..."Cats in Islamic Culture"... http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?TaxonomyTypeID=105
This detail from a 16th century Mogul miniature gives a Moslem interpretation of Noah and the Flood. Notice how the cat calmly sits aloof from the rest of the passengers on the ark and seems unconcerned about the activity around her. [16th century, Noah and the Flood (detail), Mogul, miniature] http://www.netserves.com/gallery/catsart2.htm
Illustration from a contemporary "'Mush va Gorbeh” (Mouse and Cat) by Ubaid Zakani (died Circa 1372 A.D.), "one of the most remarkable poets, satirists and social critics of Iran" http://sisu.typepad.com/sisu/2006/02/illustration_fr.html
Persian Cats
Persian Cats ...http://www.farsinet.com/tambr/iri_iranian_domestic_cats.html
Tambr - Persian Stamps, Iranian Stamps Islamic Republic of Iran - Iranian Domestic Cats... http://www.farsinet.com/tambr/iri_iranian_domestic_cats.html
Malaysia - http://www.geocities.com/fatin90_my/available.htm
Malaysia... http://www.geocities.com/fatin90_my/available.htm
Cat figure on an Ottoman Ring Holder - Source: ebay
Cat Wood Carvings - Indonesia
Antique Islamic Prints: “Turk With Cats” - Source: ebay
Big Cats - Ottoman Fabric Pattern
Big Cats - Ottoman Tile Design
...famous prehistoric carving called 'Fighting Cats' - Libya http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/coulson/
from thirteenth century was made in Rayy near Tehran... http://www.zoroastriankids.com/cat.html
Iran, 1000–1400 a.d. Incense burner, 1181–1182; Seljuq Jacfar ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Khorasan (eastern Iran), Tay-abad (Kariz), Iran Cast bronze with openwork decoration; H. 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm), L. 32 1/2 in. (82.6 cm) / Rogers Fund, 1951 (51.56) / This large metal sculpture of a lion belongs to a small group of incense burners of similar form and size. The head comes off so that the incense can be placed inside, and the arabesque interlace on the body and neck has been pierced to allow the aroma to escape. The Arabic inscriptions in kufic on various parts of the animal as well as on three bosses provide us with the name of the emir who commissioned the work, its artist, and the date, 577 A.H. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/07/wai/hod_51.56.htm
Incense burner, 11th CC, Seljuq
Islamic Incense Burner, Afghanistan, Late 10th Century www.trmkt.com
This bronze incense burner represents a cat with its mouth half open and ears pricked. The back, neck and chest are all perforated to allow incense to escape. On the cat's chest is an inscription in the Kufic script which says: "Valor, power, and glory." [c. 11th or 12th century, bronze incense burner, Islamic, Seljuk] http://www.netserves.com/gallery/catsart2.htm
Ottoman Miniature - http://www.thy.com/en-INT/corporate/skylife/article.aspx?mkl=34
Ottoman miniature http://www.a-website.org/design/composition_design.htm
Persian Iran Cat Qajar period Islamic c1880… - Source: ebay.com
http://www.islammessage.com/bb/lofiversion/index.php/t1656.html
http://cairocats.com/
Turkish Van cat. Their importance in Turkey stems from two events: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938), who founded the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923, declared that his successor would be bitten on the ankle by an odd-eyed white cat. And secondly, legend has it that Mohammed (570 - 632), founder of the Islamic faith, possessed a Traditional Turkish Angora he regarded so highly that rather than disturb it as it slept on his robe, he cut off the sleeve. Mohammed's Traditional Turkish Angora was reputed to have been odd-eyed (one blue eye and one gold eye). They are protected in Turkey and it used to be difficult to take them out of the country. www.swimmingcats.com/history.htm
Cats were included in medieval Islamic science books called “Kitab Al Hayawan” (Book of Animals) of which Mehemet Bayrakdar said: “The Kitab al-Hayawan” the object of many studies, and had great influence upon later Muslim scientists, and via them upon European thinkers (especially upon Lamarck and Darwin). And it became the source for later books on zoology. Al-Jahiz’s many sentences are quoted by Ikhwan al-Safa’ and Ibn Miskawayh, and many passages are quoted by Zakariyya’ al-Qazwini (1203-1282) in his ‘A/a’ ib al-Maklzluqat, and by Mustawfial-Qazwini (1281- ?) in his Nuzkat ai-Qulub; and al-Damiri in his Hayat al-Hayawan"8 and still continues to inspire the many scientist today … These books also revolutionised modern science in zoology, biology, evolutionary theories, medicine, veterinary, anatomy etc… http://www.salaam.co.uk/knowledge/al-jahiz.php
'Ubayd Allah Ibn Bukhtishu', Kitâb manâfî' al-hayawân, 1300 http://expositions.bnf.fr/livrarab/grands/2782_23.htm
An example is a line from Al-Jahiz’s Kitab al-Hayawan: "and the cat profits so much from its resemblance to the king of beasts that one way of dealing with approaching war elephants is to release a quantity of cats from a bag." www.geocities.com/pieterderideaux/jahiz_hayawan.html
Zoomorphic (and anthropomorphic) work is by © Hassan Musa from Sudan... http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2006/06/zoomorphic-calligraphy.html
Common signature of Tüpfli, Murr and Pangur: qitt - one of the Arabic words for tomcat (calligraphy by Annemarie Schimmel in her wonderful book Die orientalische Katze) http://www.payer.de/tuepfli.htm
(“Cat” word comes from the Arabic word “qit” but a tiny male cat is called “hurayrah”) http://www.webarabic.com/enfants/lettretta/1.html
Custom Arabic calligraphy web store http://www.cafepress.com/calligraphize/1985699
Nadim Karam's cat sculpture in downtown Beirut. http://arabworld.nitle.org/gallery.php?module_id=5&image_id=160
Syria, Damascus... There was even a resident cat population (I saw no dogs in Damascus). Cats seem to be fairly common in the town and are well cared for. My suspicion is that they are kept around to keep the rodent population under control, and indeed I saw no mice or rats during my stay. http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/faculty/cwillett/syria/syria1.html
A "temple-cat" in the sufihostel of Al-Ashraf Barsbay, City of the Dead, Mamluks... http://www.egyptmyway.com/articles/picturescityofdead1_4.html
Cunda's many charms, the most memorable are the cats, who are the unchallenged masters of its animal kingdom; nary a dog (or a mouse, for that matter) is to be found. http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~nelc/newletters/Newsletter_Spring_2004.htm
http://www.rudimentsofwisdom.com/pages/cats.htm
:)
A cat boss in the Islamic World section (17th Century Mughal India) http://bp2.blogger.com/_T6i5nNA1PcI/RggLapOiuZI/AAAAAAAAACY/yiw4R1Mdg4M/s1600-h/feline-boss.jpg
Islamic cat sculpture, Park Slope, Brooklyn http://www.ayyubwood.com/thecatproject/images/bastet.jpg
