The Art of the Murakka: Portable Masterpieces of the Islamic World

Imagine holding a book that does not tell a single, linear story, but instead serves as a portable museum—a curated cabinet of curiosities where breathtaking poetry, vibrant miniature paintings, exquisite calligraphy, and intricate botanical illustrations collide.

This is the murakka (also spelled muraqqa), a unique traditional book-format album that flourished across the Islamic world, reaching extraordinary heights of luxury and sophistication in the royal courts of the Mughals, the Ottomans, and Safavid Persia. Far more than simple scrapbooks, these albums were expressions of imperial prestige, intellectual curiosity, and an unyielding passion for beauty.

What is a Murakka?

Derived from the Arabic, Persian, and Turkish word meaning “patched together” or “stitched up”, a murakka is an album bound in codex form containing individual folios of paintings, drawings, and specimen lines of calligraphy.

In traditional bookbinding and conservation, murakka also refers to the multi-layered structural support board used underneath delicate works of Islamic art (hat calligraphy, ebru marbling, and tezhip illumination). Built using traditional, water-soluble starch pastes and tear-resistant papers, this layered backing ensures that priceless works remain flat, protected, and free from chemical degradation over centuries.

When compiled into an album, these individual leaves were housed between lavishly decorated covers—often featuring leather-tooled designs, gold lacquer, or intricate floral motifs.

A Symphony of Diverse Hands

Unlike traditional manuscripts, which were usually created as cohesive illustrated texts by a team working toward a single narrative, a murakka was eclectic.

A single opening of a murakka might pair a masterclass in cursive nasta’liq calligraphy by a 15th-century Persian master with a 17th-century Mughal portrait of a courtier, framed by borders glittering with powdered gold and marginal drawings of blossoming flora and fauna.

Patrons, collectors, and royal librarians would intentionally gather loose sheets from different periods, regions, and artists, organizing them by aesthetic harmony rather than chronology. Turning the page of a murakka was designed to elicit a sense of visual surprise and intellectual delight.

Jewels of the Royal Courts

The murakka reached its zenith during the 16th and 17th centuries under three great imperial dynasties:

• The Mughal Empire: Mughal emperors like Jahangir and Shah Jahan were obsessive connoisseurs and patrons of the arts. Jahangir, in particular, maintained royal ateliers where master painters and calligraphers collaborated on legendary albums like the Gulshan Album. These pages often juxtaposed idealized court portraits with European prints brought by traders, showcasing a global curiosity.
• Safavid Persia: In Isfahan and Tabriz, master painters like Reza Abbasi contributed single-sheet drawings of graceful youths, dervishes, and lovers that would later be bound into stunning albums for elite courtiers.
• The Ottoman Empire: Ottoman sultans collected diverse calligraphic specimens, maps, and visualizations of holy sites, binding them into imperial albums that reflected the vast reach and cultural synthesis of the empire.

Legacy and Modern Resonance

The tradition of the murakka changed how art was consumed. Instead of being locked away on grand frescoes or restricted to lengthy religious texts, high art became intimate, tactile, and portable. Rulers could carry miniature masterpieces across empires in a leather-bound volume, sharing them with visiting dignitaries to demonstrate supreme cultural literacy.