Animal Representation
‘Both real and mythical animals held an important place in Islamic art.’
The virtual preclusion of human and animal representations in the religious context was systematic and deliberate, but in all other spheres both real and mythical animals held an important place in Islamic art. Birds and horned animals, dragons and griffons are predominant, while beasts of burden, animals of the land, appear only occasionally, often reflecting local popular culture.

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Wooden panel

Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century
Tulunid
Museum of Islamic Art
Cairo, Egypt
A wooden panel carved with rounded pigeons. The spaces left in between the birds are filled with decorative motifs.