Rub el Hizb
Islamic symbol in the shape of an octagram
The Rub el Hizb (Arabic: رُبُع الْحِزْب or رُبْع الْحِزْب rubʿ al-ḥizb 'quarter of the party') is an Islamic symbol in the shape of an octagram, represented as two overlapping squares ۞. While its main utility today is to mark a division inside some copies of the Quran to facilitate recitation, it has originally featured on a number of emblems and flags in the past and continues to do so today.
In Arabic, rubʿ means 'one-fourth' or 'quarter', while ḥizb (plural aḥzāb) translates to 'a group'. The Quran is divided into 60 aḥzāb (groups of roughly equal length in turn grouped into 30 ajzāʾ), with instances of Rub el Hizb further dividing each ḥizb into four, for a total of 240 divisions.
01History
The symbol was used as a cultural symbol in the time of Al-Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula, appearing on the coins. In addition, the use of it in so many areas led to its name being changed to "the star of Abd al-Rahman I". From Al-Andalus it was exported to the rest of the Arab world. It has also been used extensively in Turkic Islamic culture and history.
02Contemporary use
Architecture
The symbol has been used as a basis for plans of buildings, as in the case of the Petronas Towers.
Former flags
Current flags
Emblems
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Rub el Hizb”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Konya Karatay Ceramics Museum Kubad Abad Palace find 2405.jpg by Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Petronas Towers level 43 plan.svg by Cmglee, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
