Historia Islamica

In the late-night deep dive, we explore how pristine Chinese porcelain from the Tang and Song dynasties traveled the Silk Road and Indian Ocean and sparked a ceramic revolution in Iraq and Europe.We dive into:The Belitung shipwreck treasureSamarra excavations full of Chinese shardsHow Islamic potters invented tin-glaze to copy that whitenessThe massive scale of 9th-century tradeSubscribe for more raw history deep dives blending East and West.Sources:Belitung shipwreck (Tang treasure ship)Samarra archaeological findsAshmolean & British Museum collections

In this late-night deep dive, we explore how the blue in your classic “Chinese” vase actually started in 9th-century Iraq. We examine into how Abbasid cobalt mastery traveled east via Mongol routes and birthed Yuan/Ming blue-and-white porcelain.We explore:Basra workshops and Persian cobalt minesMongol Pax Mongolica trade explosionReverse influence loopModern cobalt tiesSources:Qatar Museums cobalt collectionsJingdezhen porcelain historyIlkhanid hybrid wares

In this late-night deep dive, we explore how Abbasid potters in 9th-century Baghdad and Basra invented lusterware — pottery that gleams like real gold and silver through secret kiln alchemy.We cover:The metallic magic of reduction firing and nanoparticlesInfluences from Sassanian silver and Byzantine enamelsWhy Harun al-Rashid gifted these to CharlemagneConnections from the House of Wisdom to modern tech coatingsPart of a series on Islamic ceramics and East-West exchange.Sources & further reading:Metropolitan Museum of Art lusterware collectionBritish Museum Abbasid ceramics“Islamic Pottery: A Brief History” – Ashmolean Museum#IslamicCeramics #Abbasid #Baghdad #Lusterware #HistoryDeepDive