The tiny work, much smaller than the frame that encompasses it, shows a bleak scene: A dark night sky broken by clouds and a crescent moon hanging over a path that passes by a leafless tree and a ...

For centuries the appearance of the new crescent moon has signified the commencement of Ramadan—but not everyone in the world spots it at the same time. HISTORY & CULTURE It’s up to the moon.

In others, it streams through silhouetted trees. The Moon is, equally, a seam of brightness, outlining black hills, or a pale crescent, ornamenting the surface of a river. It’s an intimate portrait.