Islamic Glass in the Making

The ancient glass industry changed dramatically towards the end of the first millennium. The Roman glassmaking tradition of mineral soda glass was increasingly supplanted by the use of plant ash as the main fluxing agent at the turn of the ninth century CE. Defining primary production groups of plant ash glass has been a challenge due to the high variability of raw materials and the smaller scale of production. Islamic Glass in the Making advocates a large-scale archaeometric approach to the history of Islamic glassmaking to trace the developments in the production, trade and consumption of vitreous materials between the eighth and twelfth centuries and to separate the norm from the exception. It proposes compositional discriminants to distinguish regional production groups, and provides insights into the organisation of the glass industry and commerce during the early Islamic period. The interdisciplinary approach leads to a holistic understanding of the development of Islamic glass; assemblages from the early Islamic period in Mesopotamia, Central Asia, Egypt, Greater Syria and Iberia are evaluated, and placed in the larger geopolitical context. In doing so, this book fills a gap in the present literature and advances a large-scale approach to the history of Islamic glass.

REFLEKSI NILAI ADAB DAN HUBUNGAN HORIZONTAL DALAM NASKAH BABAD AWAK SALIRA

ABSTRACT The value of moral affects the horizontal relationship that exists between humans. This is recorded in the ancient texts of the Islamic period as evidence of the influence of Islamic teachings that entered the archipelago. The disclosure of this moral value is an effort to "share" the heritage of the ancestors, as well as a reflection on the current conditions that are quite relevant. The Babad Awak Salira (BAS) manuscript, one of the written heritages in Tatar Sunda, contains very strong moral values. The problems revealed in this paper, namely; (1) the values ​​of moral contained in the text of the BAS manuscript; and (2) the effect of moral reflection in the horizontal relationship. This paper aims to reveal the values ​​of moral and their influence on horizontal relationships. This research is a literature research, descriptive analysis. Due to the fact that the object is an ancient text, a philological approach is used to study the BAS text. Seeing this, the relevance of the existence of values ​​in the ancient texts (which are time apart) is so eternal in didactic wraps. The existence of content values ​​can also be seen as a piece of advice and a "treasure" of inheritance in a written tradition in Tatar Sunda, in general in the archipelago. Disclosure of the value of the content of ancient manuscripts, can be seen as an effort to understand and "bridge" the times, considering that the medium of script is no longer conventional at this time. Keywords: Manuscript, Text BAS, Moral values, Moral reflection. Nilai adab berpengaruh terhadap hubungan horizontal yang terjalin antarmanusia. Hal ini tercatat dalam naskah kuna periode Islam sebagai bukti pengaruh ajaran Islam yang masuk ke Nusantara. Pengungkapan nilai adab ini sebagai upaya “membagikan” warisan nenek moyang, juga sebagai refleksi atas kondisi zaman saat ini yang cukup relevan. Naskah Babad Awak Salira (BAS), salah satu warisan tulis yang ada di Tatar Sunda, mengandung nilai-nilai adab yang kuat. Masalah yang diungkap dalam tulisan ini, yaitu; (1) nilai adab yang ada di dalam teks naskah BAS; dan (2) pengaruh refleksi adab dalam hubungan horizontal. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap nilai-nilai adab dan pengaruhnya terhadap hubungan horizontal. Kajian berjenis studi pustaka, bersifat deskriptif analisis. Sehubungan bahwa objek adalah naskah kuna, digunakan pendekatan filologis untuk mengkaji naskah BAS. Melihat hal itu, relevansi keberadaan nilai dalam naskah kuna (yang berjarak zaman) begitu kekal dalam balutan didaktis. Keberadaan nilai kandungan juga dapat dipandang sebagai sebuah petuah dan “harta” warisan dalam sebuah tradisi tulis di Tatar Sunda, secara umum di Nusantara. Pengungkapan nilai kandungan naskah kuna dapat dilihat sebagai upaya memahamkan dan “menjembatani” zaman, mengingat medium aksara sudah tidak konven­sional lagi saat ini. Kata kunci: Naskah kuna, Teks BAS, Nilai Adab, Refleksi Adab.

