“‘Tafaḍḍal,’ Come in and Delve!” – Or How to Sense the In/Visible Space in Manuscripts of the Islamic World

Medieval and early modern illustrators of the Islamic world developed various techniques to communicate spatial concepts and narratives on paper. They transformed the––seemingly––flat surface not only with their brush, but also through deliberate incorporation of the senses beyond the ocular to nudge the reader and viewer to wander through and explore what can be sensed through the script and the illustrations. The question is, then, how did this process work? How was space on these surfaces experienced, especially when the space is not immediately visible? Entering and delving into an array of manuscripts from Special Collections, Fatih Tarhan will guide through the process of “seeing” in concert with all senses.