Lot #001, The Garden Of Raqqa

Theme: Plant Life
3D Ceramic Profile: Handled Pouring Jug

To my grandfather, who inspired me to look at nature a little differently.

The lifecycle of Raqqa ware 2.0 begins with the subject of plant life. In a single petal of a flower, we can witness an entire universe unfolding itself. Petal after petal, stem after stem, flower after flower, rhythmically pulsating, coiling and stretching out beneath the ground. Agriculture has always been a force for livelihood in the history of Raqqa. From farmers across generations working with the soil and the river, to potters in the 13th century using the soil to craft quartz material for pottery. With their loosely, lively drawn flowers and nature-esque motifs, Raqqa potters captured the zeitgeist of the medieval city, preserving it onto the surface of the buried pots that await the excavators spade. "Glazed ceramics provided a cladding resistant to fading in the strong desert sun. They provide relief from the desert heat through an appearance of wetness, and coolness to the touch."¹

The artists restless creativity reveals itself to the viewer through the absence of empty space, creating a horror vacui effect using floral, vegetal and animals motifs with the infamous types of glazes that are at the heart of Raqqa ware identity. Within this connection, I pay homage once again to my grandfather, who showed me the world of plant life. Growing up in Masyaf, Syria, I spent my childhood running across his wheat fields and fig trees that flourished within his soft hands. The essence of Raqqa ware lies in vegetal and arabesque motifs, with the presence of aniconic motifs. This story of rebirth and growth is instilled in me and encapsulated into the first pot of Raqqa ware 2.0. This is the ‘Garden of Raqqa’ and the timeline of the story begins at the cavetto where spiralling seeds flow horizontally, coiling around its neck. The motifs are divided by horizontal bands which speak to the evolution of plant life. This growth symbolizes the repeated challenges that this agricultural land has withstood through the many tests of time. This story encapsulates the birth of nature’s cycle, which begins with spiral seeds, followed by water drops, inverted around the neck of the pot, gifting life to the band of butterflies pollinating. Small water ripples in an empty band of white acts as the diver into the final stage of plant life, a blossoming matrix of flowers that is infinitely stretching out underneath the ground. Its growth is invisible, like the pulse of the universe or the deepest echoes of the ocean. This pot is underglaze painted with tones of chocolate brown and cobalt blue. Its function is to hold and pour water. The lip of the pot is slightly molded to help the flow of water.

1. Damascus Tiles (PG. 15). (2016). Arthur Millner.

Lot #002, Eclipse

Theme: Astronomy
3D Ceramic Profile: Jar with molding at base of neck

Raqqa was once considered the scene of the golden Islamic age, where craftsman, mathematicians, philosophers and astronomers flourished on its ground, studying its skies and absorbing its intellectual culture. 'Eclipse' tells the story of one of the greatest astronomers of the medieval Islamic world, Al Battani. As a skilled naked eye observer, the Arab astronomer lived and worked in Raqqa where he underwent specialized training in astronomy and mathematics, eventually building a private observatory in which he conducted observations from 877 to 918. In this undocumented observatory Al Battani conducted studies that significantly contributed to our knowledge of the skies today. Working in various instruments such as telescopes, astrolabes, gnomons, parallactic rulers and sundials. "It was in Raqqa that Al Battani determined that the solar year is 365 days, and by recalculating celestial positions between the earth and the sun, he concluded how a solar eclipse occurs."²

"Eclipse" celebrates Al Batani's observatory and the presence of medieval astronomy in Raqqa. The cavetto of the pot is decorated with diamond shaped stars, mimicking the way the stars shine at night. Curvy lines stretch out around the body of the pot mimicking the movement of planet orbs. Sprinkled dots in a variety of sizes, swirling commas, and quickly drawn lines meant to be comets passing by. The body is ornamented with double sided circles that each contain a filler with leaf in concentric circles as a night sky. The body is also decorated with both pseudo calligraphy (arabic letters) and epigraphic elements (the sun, the moon, the stars) . The pot is glazed in the iconic Raqqa black under turquoise glaze. "Eclipse" has a purely decorative function. It's reflective glaze shines under moonlight, so it is designed to sit outdoors.

