Watching paint dry

During the DSF, the night souq at Al Seef Street displayed paintings from different countries but they comprised of Arab painters more....it was quite refreshing to see art from the Middle East. There were rows and rows of lovely paintings but since they were all displayed on the street itself the lighting was quite poor. Here are a few of which were taken clearly...yeah well as clear as it got:-):

I'm no expert but from what I gathered most of the art is closely connected to their religion ie. Islam. And Islamic art as it is called includes fields as varied as architecture, calligraphy, painting, and ceramics, among others.

Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art has focused on the depiction of patterns and Arabic calligraphy, rather than on figures, because it is feared by many Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry, forbidden in the Qur'an.

Human portrayals can be found in all eras of Islamic art. Human representation for the purpose of worship is considered idolatry. And mistakes in repetitions may be intentionally introduced as a show of humility by artists who believes only Allah can produce perfection

The painting below was not quite finished infact the artist was sitting right there having tea while I took the picture. I was quite keen to take the picture while he was painting but alas he was taking his time sipping his beverage & I gave up after some time:-).

What is interesting is that the Arabs have a long connection with horses...Arabian horses to be precise are one of the oldest horse breeds, with archaeological evidence dating back  to 4,500 years. The Arabian developed in a desert climate was prized by the nomadic Bedouin people, and although many of these horses appear "white", they are not. Arabians are actually gray in colour.

Arabian horses are also the talk of many legends..... one myth tells how Muhammad chose his foundation mares by a test of their courage and loyalty. It is said that after a long journey through the desert, Muhammad turned his herd of horses loose to race to an oasis for a desperately-needed drink of water. Before the herd reached the water, Muhammad called for the horses to return to him. Only five mares responded. Even though desperate with thirst, because they faithfully returned to their master, these horses became his favourites and were called Al Khamsa, meaning, the five. And thus became the legendary founders of the five choice "strains" of the Arabian horse.