Istanbul. I would like to thank Seracettin Şahin and Ali bey at the Museum of Islamic and Turkish Art. Lastly, I am grateful to the staff at the British Library who provided me access to the files on the Mamluk Qurʾāns. There are then countless conversations that I had with various scholars around the world. I am grateful to Emilie Savage-Smith at Oxford University who helped me at the beginning stages of this project. Persis Berlekamp at the University of Chicago who was always available when I needed to discuss the occult. Ahmed Ragab at the Divinity School and Katharine Park in the History of Science department at Harvard University helped me formulate certain questions about medieval magic, science and religion. Lastly, the support system at Harvard’s Bureau of Study Counsel, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ writing tutor Suzanne Smith who introduced me to Paula Szocik who has helped me with the final edits of the dissertation. Of course there are my friends in the field, especially grateful Susanna Mcfadden who read countless drafts of my chapters and brought the non-Islamic yet art historical eye to the subject of talismanic scrolls. Alex Burt, Emine Fetvaci, Christy Gruber, Emily Renscheler, Ana Pulido Rull, and Kate Viola who were always available to in person, on the phone, or on email. Lastly, my friends in Aga Khan Program and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies: Ladan Akbarnia, Jennifer Pruitt, Chanchal Dadlani, Will Day, Alireza Doostdar, Dimitrios Loupis, and Suzan Yalman. I would like to end by thanking my husband Nick Scull as he has been a pillar in my pursuit of my graduate degree. He has had to endure many years of long distance as I conducted research at various institutions.