Pemanfaatan Situs Purbakala Pugung Raharjo Sebagai Sumber Belajar Sejarah untuk Mahasiswa

This study aims to examine the Pugung Raharjo Archaeological site as a source of learning history. The location of the Pugung Raharjo Archaeological site is located in the village of Batanghari, Sekampung, East Lampung Regency, Lampung Province. This research is qualitative research with a descriptive approach. Data collection techniques through literature study, observation, interviews, and documentation. The data validity technique uses source triangulation, for data analysis using interactive model analysis. The Pugung Raharjo Archaeological Site is a site protected by the Cultural Conservation Preservation Agency. As a source of learning the history of the ancient site Pugung Raharjo has historical values in the Praaksara/nirleka era with its relics, namely; Punden terraces, earth forts, stone with holes, stone axes, stone corpse complex, megalithic pools, beads, and household utensils. Classical era or Hindu-Buddhist relics, namely; Bodhisattva statues, Polynesian type statues, Humpback Inscriptions, and Ceramics. During the Islamic period, his relics were; Dalung Inscription, and Tombstone. The Pugung Raharjo Archaeological Site can be used as a source of history learning, one example is by learning history through the arrival and spread of early people in Sumatra, especially Lampung because this is the forerunner to the formation of a province of Lampung or often called the earth of Lampung. The process of utilizing the Pugung Raharjo site as a source of learning local history can be done by means, students can directly visit the object by doing/field trips. Thus the Pugung Raharjo archaeological site is very important for students, where students can participate in caring for and preserving historical relics in the vicinity. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji situs Purbakala Pugung Raharjo sebagai sumber belajar sejarah. Lokasi situs Purbakala Pugung Raharjo terletak di desa Batanghari, Sekampung Kabupaten Lampung Timur, Provinsi Lampung. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan deskriptif. Teknik pengumpulan data melalui studi pustaka, observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi. Teknik keabsahan data menggunakan trianggulasi sumber, untuk analisis data menggunakan analisis model interaktif. Situs Purbakala Pugung Raharjo merupakan situs yang dilindungi oleh Badan Pelestarian Cagar Budaya. Sebagai sumber pembelajaran sejarah situs purbakala Pugung Raharjo memiliki nilai-nilai sejarah pada zaman Praaksara/nirleka dengan benda-benda peninggalannya yaitu; Punden berundak, Benteng tanah, Batu berlubang, Kapak Batu, Komplek Batu Mayat, kolam megalitik, manik-manik dan peralatan rumah tangga. Zaman klasik atau Hindu-Budha benda peninggalannya yaitu; arca Bodhisatwa, arca tipe Polinesia, Prasasti Bungkuk, dan Keramik. Pada Masa Islam benda peninggalannya yaitu; Prasasti Dalung, dan Batu Nisan. Situs Purbakala Pugung Raharjo dapat dijadikan sebagai sumber pembelajaran sejarah, salah satu contohnya adalah dengan pembelajaran sejarah melalui kedatangan dan penyebaran masyarakat awal di Sumatera khususnya Lampung, karena ini merupakan cikal bakal terbentuknya sebuah provinsi Lampung atau sering dikatakan juga bumi Lampung. Proses pemanfaatan situs Pugung Raharjo sebagai sumber belajar Sejarah Lokal dapat dilakukan dengan cara, mahasiswa dapat langsung mengunjungi obyeknya yang dilakukan dengan melakukan karya wisata/fieldtrip. Dengan demikian situs purbakala Pugung Raharjo sangat penting bagi para mahasiswa, dimana para mahasiswa dapat turut serta dalam merawat dan melestarikan peninggalan-peninggalan bersejarah yang ada di sekitarnya.