1. Damascus Tiles (PG. 15). (2016). Arthur Millner.
2. Al-Battani Contributions in Astronomy and Mathematics. (2011). Mohammad Abdullatif.

Lot #003, The Waster

Theme: Healing & Protection
3D Ceramic Profile: Inverted pear-shaped jars with cylindrical neck and everted rim

The identity of Raqqa ware spreads across the world due to undocumented excavations, stolen artefacts, unprotected archaeological sites, undocumented wasters, antique smugglers, to even copies of the ware. 'The Waster' speaks to the various levels of destruction and growth the ware has gone through in its lifetime. The heavily restored identity of Raqqa ware, reveals to the viewer "the lengths collectors went to, in order to keep up with the high demand for Raqqa ware".¹ We witnessed top auction houses selling Raqqa ceramics within the last decade, proving that the lure for the ceramics is still alive. As the story for each ceramic gets retold, today there are no Raqqa pots available on the market until the next lot. I am almost relieved that the ceramics were looted to foreign hands because they are the only surviving pieces that we can look, study, and even bid/purchase. Buried under thirty feet of soil, laid the palace of Harun Al Rashid, which allegedly contained up to sixty unbroken Raqqa ware, known as "The Great Find"²

The palace was discovered in 1903, when the first official excavation in Raqqa was carried out by the Imperial Museum of Istanbul. The museum was told about this area when a colony of Circassian refugees relocated to Raqqa under the Ottomans rule. In need of building materials for their housing, they were given permission to dig in the ruins, where to their surprise, perfectly preserved lustrous pots were awaiting their eyes. "The Waster" captures the moment when lustrous pots are discovered hidden within wasters, their iconic glaze disintegrating as they get buried in the sand. Only to be reborn into life through the hands of smugglers, who dug out the artefacts from the soil and disguised them as wasters with no value. The outside pot is a heavily restored object that reveals the practice of bringing together a variety of fragments easily found at Raqqa's archeological site, to reconstruct a single, more valuable object. The hidden pot in the inside is a perfectly preserved black under turquoise glaze. The cavetto is divided by bold simple horizontal bands, followed by a vegetal scroll. The body is ornamented with the iconic Raqqa bird motif, which is hosted in a vegetal roundel. The function of this waster is to protect perfectly preserved Raqqa wares.

1. Raqqa Revisited (PG. 120). (2006). Marilyn Jenkins
2. Raqqa Revisited (PG. 16). (2006). Marilyn Jenkins.

Lot #004, Terminus Post Quem

Theme: Mysticism
3D Ceramic Profile: Inverted pear-shaped jar with cylindrical neck and everted rim

As a city that was destroyed and rebuilt several times during its history, the mysteriousness of Raqqa has puzzled art historians and antiquarians. Animal motifs present on Raqqa pots are "vibrating with movement and skillfully drawn".¹ The animal motifs that are found in Raqqa ceramics are birds, dogs, leopards, and the infamous unknown prancing hare. Venetia Porter describes this hare as "arguably amongst the most proficient attempts at animal drawing by Islamic painters."¹ The motifs I chose in the 'Terminus Post Quem' pot reflects the multi-cultural influence that existed in Raqqa. 

The cavetto is filled with pseudo arabic calligraphy band that is written upside down, a feature that is present on several Raqqa wares. A triple guilloche hugs the body before introducing a very unique animal motif. I think the triple guilloche has a Roman and Italian influence, that reflects the reign of the crusaders in Raqqa. While the prancing hare appears to be Sassanian and Babylonian, in its aesthetic nature. This pot is a study of the glaze that remains unfinished. Antiquarians would classify this pot as a waster, because of its raw unpainted surface and unusually thick glaze that droops along the side. Although wasters were discarded, they actually played an important role in dating Raqqa ware to the 12th century. The function of the pot is purely decorative, as its an imperfect study of the glaze.

