A thread on the written word Allāh (الله) in #Muslim art as an aniconic symbol of #God.

Image: A lotus-style stone flower with the word Allāh incorporated in its center. Rohtas fort, 16th century defensive structure in Punjab (Pakistan).
First of all, a small introduction to the origin of the word "Allāh", or الله in the Arabic language. According to the famous grammatician Sībawayh (760-796) in his "al-Kitāb" vol. II p. 195, الله is a contraction of the #Arabic word إله (deity) and the definite article ال.
He explains that the definite article was added to the word إله, as a form of reverence (taʿẓīm). As a result, the hamza of إله disappeared, and a shadda (gemination) appeared on the original letter lām, resulting in ال + إله = الله. This would mean literally THE deity, or God.
Muslims believe that mentioning the name of God brings blessings and strengthens their piety.

God says: "those whose heart shivers when Allah is mentioned" [22:35]

#Muslims mention His name throughout the day, so it's only logical that His name is incorporated in Islamic art.
Of all Islamic art's branches, #architecture makes the most use of God's written name to embellish both religious and secular buildings. This Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi in Southerh #Kazakhstan was built in the 14th c. and has the blue brickwork spelling out the name Allāh.
This was achieved through the architectural technique of bannāʾi, a decorative art in which glazed tiles are alternated with plain bricks to create geometric patterns or to spell out sacred names. The tomb of Timur is an excellent example, in which the word Allāh is incorporated.
The minarets of respectively the Jāmeh Mosque of Isfahān (left) and the Shāh Mosque of Isfahān (right) feature the same technique, used to decorate both towers with the written name Allāh (الله), elevated high above everything else in the city.
The fact that sacred names and religious phrases were represented in #Islamic art as geometric patterns, an art Muslims developed to an unseen level of skill and technique, can be traced back to the aniconic nature of Islam, and the absolute prohibition to imagine #God.
There's an interesting explanation by Titus Burckhardt on religiously motivated aniconism in Islamic art. The prevalence of geometric patterns over breathing beings in Islamic art are deeply rooted in the creed ('aqīda) of #Islam. Source: "Art of Islam, Language and Meaning."
That being said, Muslim art and architecture symbolizes the concept of God through His name, as opposed to the figurative, bodily representation so often witnessed in #Christian art. The remembrance of His name, the reading of its letters is an act of worship in itself.
The Hagia Sophia in #Istanbul houses the biggest calligraphic panes in the Muslim world. There are 8 of these panes, one of them containing the written name Allāh. These panes are 7.5 meters of diameter and are written by gilt on a green background made of hemp.
The miḥrāb of the Turkish Fatih Mosque in the city of #Amsterdam I tweeted earlier about. Above the miḥrāb, you can see the written name Allāh mirrored in square kufic style. The mosque was opened in 1981 in the building of a former Catholic church built in 1929.
The Sāḥat al-Nūr in the #Lebanese city of #Tripoli is famous for its enormous statue of the written name Allāh, flanked by two black and white banners featuring the shahāda. The text below the statue reads: "Tripoli, fortress of the Muslims, welcomes you."
The statue was erected during the Lebanese Civil War, when Tripoli was controlled by the Islamic Unification Movement (Ḥarakat al-tawḥīd al-Islāmiyya) led by Saʿīd Shaʿbān. Despite numerous attempts by the government to remove it, locals insist on its value and survival.
A beautifully decorated wall in the Jāmiʿ al-Shaykh Zāyid Al-Kabīr in Abū Ẓabī ( #UAE). Opened in 2007, this wall features a #Kufic engraving of the written name Allāh, from which all of God's 99 names branch away.
A great analysis on Islamic aniconism by Nadirsyah Hosen in her "Research Handbook on Islamic Law and Society" (2018). He explains how aniconism differs greatly from iconoclasm in the context of #Islamic art and visual culture.
He proceeds to expand on the subject of aniconism, and how it isn't just an alternative attempt at visualizing the Divine without breaking the rules, but that it is a complete aesthetic culture of representing #God's infinity and transcendence through non-figurative forms.
The Iqbāl Stadium in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Used in 1978 for its first #cricket match, this Test cricket ground bears the name of Muḥammad Iqbāl, the famous #Muslim poet and alleged spiritual father of #Pakistan. Outside of the stadium stands a written name of Allāh monument.
Hotel Jawār al-Saqīfa is an establishment for the accommodation of pilgrims in al-Medīna. Its windows are made in such a way that it writes the word Allāh (الله).
A war memorial in the #Egyptian city of Dasūq, in honor of those soldiers that fell during the October War (1973) with #Israel. Above the names of the deceased, the word Allāh stands tall. Such monuments aren't uncommon in #Muslim cities, as is illustrated in this thread.
The flag of the Islamic Republic of #Iran is the only national flag to feature only the word Allāh as a proper element, albeit in a heavily stylized form. The flag was adopted in July 1980 and replaced the from then on outlawed lion-and-sun motif of the #Pahlavi dynasty.
There is a lot going on with regard to the emblem's symbolism. Besides the obvious representation of the word Allāh by using five separate elements and a shadda, the emblem is also a ligature for the Islamic shahāda لا إله إلا الله (there is no god except God).
Regarding the separate elements the emblem consists of, one might discern a collection of swords and crescents. However, more importantly, the five elements also represent the #Shiite Principles of Religion: Monotheism, Justice, Prophethood, Imamate and the Day of Resurrection.
The emblem of Iran was designed by Ḥamīd Nadīmī and approved by Rūḥallāh Khomaynī on 9 May 1980. The emblem was to highlight the religious basis of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and the nature of the regime subsequently established.
This thread won't be updated anymore. I believe enough has been written to sufficiently understand this symbol. You can use this tweet to bookmark, reference or navigate the thread, whose first tweet can be found at https://bit.ly/2wTQmJX  ⁽ʷᵒʳᵈ ᵃˡˡᵃʰ⁾
You can follow @MENAsymbolism.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: