Muthanna/Mirror Writing in Islamic Calligraphy: History, Theory, and Aesthetics. By Esra Akin-Kivanç. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2020. Pp. ix, 335, with bibliography and indexes. ISBN: 9780253049209 (hardback), 9780253049216 (paperback), 9780253049230 (ebook).
Muthanna, or mirror writing, is a popular form of Islamic calligraphy which operates under the principle of symmetrical reflection of a calligraphic text along an axis. Although this art form is well-attested since the early days of Muslim history on a wide variety of objects, including textiles, everyday objects, and buildings, in the scholarly literature it has rarely been investigated and understood as a genre of Islamic art in its own right. Esra Akin-Kivanç aims to remedy this situation by providing a cogent framework for understanding the history and meaning of muthanna by examining pre-Islamic influences, its gradual development in Muslim cultures, and its culminating expressions in the heart of the Ottoman Empire.
Akin-Kivanç’s central argument is that the art of muthanna is closely intertwined with the meaning of the text in that it serves to remind viewers of their relationship to the divine and to facilitate their spiritual return to God. In support of this thesis, Akin-Kivanç observes that only certain types of texts are chosen for muthanna, namely, apotropaic expressions, the names and attributes of God, affirmations of monotheism, entreaties to God, and cosmological and eschatological discourses. She also expertly examines the concepts of “mirror,” “reflection,” and “symmetry” in Islamic philosophy, mysticism, and science to demonstrate the relationship between muthanna and the choice of texts.
While readers may not agree with all of the author’s conclusions, this book contains groundbreaking research on an art form that has been understudied and poorly understood despite its ubiquitous presence in Muslim cultures. Akin-Kivanç supports her arguments with numerous examples of muthanna across a broad range of time and cultures and makes deft use of a wide selection of secondary sources. Her research also raises new avenues of inquiry, such as the reason for the disappearance of mirror-writing in non-Arabic scripts in late antiquity, the combination of muthanna with non-Islamic iconography during the medieval period, and the interaction between tradition and individual creativity in the development of muthanna and Islamic art more generally.
As is to be expected from this publisher, the book is of high-quality production and abounds with full color illustrations. Romanization forgoes diacritics, which is helpful to those readers not familiar with the Arabic script. An extensive bibliography and three indexes round out the book; the index of calligraphic terms should prove particularly useful for readers not well-acquainted with Islamic calligraphy. This book is most appropriate for an academic library, and Akin-Kivanç’s thorough explanations of the variety inherent in Islamic beliefs and Muslim cultures should provide adequate contextualization for the non-specialist.
Denise Soufi
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill