Home Journal List Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization Volume II Article Details

EPIGRAPHY AND ISLAMIC HISTORY IN SOUTH ASIA 

Abstract

One of the great intellectual achievements and significant contribution of Islamic civilization to the science of historiography is its rich legacy of historical texts not being limited to chronicles and books but in other forms, including inscriptions. These inscriptions which were used in Islamic culture since its formative period are a mode of cultural expression and reflect the Islamic faith itself. The earliest Islamic inscriptions date from the first/seventh century. It is difficult to imagine a building of the early period without some kind of inscription -- as if, without one, the building would be unfinished or „naked‟. However, approaching Islamic inscriptions in a systematic way with an academic interest began in the late nineteenth century, when Islamic epigraphy saw some of its rules codified as a result of the dedicated efforts of the famous Swiss orientalist Max Van Berchem (1863-1923) who can be regarded as the pioneer of the science of modern Islamic epigraphy in this age. The article deals with the history and importance of Epigraphy in detail. It also encompasses the comparison of inscriptions of Andalusia and Bengal.

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