Activity
Lesson
Beliefs Made Visible: Why Script Matters
Activity
Asian Art Museum Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Activity
Design a Calligraphic Plate
Design a calligraphic plate using Arabic script and images inspired by a meaningful word.
Background Information
Arts of the Islamic World
Islam has been an important cultural force in much of Asia for more than five hundred years, and in some parts for more than a thousand. Today, far more Muslims live in other parts of Asia than in the Arab areas of Asia such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
Video
Cyrus the Great and the Rise of the Persian Empire
Touraj Daryaee, Howard C. Baskerville Professor in the History of Iran and the Persianate World and the Associate Director of the Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies & Culture at the University of California, Irvine, gives a talk to teachers about Cyrus the Great in conjunction with the Cyrus Cylinder exhibition at the Asian Art Museum (on view from August 9–September 22, 2013).
Video
Nowruz, The New Day of the New Year
Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Leta Bushyhead, tells a story about the Persian New Year, Nowruz.
Activity
Mix and Match Mythical Creature Game
Use animal templates to make a mix and match game where you create new mythical creatures.
Background Information
An Introduction to Arabic Script
Lesson
Mapping the Silk Road
Students analyze objects from South Asia, West Asia, and China to connect to the travel experiences of ancient merchants and traders, develop an understanding of the breadth of the land and sea trade, and explore how art and ideas travel and change over time and place.