ABSTRACT
Shadow puppetry, in fact, is quite ancient here and Arab literature features many metaphoric references in which shadow figures are seen as reflections of the ephemeral existence of human beings animated by the hidden manipulator that is God himself. Certainly historical proof is available to show that Arab masters long knew the many visual principles which lie behind the development of the shadow art. Indeed, we also know that in many Arab countries the art was forbidden. In the seventh century in Kufa, for example, a Jewish shadow artist named Batrûnî gave a demonstration of his art in a mosque. In his show, a South Arabian king riding a horse appeared at one point. So frightened did many in the audience become that Batrûnî was denounced to authorities as a magician and decapitated.
