Islamic arms and armor were often decorated with a wide variety of Quranic passages and pious invocations
Apart from floral and animal motifs, a dominant part of Islamic iconography on arms and armor is confined
to calligraphy.
Although the representation of (sacred) figures is not strictly forbidden in the Qur'an, images as objects of devotion were avoided in Islamic art from its very beginning. Islamic artists relied instead on the words of the Prophet Muhammad
to inspire and to give literal shape to their designs. As a result, calligraphy in Islamic lands developed into a fine art, becoming in the process the principal form of religious ornament.
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