2024 - Intimacies of Global Sufism: The Making of Neʿmatullahi Material Culture between Early Modern Iran and India, by Peyvand Firouzeh
Dr. Peyvand Firouzeh’s book explores the fascinating material culture created by the Neʿmatullahi Sufi order as it spread between Iran and the Deccan region of India between the 15th and 17th centuries. These Sufis, followers of the poet and mystic Shah Neʿmatullah Vali, constructed shrines, small retreat cells, and ritual objects that combined local and transregional artistic languages, creating what Firouzeh calls an “intimate” aesthetic.
By adopting intimacy as a guiding concept, the book reveals how Sufi shrines functioned not only as monumental spaces but also as sensory environments designed to engage the body and spirit of the worshipper. From self-referential poetry painted on walls to ritual carpets and talismanic images, Neʿmatullahi material culture created a unique devotional atmosphere that fused spiritual, artistic, and political dimensions.
Firouzeh also situates these shrines within the broader dynamics of global connectivity, highlighting how Sufi networks operated across oceans and continents while preserving deeply local identities. The book contributes to contemporary debates about mobility, sacred space, and the role of sensory experiences in Islamic art and architecture.
Dr. Peyvand Firouzeh is a specialist in Islamic art and architecture, with a particular interest in Sufism and transregional artistic networks. This publication, supported by The Barakat Trust, promises to become a landmark study in both Islamic art history and the emerging field of global religious material culture.
