Photograph made by Timothy Crutchett

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The 99 Names
Mohamed Dendon, 2010
93cm x 181cm
Khayamiya (Hand-appliqued cotton on canvas)

Calligraphy is one of the most important aspects of Islamic Art, especially when sourced from the Qur’an. The Khayamiya of the Khedival period (1867-1914) typically featured Arabic calligraphic content from diverse sources. Whereas Khedival Khayamiya used calligraphy in prominent positions as an aspect of an overall composition, when contemporary Khayamiya feature calligraphic content, it is usually the focus of the entire panel. Anamorphic texts are common, such as ‘My tongue is my horse’ written in Arabic script in the shape of a horse. However, the “99 Names” embraces the beauty of individual words with exceptional technical complexity.

This unique Khayamiya panel was designed and created by Mohamed Dendon of the Street of the Tentmakers in Cairo. It was completed in 2010, and represents a masterpiece of contemporary Khayamiya. Like all Khayamiya (or Egyptian Tentmaker Applique), it consists of hand-appliqued cotton pieces sewn with great skill and precision to a cotton base, supported by a canvas back. It represents an adaptation of an Islamic art form originally developed to create large decorated tents.

The “99 Names” are a collection of divine attributes by which Allah is known. The list of 99 names presented here is the selection made by Mohamed Dendon. They include terms like “The Giving”, “The Loving”, “The Eternal”, “The Majestic” and “The Sublime”, amongst many others. These ‘names’ are well-known in Islamic cultures worldwide.

This exceptional applique panel was chosen to demonstrate the technical refinement of a master Tentmaker (or ‘Khayamin’), to situate Khayamiya as a unique and vibrant field of contemporary Islamic Art, and to display the capacity of Gigapan photography to digitally illustrate these complex textiles in all their subtly and majesty.

(Text by Sam Bowker)

Size: 380.7 megapixels (14685×25925 pixels)
Added: 11th of April, 2014
Date taken: 8th of April, 2014
Description: Egyptian Khayamiya – Ninety-Nine Names
Images: 32
Camera: Canon 600D
Lens: 100mm macro