Continue your travels in Xinjiang.
In my previous article, I mentioned a small restaurant opened by Pakistanis who accidentally clocked in in the county seat of Tashkurgan, and I was impressed by the geometric crafts hanging on their walls. This article will talk about the understanding of this thing, which may not be completely accurate, and it is a kind of summary of travel.
In a restaurant, it is most common to have seductive pictures of food or restaurant posters on the walls, but small shops in Pakistan solemnly frame these "abstract" graphics – in my personal understanding, this soft decoration feature is synonymous with "halal", with "potential infinite energy":
Muslims never worship the "Creator" like Catholics hang the image of Jesus in their homes, and they abstain from any form of "figurative worship." The "Allah" are not gods, and there are no human figures in the mosques, but instead these unique "Islamic geometry" motifs that cover all aspects of culture, art, and life.
They look like just ordinary square continuous, a ruler + compass can be completed, by constantly repeating a set of patterns, to achieve the effect of infinite extension to the four sides of the brilliant effect. This reminds me of when I visited the tomb of Yu Sufu in Kashgar earlier, and found that the entire "coffin" was inlaid with such a geometric pattern of arabesque flowers.
YuSufu was the "greatest philosopher" of the 11th century, and before his appearance, the (mature) Islamic geometric pattern existed in the world for more than 200 years. Due to the lack of written records, no one knows exactly what the true origin of these lines and color blocks is, but I dare to feel that the reason why such an art form can cover the Arab world and endure for a long time has a lot to do with YuSufu's kingdom.
During those 200 years, the regime in Baghdad was in decline, and Central Asia and the central and western parts of China's Xinjiang were experiencing a new empire with Kashgar (an ancient city scenic spot that I shared in previous travelogues): the Qarakhanid dynasty. Little is known about the history of this dynasty, so it can only be speculated – including these insignificant points in this article.
The Qarakhanid rulers did something (which seems today) to be wiser:
Vigorously develop the cause of culture and the arts — this is certainly not motivated by any visceral act of kindness, but in the final analysis it is to cloak one's rule with philosophical and spiritual significance, and to consolidate them —
Including the refinement and inheritance of this geometric pattern: they were more adorned on the sanctuary. In the folk, they are made into a variety of "mosaics" and are overwhelming.
At the same time, they also chose to follow the guidance and advice of the wise.
During this period, Yu Sufu easily played the "thinking power" of the Qarakhanid high society at that time with some "chicken soup for the soul", life philosophy and wisdom of the world, which were not yet outdated.
"The people in the palace can be divided into three categories, one is the dignitaries and dignitaries who are higher than you, respect them, and your wishes will surely come true... And your colleagues, estrangement will become enemies, closeness will become friendship... There is also a category of people who are inferior to you, you should taste the sweetness of life with them, but pay attention, do not idlely chew the root of the tongue, Mo joke with them..."
The magnates enjoyed it while thinking of having greater power, and the words of the philosophers made these upstarts very useful.
It was also during this period that the rulers of this dynasty, composed of descendants of steppe tribes that had originally embraced Christianity and Judaism, immediately converted to Islam (the "majority" at the time).
Buddhism disappeared into this land.
In order to win the hearts and minds of the people, this most powerful empire in human history vigorously defended the various ideologies of Islam while accelerating its expansion – which directly affected the pattern of Asia.
It was a time when artists (including mathematicians) said things like "Figurative things are not worthy of worship, and borderless patterns are divine powers," and the royal family was busy worshipping them as things worth promoting.
So I suspect that the reason why Islamic geometric patterns have been recognized by the entire Muslim community for more than a thousand years may have been carried forward by those rulers in such a process of dynastic change.
When a dynasty that is rapidly accumulating wealth does not know what to do, a large number of scholars, artists, and philosophers will emerge, representing the aesthetics of several generations, and behind this aesthetic is the recognition, support and use of the upper class.
Thousands of years have passed, some history has been remembered by the world, and more have been forever drowned in the vast past, only these symbols have been preserved, which is a valuable travel harvest, we must not ignore it. Many people think of Islamic art as beginning with the recognition of the geometric patterns on these buildings and utensils.
Let's talk about that first, and then let's share the rest in the travelogue about Yusufu Haas Hajifu.
To this day, I am particularly fortunate that I bought a ticket for a "heavy amount of money" and walked into this scenic spot where I stood lonely in the corner of Kashgar, where there were no tourists, and "stringed" my Travelogue of Xinjiang in a special way.
Xinjiang travelogue is still continuing, the next issue of travelogue preview: or Tashkurgan. Remember to follow me, remember to come and see.
I am a big red sister, an anchor of the audio radio travel channel, a professional travel player, focusing on niche gameplay and sharing unpopular destinations. Travel is not an attitude, but life itself.