1. Medieval Syrian Pottery (PG. 14). (1981). Venetia Porter

Lot #005, Everything Is In Orbit

Theme: Religion
3D Ceramic Profile: Tall-neck jug on high foot

The presence of Muslim caliphates influenced the value of craftsmanship throughout the religious history of Raqqa. Calligraphers and artists became prizes of war that would serve to strengthen their cultural value of their dynasty. The presence of religion in Raqqa wares is revealed with beautified scripture, that was either epigraphic or pseudo script. Epigraphic script, is legible Arabic that is from a religious scripture or sayings of good fortune such as "glory and prosperity". Pseudo script, is illegible text that serves to convey the aesthetic effect of Arabic scripture. It appears that the popularity of pseudo script was due to the number of secular Muslims and Christians that wanted to celebrate the beauty of Arabic calligraphy without the presence of literal religious context. I chose to portray a palindrome from the Quran that reads 'Everything Is In Orbit' and although, this sentence is from a literal religious context, my interpretation is that it speaks to the nature of the universe; everything is in orbit, everything is alive, everything is in motion.

 'Everything Is In Orbit' captures the glorification of the Arabic script as a "universal vehicle of culture."¹ The elongated neck is divided by two bands of cobalt blue, the space in between sprinkled with dots, commas and swirls. The body is filled with a loosely drawn Arabic sentence that spreads around the pot, referencing an orbit. "Everything Is in Orbit" is inspired by the intentions of epigraphic and pseudo script techniques, which is why the text is legible yet distorted in scale. The playfully decorated spirals fill the empty space between the letters. Painted in chocolate brown and cobalt blue under a transparent glaze. The function of this pot is to hold and pour water.

1. Early Islamic Pottery (PG. 17). (1947). Arthur Lane.

Lot #006, The Ink Never Runs Dry

Theme: Infinity
3D Ceramic Profile: Albarello

Horror Vacui is one of the main characteristics of Raqqa ware. Known as the fear of empty space, this term was used to describe the visual intention of the artists who painted these ceramics. The desire to fill up space with decoration comes from the artists infinite sense of imagination. Life is temporary, while death, like the artists restless creativity, is infinite. "The Ink Never Runs Dry" is inspired by the endless creativity and imagination that is embedded within artistic craft. I chose to fill the space with miniature stars that "is there to reward the searching eye."¹

The function of this albarello is to hold ink. It is glazed in the classic Raqqa turquoise. Its glaze has been disintegrating over the years, as its imagined as an ancient pot that has been a tool for generations of artists. Black miniature ornaments painted under a disintegrated turquoise glaze.

1. Early Islamic Pottery (PG. 47). (1947). Arthur Lane.

Lot #007, The Garden Of Raqqa

Theme: Plant Life
3D Ceramic Profile: Tabouret

Flowers are a universal symbol for peace, and also a metaphor for life. As one plant dies another one comes to the world, speaking to the life cycle of life and death. In the cycle of life plants are our ancestors, the very first form of life that existed in this world. Through the abundance of vines and the floral perfumes, rippling streams. One could imagine that the first artist in humanity that drew could have been inspired by a flower. A vision of paradise that exist, populated with luscious green and flowers. The function of this tabouret is to hold flowers, a universal signifier of peace. This tabouret is painted in luster, blue and chocolate brown on opaque white glaze under transparent colorless glaze. The blue speaks to the flow of water, and the brown reminds one of the richness of fertile soil.

