Looks like a colourful plate, but this is actually the ceiling underneath one of the domes of the mosque in Wah, Pakistan (a short distance to the west of the capital Islamabad). Classic Islamic geometric work here. And colourful, too. The pattern is based around the Islamic eight point star from which everything emanates outwards. My special thanks to old buddy Kamran Shafi of Wah, a fellow columnist, who introduced me to this historic place with which his family has connections (the famous Nawab Hyat Khan of Wah and Sir Sikander Hyat Khan).

Tags:   Pakistan Wah Punjab Islamic patterns geometric Muslims KamranShafi HyatKhan Sikandar Islamabad eightpointstar jalalspages_artandcraft-album

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Wah, Pakistan. Detail of Islamic geometric patterns from the beautiful little mosque in Wah village. It's a small place, but I fell in love with it! No wonder the Mughal emperors exclaimed "Wah!" when they passed through the valley here.

My thanks to columnist (and now TV presenter as well) Kamran Shafi for welcoming me here. He is a fantastic host and is one of the best Pakistanis I know! He's an old fashioned army major type but very fatherly! He used to be the late Benazir Bhutto's press advisor and then became an Information Minister. He now writes a column for the Dawn newspaper and is always fuming about the state of affairs in Pakistan:-)

His family has links with this place through Nawab Muhammad Hyat Khan, the father of Sir Sikander Hyat Khan. Sir Sikander was the premier of Punjab in pre-Partition times and is the grandfather of the famous British writer and anti-war campaigner Tariq Ali. Kamran and Tariq are cousins and are both just as bad:-)

Tags:   Pakistan Punjab Wah Islamabad GT Road mosque Islamic geometric patterns stars Kamran Shafi Tariq Ali Nawab Muhammad Hyat Khan Sir Sikander Hyat Khan Dawn Muslim mywinners

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Detail of marble floor at the Sikh shrine of Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, Pakistan. Once again we have the all-popular Islamic eight point star with typical Mughal-style patterns (the chevrons are classic Mughal). The work, however, looked fairly recent to me and is not from the Mughal period. This is a fine example of the sharing and fusion of art and design in South Asia across the religious communities. They have more in common than they think!

This shrine is important to Sikhs because of the supposed imprint of the hand ("panja" in Punjabi) of Guru Nanak in a stone preserved here. Guru Nanak (1469 – 7 May 1539) was the founder of the Sikh faith and is revered as a mystical man of considerable piety across the faiths.

"NO PHOTOGRAPHS" said the notice board when I entered this holy place! BUT since I was a special overseas guest, I was allowed to take some shots:-) I'm grateful to the well-known Pakistani columnist Kamran Shafi for arranging the tour and for always making my brief visits so memorable.

Tags:   SouthAsia Pakistan Islamabad GTRoad HasanAbdal PanjaSahib Guru Nanak Sikhism Islamic patterns geometric star KamranShafi Excellent Photographer Awards The Perfect Photographer

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Flickr Explore: November 30, 2007, # 248.

Detail from the Rohtas Fort near Jhelum in Pakistan. This collosal fort was built by Sher Shah Suri (1472 - 1545) as a defence against the Mughals. All that remains now are the massive walls and gates and a few bits of the internal buildings, such as the mosque and Maan Singh's mansion. This particular detail is from the Shahi Mosque, which, I think, could do with some renovation to make it shine again. This is Arabic calligraphy for Allah or God. The material is stone.

Tags:   SirCam Pakistan Punjab Dina Jhelum Rohtas Fort SherShah Suri Mughals Arabic Islamic calligraphy Allah God DiamondClassPhotographer ABigFave The Perfect Photographer platinumphoto SOE APlusPhoto

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Detail from the Mexuar hall of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. This is the hall of the royal palace where the Muslim rulers held public audience (the Spanish "mexuar" is from Arabic "shura or mashwara" meaning to consult or consultation). The calligraphy here is the word Allah, God. The Spanish Ole derives from Allah!

Tags:   Spain Espana Andalucia Granada Mexuar Islamic Arabic Muslim calligraphy Ole Allah SuperbMasterpiece

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