Open to all, regardless of faith or background.

Beyond the Image explores the potentially profound intersection of artistic form, spiritual contemplation, and mental well-being embedded within the rich tradition of Islamic art. Without figurative representations, Islamic visual culture focused on the infinite potential of geometric patterns, sacred calligraphy, and flowing vegetal forms. These non-figural forms afford potentially evocative visual pathways to inner spaces of deep contemplation. This talk will examine how the repetitive, harmonious order of sacred geometry, the divine word, and non-figural patterns can serve as visual anchors for deeper meditative experiences.

Please note that doors will close shortly before the advertised time, so we request that you arrive 15 minutes before the start time.

About Dr Samir Mahmoud

Dr Samir Mahmoud is currently Academic Director of Usul Academy (www.usul.academy). He is also Lecturer on the Diploma in Islamic Psychology at the Cambridge Muslim College. He has a BA (Hons) in Anthropology & Politics with a focus on multicultural theory and comparative religion, and an MA in Architectural History, Theory & Urban Design with a focus on the traditional townscape from the University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia. He also holds an MPhil in Theology & Religious Studies with a focus on comparative philosophy and aesthetics. He completed a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Cambridge.

About The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts

The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts runs from 19 to 29 November 2026, bringing performances, exhibitions, lectures, and workshops to Cambridge's historic colleges, museums, and cultural spaces. Open to everyone, the festival celebrates the beauty and diversity of Islamic arts, and, fifty years on from the landmark 1976 World of Islam Festival, carries that spirit into our own time. Find out more at cfia.co.uk.

Description supplied by the event organiser.