art: The Islamic World 107 polygonal forms At the end of the manuscripts the copyists inserted the colophon, which contains the date and the place of production The major centers were Córdoba, Málaga, Valencia, and Seville Since wall painting was not largely used in the Islamic lands, the ability of the painters is evident from the miniatures that adorn the manuscripts One of the first examples of an Islamic book with miniature painting is the Tale of Bayad and Riyad, probably copied in Seville in the 13th century The Arts in North Africa (10th Century to 14th Century) Tile; stone-paste painted overglaze with luster, China, Seljuk Dynasty, 13th century (Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Charles Lang Freer) pourers) Goldsmiths and silversmiths produced beautiful jewels, reflecting the wealth of the court Not many pieces have survived, but existing examples include gold, crescentshaped earrings (12th century), a set of gold filigree and pearl buttons once decorated with enamels (13th or 14th century), and a gilded bronze belt fitting with cloisonné enamels (15th century) Among the typical Andalusian ceramic objects are the so-called Alhambra or winged vases These unique amphora vessels derived their name from the two large and flat handles, which recall a pair of wings They were made beginning in the 11th century and had large dimensions, and the exterior was decorated with inscriptions, animals, and vegetal patterns Only a few folios of the first Koran books have survived They were written on parchment and had a horizontal page format The script was accompanied by vegetal and geometric ornaments The parchment was sometimes colored, as in the case of the celebrated Blue Koran, which seems to have been produced in Spain in the ninth century In Koran production, parchment was replaced during the 11th century by paper, but not in Spain, where a series of beautiful Koran manuscripts on parchment dating to the 12th and 13th centuries has been found Most are decorated at the beginning and at the end of the manuscript with star-shaped motifs on a background of In the 10th century the Fatimids (909–1171) established their power in the area today known as Tunisia, in North Africa Since the Fatimids wished to enlarge the borders of the empire, they fought with neighboring countries and gained control of Egypt, Sicily (Italy), Syria, and Palestine The Fatimids constitute one of the most famous dynasties in Islamic history They were powerful and wealthy, and their artistic expressions reveal this status In the caliph palace in al-Mahdiyya, the first capital, archaeologists discovered a handsome pavement mosaic with geometric patterns In al-Mansuriyah, which became the second capital of the empire, the walls of the royal palace were decorated with colored stucco panels with geometric and floral motifs Large sections of the walls were enriched with ceramic tiles The palace ornamentation was completed with the insertion of plaster sculptures of animals and human beings Artisans were able masters in carving wood and ivory A few pieces have survived, and those held in museums and collections attest to the skill level reached by the craftsmen in these media They created beautiful wooden ceilings for mosques and palaces Wooden panels of mihrabs (prayer niches), minbars (pulpits), and boxes became more precious with the addition of bones and ivory Wooden panels as well as ivory boxes were decorated with scenes of courtly life and animal and vegetal patterns The figural groups were completed with complex interlacements of arabesques Fatimid artisans were also known for their production of rock crystal and gold pieces Fatimid craftsmen are still unsurpassed in the production of flasks, ewers (pitchers), bowls, and chess pieces made in cut glass and rock crystal (pure quartz) Although the raw material was particularly hard to carve, these craftsmen were able to create fine objects decorated with animals and courtly scenes and rarely with inscriptions A large number of them are kept in the treasures of Italian churches Gold jewelry was also made during Fatimid rule The jewelers were experts in filigree and granulation techniques, in particular, and sometimes added pearls, semiprecious stones, and cloisonné enamels Rings were typi-