ABSTRACT
The region was Arabized as Islam spread during the eighth and ninth centuries, and their arts share certain fundamental characteristics. These characteristics were the re-
sult of cultural developments during Islam’s early period rather than religious injunctions, since the Koran, Islam’s holy book, does not offer any commentary on aesthetics. The early, ascetic form of Islam developed elaborate ceremonies during the Umayyad Dynasty (661-750), and a veritable explosion of artistic development occurred during the Golden Age of Islam, the Abbasid Dynasty (ca. 750-1258). Early Islam was quite strict when it came to the arts, and fundamentalist Muslims who follow the original practices of Islam; namely, a more restricted use of religious icons.
