UNESCO’s recognition of Behzad’s miniature art inspires hope for Afghan artists in Herat, despite Taliban restrictions on artistic expression
HERAT: The UNESCO recognition of a historic miniature art style has brought a rare moment of joy and hope to artists in the Afghan city of Herat.
The UN’s cultural agency inscribed the style of celebrated 15th-century painter Kamal ud-Din Behzad on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December.
Artist Mohammad Younes Qane, who has practised Behzad’s style since his teens, called the news “truly joyful”. He said it comes “at a time when we are in darkness and facing very difficult conditions”.
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, many artists have left Afghanistan. Qane has closed his gallery and now works from home, where clients are rare and exhibitions non-existent.
The Taliban authorities have banned music in public and the representation of living things. Residents report increasing enforcement of the ban on showing human faces, a common feature in Behzad’s art.
“It’s very sad, because we are proud of Behzad in Herat,” said one resident, speaking anonymously for security reasons.
Former provincial arts head Ahmad Jawid Zargham said Behzad revolutionised painting by introducing scenes from everyday life. “He introduced scenes from people’s everyday life. For example, ordinary people, passersby, dervishes, mullahs, scenes of teaching girls and boys,” Zargham told AFP.
Behzad’s decorated manuscripts are now held in institutions abroad, like New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Library. Leading specialist Michael Barry said depriving people of this patrimony is “the height of injustice”.
Barry reproduced Behzad’s works for a 2017 exhibition at Herat’s citadel, but residents can no longer view them as the site is now padlocked shut. The provincial arts department did not explain the closure.
Barry described historic Herat as the “world capital of painting, poetry, music, philosophy, mathematics. The Florence of the Islamic world”. At the citadel today, faces on historical panels have been painted black.
Despite restrictions, Behzad still inspires young Afghans. Around a dozen women gather in a workshop to paint miniature scenes on glass or paper, which they sell via social media.
Artist Parisa Narwan, 24, said the UNESCO recognition is motivating. She said artists need opportunities “including international exhibitions and financial support”.
Another artist contemplated how she would address Behzad today. “I wish he could have lived now — I would ask him to improve the women’s life in Afghanistan because it is really difficult,” she said.
Girls are banned from school beyond age 12, and women are barred from most jobs. For artist Asia Arnawaz, 22, the long hours focusing on miniature art are a form of therapy.
“When I sit and work, I feel completely released,” she told AFP. “I come to understand how pure Allah’s creation is: that He created me free, and in that moment, I truly feel that freedom.”
