Nine-Pointed Star

Size: 20” Medium: Acrylics on Canvas

The northern minaret of al-Anwar is adorned with this beautifully complex medallion surrounded by a verse (33:33) from the Holy Quran in kufic script describing the purity of the Ahle Bayt ^AS. In many ways this medallion represents the restoration project. Like it, the project was defined by the principles of the Holy Quran and the intention to maintain the purity of a house of Allah ^TA built by the Ahle Bayt ^AS. As the grooved band moves across the inner medallion it forms 1) a nine-pointed star at the centre, 2) a second nine-pointed star surrounding the first, and a final star of nine points at the edge. The sum of all the points equals 27. The restoration of al-Anwar, like the movement of the grooved band through the stars, progressed through a period of 27 months within which was expressed a beautifully complex process and vividly intricate philosophy of architectural restoration.