Simbol ptice na bosanskom ćilimu i vezu: Interpretacija
The Symbol of a Bird on a Bosnian-style Carpet and Embroidery: An Interpretation

Summary/Abstract: The paper researches the meaning of the symbol of a bird on a Bosnian-style carpet and embroidery. The symbol of a bird is here interpreted as a soul in a constant search for the Master, which gives a contribution to understanding of Islamic art as a holy art, whose forms are, actually, reflections of heavenly archetypes that make it a mean of expression of relations of Oneness with multitude and vice versa. The bird is used as a symbol in countless verses that describe spiritual experience of love for God. Works on heavenly ascension, The Mi’raj, of which the most famous is Attār’s Mantik al-tayr, use the symbol of a bird again to describe a soul, which, in seeking for its true original, vowed in the Kingdom of Souls to obedience to the Master, overcomes extremely difficult obstacles on the path to its Master. The aim of this paper is to show that symbols woven on the carpet and embroidery are not solely a result of historical and cultural permeations, nor are they a random choice. These symbols have their roots in the history of Islam onto which its application in practice relies.

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