‘Jalis and lattice screens are part of a wider artistic language’: Art historian Navina Najat Haidar

A jali is a perforated stone or latticed screen decorated with ornamental patterns of calligraphy and geometry. In many parts of India, western Asia and the Mediterranean where the sun shines bright for many hours of the day, artisans created these screens to highlight the interplay of light and shadow in different construction materials.

The functionality of jalis is simple – to bring light into enclosed spaces, but they also serve a greater artistic purpose by enhancing the grandeur and sophistication of the buildings they are installed.

Art historian and curator Navina Najat Haidar’s new book, Jali: Lattice of Divine Light in Mughal Architect, which she edited, explores the delicate beauty of more than two hundred jalis across India. From 17th-century examples in Agra to those designed by global contemporary artists influenced by historical styles, the book travels across time and space to understand the innovations and adaptations in design that made jalis a standout feature in every form of architecture.

Haidar is currently the Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah Curator-in-Charge of the Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. She was involved in the planning of the museum’s permanent galleries for Islamic art and has also organised several special exhibitions...

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