heywereonebyoornup,shredded,burnedandtossedintotheTigrisRiverbythesoldiersoftheMongolKhanHulagu.JustasthemasterArabcalligraphers,itedtothenotionoftheendlesspersisteraditionandbooks,hadforfiveturiesbeeninthehabitofrestingtheireyesasaprecautionagainstblindnessbyturningtheirbackstotherisingsunandlookingtowardthewesternhorizon,IbnShakirasdedthemiheCaliphetMosqueintheess,andfromthebalywherethemuezzincalledthefaithfultoprayer,witnessedallthatwouldendafive-turies-longtraditionofscribalart.First,hesawHulagu’spitilesssoldiersenterBaghdad,aheremainedwherehethemi.Hewatchedtheplunderaruoftheey,theslaughterofhundredsofthousandsofpeople,thekillingofthelastoftheCaliphsofIslamwho’druledBaghdadforhalfamillennium,therapeofwomen,theburningoflibrariesaruoftensofthousandsofvolumesastheywerethrownintotheTigris.Twodayslater,amidthestenchofcorpsesandcriesofdeath,hewatchedtheflowingwatersoftheTigris,turnedredfromtheinkbleedingoutofthebooks,ahoughtabouthowallthosevolumeshe’dtranscribediifulscript,thosebooksthatwerenowgone,hadn’tintheleastservedtostopthishorrifyingmassaddevastation,andinturn,hesworeowriteagain.Furthermore,hewasstruckwiththedesiretoexpresshispainandthedisasterhe’dwithroughpainting,whitilthatday,he’dbelittledanddeemedanaffronttoAllah;andso,makihepaperhealwayscarriedwithhim,hedepictedwhathesawfromthetopofthemi.Weowethehappymiracleofthethree-hundred-yearrenaissanIslamicillustrationfollowingtheMongolinvasiontothatelementwhichdistinguisheditfromtheartistryofpagansandChristians;thatis,tothetr