Splendours at court
Parma becomes the crossroads for meeting and discussion between Islamic and European culture. From March 31 to June 3 the Arts and music from the Islamic world offers a rich programme of initiatives.
One of the most interesting elements of the review is the exhibit Splendori a corte. Arti del Mondo Islamico nelle Collezioni del Museo Aga Khan (“Splendours at court. Arts from the Islamic world in the collection of the Aga Khan museum”), presented for the first time in Italy, in the Palazzo della Pilotta. The exhibit comprises 170 masterpieces from the Aga Khan collection, which in 2009 will form the nucleus of the new Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada.
The exhibit is divided in two sections: the first explores the Word of God and contains several splendidly decorated volumes of the Koran, dating from between the 8th and 18th centuries. The second, titled the Power of the Sovereign, conjures up the great Islamic courts from the Fatmid dynasty in Egypt to the Qajars of Persia through the upbringing of the Sovereign: poetry and literature, the exercising of power and his pastimes, hunting and horseback riding.
Among the works displayed are manuscripts and illuminated pages, paintings, handmade tiles in wood and metal, and fabric hailing from a vast Islamic territory that extended from China to the lands of Andalusia.
Music and musicians have always played a significant role in the cultural history of Central Asia and the Middle East. Societal values were entrusted to music and its interpreters so that they could be taught and passed down from generation to generation. Musicians, called on to narrate the exemplary deeds of heads of state and family, drew their listeners to religious spirituality, reinforcing bonds and collective memory in feasts and celebrations.
For this reason the show runs alongside the series of concerts Musiche dalle corti di Oriente. Suoni e suggestioni dal patrimonio cultuale dell’Asia Centrale (“Music of the Oriental courts. Sounds and suggestions from the cultural heritage of Central Asia”). Organized by the Aga Khan Music Initiative for Central Asia and by the Teatro Regio Foundation of Parma, the review runs from March 30 to April 1 and features the greatest musicians and musical experts from Central Asia. Each concert is introduced by a presentation on the form of traditional music that each group celebrates and interprets, and a brief documentary on the musicians.
The exhibit is further enhanced by a cycle of meetings organized by the University of Parma, Aga Khan trust for Culture and Fondazione Parma Capitale della Musica (Parma Capital of Music Foundation), on the theme of Islam e Occidente: dialogo tra culture (“Islam and the West: dialogue between cultures”). In the Sala del Ridotto of the Teatro Regio in Parma, top experts from various different disciplines meet to discuss themes of awareness, experience, comparisons and contrasts before an increasingly aware audience. The programme is the result of dedicated study by researchers and experts, presented with the aim of making the sessions an opportunity for personal enrichment.
Splendours at court
Shah Abbas II and the Mogul ambassador – 1663
Ismailimail 
I visited the Splendori A Corte Exhibition in Parma. There is no better articulation of the diversity of the Faith of Islam! all the artefacts, manuscripts, coins are a wonder to see!
The feeling of Pride in our history, seeing what Muslims have achieved in various endevours of Life is quite humbling. Muslims can rightly take pride in Muslim Way of Life in any point in time, be it the 10th Ce or the 21st Ce.
It brought to mind, Hazer Imam’s remarks in the past, regards finding the time and leisure to learn about our Proud History.
I believe all Muslims have to take up this challenge and learn about the Muslim History.
If we are going to be the “Ambassadors of Islam” to articulate the other face of Islam, the Real Face of Islam, then there is no better place to learn from.
The exhibition moves to London, UK in July 2007 then moves around Europe before going home to the Aga Khan Museum in Canada
Would strongly recommend all to see this unique exhibition.
The exhibits shows a face of Islam that encompasses Inclusiveness, diversity, intellectual strength and pride in our heritage, not forgetting the contribution of Muslim Scholars to the World body of Knowledge.
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