Judging a book's cover

Exhibition at Sharjah Islamic Museum showcases the historical growth of the Islamic method of bookbinding


A book is a man's best friend'. This age-old truth will never change, in spite of all the competitors time and technology have thrown up against the book - that great repository of knowledge through the ages.

The book is an object with a history of its own, not only of its content, but also its pictures and illustrations, materials and decorations. And what gives a book its appeal, its distinctive appearance, look and impression? It is the way the book is bound and presented to the reader.

'Never judge a book by its cover', but, of course, we can judge the cover, can't we?

Book covers and bindings go back a long way in history, and to this day are considered a form of art. This Ramadan, the Sharjah Islamic Museum is presenting an exhibition on the Islamic method of bookbinding that dates back right to the beginning of Islam.

"During the Islamic epochs, decorative bookbinding reached high levels of craftsmanship, through the use of embossed motifs, gold-plating and colouring," says Ali Al Marri, Director of Sharjah Islamic Museum.

Many a masterpiece of this art was achieved in the past, but it has been declining, almost to the point of extinction, regrets Al Marri. "In an attempt to restore the lost interest in this art form, we have organised this exhibition."

People visiting the museum shall learn of this art and it could inspire work in the direction of its revival, he hopes.

Al Marri says the art of bookbinding, for Muslims, was a result of the artistic innovations of those who preceded them in the field of covering their holy books, like the Coptics in Egypt, the Chinese in Asia and the Byzantines.

In fact, those covers, made of wood, carried simple inscriptions and were laid with ivory, bones and precious stones.

With the propagation of Islam, and its intermingling with many other civilisations, exchange of knowledge in sciences and arts resulted in the building of an interlinked culture.

The conception of binding was a fruit of such mutual exchange, and it began to extend, develop and change from time to time, until it became an art that stood alone. It had its scientific and technical bases that evolved it into a note-worthy profession.

Al Marri reveals that the Arabs knew the art of binding right from the beginning of Islam and this idea continued to grow under the Caliphs. The Holy Quran was the first book to be bound, to protect the written pages, lest they should be scattered and lost.

The method used for binding, then, brought together two pieces of wooden board that were fixed at the back with a thin string made of date fibre. This fibre was kept between the printed pages of the Holy Quran.

It further evolved when the wooden boards started to be covered with strips of leather. This stage is considered the beginning of the art of binding in Islamic history.