Lot #008, The Garden Of Raqqa

Theme: Plant Life
3D Ceramic Profile: Biconical Bowl

Growing up in Damascus, the city of Jasmine, the flower was a daily part of our lives. My grandma and I, would go on our evening walks and pick fresh jasmine flowers from the street. Every night before going to bed, my grandmother would place the fresh flowers in a bowl with water and place it next to every bed in the house. The fresh romantic scent of jasmine would be the final smell before going to bed and the first smell waking up. The aromatics of the jasmine filled my childhood house and till this day the scent of jasmine brings a rush of memories of growing up in Damascus. This biconical bowl is the third ceramic in the theme of plant life. The function of this biconical bowl is to hold jasmine flowers. This bowl is painted in luster, blue and chocolate brown on opaque white glaze under transparent colorless glaze. The outside of it are adorned with a striking band of cobalt blue, representing a stream of water, followed with white dots on chocolate brown, speaking to water drops on a leaf of a plant, ending with a flower matrix. The inside begins with water drops, followed by flowering stems, a band of empty space separate the pollinating butterflies, followed by water drops that lead to the base adorned by interlocking leaves.

Lot #009, Eclipse

Theme: Astronomy
3D Ceramic Profile: Tazza

This is the second Lot in the theme of Astronomy. The spherical outline of this tazza reminds one of celestial objects, or of a perfect full moon, beaming its energy onto to the earths land and oceans. The triple lozenge rim mimics the way the stars glitter in a night sky. The cavetto is ornamented with exuberant thin rounded strokes mimicking the path of a comet passing around planets, ornamented with typical Raqqa filler motifs such as dots, dashes, and commas. Three words written in Arabic "The sun, the moon, the stars" orbit around the center of the tazza. The heart of the tazza has a double filler with a leaf in concentric circles circumscribed by a dotted double circle.

Lot #010, Eclipse

Theme: Astronomy
3D Ceramic Profile: Backgammon pieces

The sound of dice rolling echoes through the streets of Damascus, where old men would sit on the sidewalks and play for hours after work. Both of my grandfathers would meet everyday after work and play each other in an endless game of backgammon, keeping up the score day after day. Traditionally, backgammon cafes in Damascus do not allow women, it is considered a mens club. As a child, my grandfathers would sneak me in and I would watch them play for hours in a smoke filled cafe, with the sound of dice and the smell of Turkish coffee filling the air. Although there are no found backgammon pieces from Raqqa, this is an imagined set of how Raqqa potters would have created the pieces. Instead of the traditional black and white colours, each signifying the two opposing players, I chose to use the two colours of Raqqa, one of which is the iconic vibrant Raqqa turquoise blue and the other is the clear colorless glaze with a hint of green undertones revealing the rawness of the ceramic. The stones are ornamented with typical Raqqa fillers such as commas, stars and dots. The turquoise stone has a dotted double circle, with a triple lozenge rim orbiting the side and on the rim. The colorless stone also has a dotted double circle with a dagger shape orbiting the side and the rim.

Lot #011, The Waster

Theme: Healing & Protection
3D Ceramic Profile: Repaired fragmented table protecting a lantern

The function of this waster tabouret is to smuggle the perfectly preserved turquoise lanterns. Lanterns are an extremely common object found in Islamic history, their usages vary from mosque lamps, street lamps, to house lamps. Throughout my research into Raqqa's objects, I have only found two lanterns, proving that either they were made in extremely small quantities, or that these were the only two that smugglers were able to find. There could have been more lanterns that are now destroyed in Raqqa's museums, or still buried underneath the ancient city's sand. This heavily restored tabouret speaks to the lengths curators and antiquarians went to in order to create a valuable object from Raqqa fragments. The act of putting together a variety of broken pieces that are considered "wasters" into one whole object that can sell in an auction, proving the lure for Raqqa.

