What Are The Similarities Between Ancient China And Islamic World

In the Eastern Hemisphere, two of the greatest and most influential cultures both emerge from the Asian continent. From the Ancient World of Islam and Ancient China came some of the greatest contributions to art. Not only did these great cultures develop individually in painting, writing, pottery, and architecture, but influenced one another to great some of the greatest pieces of ancient art known. From the Silk Road, many peoples of Asia, Africa, and Europe traded not only goods, but also ideas about religion, languages, and even methods of creating art. The Ancient World of Islam and Ancient China both succeeding at creating ceramic works of art. In the Islamic world, Muslim artists created magnificent pieces of mosaic tilework. In Ancient China, potters created and designed earthenware and, overtime, created the much harder stoneware. The pieces of tile and pottery were created in similar ways: artists would take the piece of clay, shape it into whatever form desired, add color, and then place into a high temperature kiln. These ancient Chinese potters would share this information, possibly along the Silk Road, where it would influence the Islamic tileworks that came several thousand years after.

The ancient Chinese developed the idea of collecting the cocoons of silkworms to create one of the finest natural textiles of all time. One great piece of Chinese silk art is the painted silk Funerary Banner from the tomb of the Marquise of Dai. As trading between cultures went on, the Islamic World started to incorporate fine silk in to art of their own. The Maqsud of Kashan’s Ardabil carpet is an enormous funerary carpet. This huge piece of hand-woven art is made with wool and silk. As the Funerary Banner, the Ardabil carpet is also highly