NAVIGATION

There was a belief in the Muslim near east that mirrors had talismanic association. They were a potentially utilitarian object that bridged the ordinary with the extraordinary. This had probably developed in response to legends associated with religious and powerful figures. For example: Adam, Solomon and Alexander the Great, known as Iskandar reputedly possessed talismanic mirrors with magical powers that could show the future and provided their owners with secret knowledge. As instruments of reflection mirrors became conceptualised in a mystical framework eliciting a vision of the world and of the self.