Lot #012, Terminus Post Quem

Theme: Mysticism
3D Ceramic Profile: Animal figurine sculpture

This animal figurine is an extremely unique approach to animal figures that is found as a sgraffito drawing on a few Raqqa ceramics. To me this figure looks like a combination of a hare and a deer. Amongst the mysteries of Raqqa's ceramics, this figurine captured my imagination as it does not look like any animal I have seen before, making me think whether this creature actually existed or it is simply the pure artistic imagination of Raqqa's artisans. The mysterious aura of this figurine inspired me to create it a sculpture rather than as a drawing on a ceramic, as it deserves its own form and function. The function of this animal figurine is purely decorative and ornamental, meant to be placed as a sculpture in a home. This figurine has a crackled luster turquoise glaze over the white raw ceramic.

Lot #013, Everything Is In Orbit

Theme: Religion
3D Ceramic Profile: Segmental flat rim bowl

This segmental bowl is the second Lot in Religion, a complex and nuanced theme. Raqqa's 13th century ceramics are categorized as Islamic art, a notoriously broad term that can reference art made under Islamic rule, from 13th century Syria, to 8th century Spain, to 18th century India. At first glance, one could think that the presence of Arabic calligraphy on ceramics is inexplicably linked with religion. Although there are cases of Quranic scripture on ceramics, there is an equal amount of secular text that wishes well on its owner, and a smaller sample of ceramics that show the Arabic scripture linked with Christian and Jewish Faith. Ceramicists would often get commissions from a variety of clients that wish the ceramic to speak to their own personal history. My approach to the theme of religion is to use my favorite palindrome in the Arabic script "Kol Fi Falak" which translates to Everything Is In Orbit. This sentence borrowed from the holy Quran speaks to the essence of the universe. There is a mysterious aura about the world that we live in that every human can sense, wither its facing the mystery of death or simply understanding the cosmos around us. What happens after we die? Why are we born? What is our purpose? "Everything Is In Orbit" speaks to the uneasiness of existing and to all unanswered questions that humans have been asking since their inception. The interior of this bowl begins with a striking band of cobalt blue sprinkled with white dots, mimicking our cosmos. The heart of this bowl is luster-painted in chocolate brown with white bands of orbiting circles with diamond clusters of dots referencing to the planets orbiting around our solar system. The outside is ornamented with a bubbly playful hand drawn "Kol Fi Falak" circumscribed with two strokes of chocolate brown and one orbital circle. The function of this segmental bowl is to hold and serve food.

Lot #014, Everything Is In Orbit

Theme: Religion
3D Ceramic Profile: Goblet

In Islam, before drinking water or eating food, the sentence "Bismilah / In The Name of God" is uttered as a means to bless the food/water. This is the third Lot in the theme of religion, and to me the act of blessing has always been considered an act tied to religious beliefs. This goblet mirrors its sister Lots in design and function. The inside of this goblet is overglazed in cobalt blue with orbiting bands of white thin strokes, with diamond shaped dots. The outside contains my favourite palindrome "Everything Is In Orbit", circumscribed by striking band of cobalt blue sprinkled with white dots.

Lot #015, The Ink Never Runs Dry

Theme: Infinity
3D Ceramic Profile: Pen box

The theme of Infinity speaks to the restless imagination and creativity of the artists that came before us, the artists of today and the artists that will come when we are long gone. This pen box is imagined as an artist pen box that have been used for thousands of years, still existing today welcoming any artist to contribute to the history of art. Very few artists instruments have been made in Raqqa, and I wish there was more emphasis on beautifying not only decorative objects, but also objects made for artists.

Lot #016, The Ink Never Runs Dry

Theme: Infinity
3D Ceramic Profile: Square tile

If there is one object that can speak to infinity, it is the tile. Inherent in its name, the function of the tile is to decorate ones home, whether that is the wall, floor, or objects. Most importantly, this object is designed to be infinitely replicated, transforming a plain white wall into a haven of blue turqouise. History, like this tile, repeats itself. Raqqa's legacy has been destroyed and rebuilt by several figures over the period of time. I am grateful for the existence of these historical ceramics that I have studied as they have allowed me a glimpse into a time where Syria was a land where astronomers, scientists and artists flourished, creating history and art that has stood the test of time.