Inspired by The Silk Road exhibition. In five online sessions, a step-by-step process guided by tutor Rajen Astho will lead participants through a sequence of rare and exquisite geometric designs adorning the walls of monuments: the Samarkand Gur Amir complex, Ulugbek Madrasa and Bibi Khanum Mosque. Exploring the relationships among these designs will shed the light on the likely thought processes of Timurid-era geometers, highlight some points of the evolution of the style, and reveal its place within the wider tradition of Islamic geometric pattern. The case studies in this course focus on designs with 12/8 focus symmetry.

Inspired by Making Paradise and The Silk Road exhibitions, this course explores the rich and varied floral and animal inspired motifs that were exchanged between China and the Islamic world. Students will learn to draw and paint fantastical birds such as the phoenix (known as the simorgh in Persian, and feng huang in Chinese). We will also explore cloud and floral designs that entered the Islamic world through the Silk Road ceramic trade. They will complete their own paintings on paper using traditional techniques.

A full-day workshop in flowers-on-tulle embroidery as part of the Making Paradise and Silk Road exhibitions at the Aga Khan Centre. You will learn the basic techniques of embroidering with dried flowers and have the opportunity to create your own richly coloured and textured geometric design.