'What Has Been Written Upon the Forehead, the Eye Must See': An Arabic-Jewish Author Between Baghdad and an Israeli Transit Camp

As an integral part of Arab society since the pre-Islamic period, Jews participated in the making of Arabic literature. We know of prominent Jewish poets such as al-Samawʾal ibn ʿᾹdiyāʾ in the sixth century A.D. and Ibrāhīm ibn Sahl in al-Andalus in the thirteenth century. During the first half of the twentieth century, Arabic literature in fuṣḥā (standard Arabic) written by Jews witnessed a great revival, especially in Iraq and Egypt, but this revival was cut short as a casualty of Zionism and Arab nationalism and the conflict between them. We are currently witnessing the demise of Arabic literature written by Jews; the Arabic language among Jews will probably remain mostly a tool of the military establishment and the intelligence systems as encapsulated in the dictum 'know your enemy' instead of being a medium for coexistence and knowing the Other. The article concentrates on the literary activities of one of the most talented Iraqi-Jewish authors, Shalom Darwīsh (1913-1997), whose promising anticipated literary future in Arabic literature encountered a deadlock following the aforementioned exclusion of Jews from 'Arabness'.

Islamization of Arabic Poetry between Pre-Islamic (Jahiliyyah) and Islamic Period: Praise Poetry of Hassan Ibn Tsabit as a Case Study

Hassan bin Tsabit is among the prominent figures in Arabic poetry. One of the reasons he excels in poetry is because he is from a family of poets. Hassan bin Tsabit is well-known among his people during the pre-Islamic (jahiliyah) period and during the Islamic period after his conversion to Islam. It is a known fact that he plays a big role in defending Islam through his poetries. On that note, this article aims to find out the islamization in Hassan bin Tsabit's poetry works between pre-Islamic and Islamic period focusing on his praise poetries. The methodology used for this article is the descriptive qualitative research method. The researchers analyzed the selected praise poetries according to the concept of Islamic literature by Muhammad Uthman El-Muhammady. The findings of this article are that the work of praise poetries by Hassan bin Tsabit is influenced strongly by Islam in terms of the terminologies and style of writing.

Muḥammad ibn Maslama's Role in the Assassination of Kaʿb ibn al-Ashraf

Muḥammad ibn Maslama was a prominent companion of the Prophet Muḥammad who belonged to the Ḥāritha clan of the Medinan tribe of Aws. He played a key role in the events leading to the defeat of the three Jewish tribes of Medina and participated in the assassination of the Jewish leader Kaʿb ibn al-Ashraf. Muḥammad ibn Maslama was connected to the Jews in various ways, as is evident, for example, from accounts claiming that he was Kaʿb's maternal nephew, and that his clan, the Banū Ḥāritha, lived in the predominantly Jewish oasis of Khaybar for nearly a year in the pre-Islamic period. Muḥammad ibn Maslama's role in Kaʿb's assassination has recently been argued to be of dubious historicity. This article offers a reassessment of this conclusion by placing the accounts of Muḥammad ibn Maslama's ties with the Jews, on the one hand, and those that depict him as their enemy, on the other, in the broader context of the change in the attitudes of some of the Anṣār towards the Jews during the Prophet's Medinan period. It argues that this change of attitudes is an attested historical pattern and, accordingly, that the fact of Muḥammad ibn Maslama's participation in the assassination of Kaʿb ibn al-Ashraf can be deemed reliable.

Iranian innovations in mosque lighting techniques: A historical survey

From the viewpoint of preserving the values of sustainable architecture, daylight in the interiors of mosques in hot and dry climates has always faced limitations. The need to use daylight to provide the required lighting and, in contrast, to prevent the scorching desert sun from entering the spaces led to innovative techniques in Iranian architecture. These techniques have gradually evolved along with the development of semantic concepts of space in different periods of Islamic architecture, which has resulted in slight differences in their application in mosque buildings. In this article, while analysing the place of light in mosque architecture, the standard techniques in lighting mosques located in Iran’s hot and dry climate are studied. The employed research method is a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. As the current historic-architectural research cannot be based solely on perception-based definitions, authors had to convert the conceptual features into a measurable index. To achieve this, a numerical index with the scale from 0 to 3 has been defined. The scoring was based on documents such as plans, images, etc. Although most case study objects were built over the centuries, they have general characteristics that distinguish them from a specific historical era. The authors studied the application of these techniques in some examples of selected mosques from four periods of Islamic architecture and present the results in the form of trend charts. Furthermore, they observed the principle of continuity in Iranian architecture from the historical period from the beginning of the Islamic period to the Qajar period, and, in accordance with the theoretical foundations of research, analysed the reasons for the ups and downs of each of the techniques.