Henna design

The art of Henna can be found in many different cultures and societies for a number of purposes “Many used tattoos for medicinal reasons, such as the Ojibwa, who tattooed the cheeks and forehead of those suffering chronic toothache or headache”. The most common use across the globe is for body art and hair dying. Early examples of henna design being used as an art form and it can be drawn back to ancient Egypt as henna art alongside script and symbols was one of the earliest art forms in Egypt. The broadcasters of the spread of henna art towards the East were the Mughals. The Mughal Empire introduced henna to India when adorning the body during the 12th century, during this time the royals and the elite used henna to adorn their bodies, particularly on special occasions, mostly to celebrate weddings. The patterns were made by henna artists or beauticians. Henna tradition has been spreading throughout the world; one of the reasons for this is that nowadays many people use henna as a temporary tattoos.

Mughal architecture is a mixture of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian architecture. Henna design holds a strong similarity to these architectural patterns which are used on buildings such as Mosques and Temples. Mughals designed the distinctive style in the 16th – 18th Century; the designs are now used within countries such as India, Pakistan Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Many building and henna designs influence each other as they all come from the Middle Eastern traditions.

(Sloss and Mirza, 2008: 8) 'The Tattoo Sourcebook' [Accessed: 3rd May 2013]