The most distinguishing trait of Islamic art and literature is Unity in Diversity. As Islamic culture was influenced by encounters with other cultures and religions, like those of the Byzantine empire, Jerusalem as well as local trends in Syria, Jordan and Palestine, its art and literature shows this influence in its diverse forms. Islamic literature was also inspired and adapted from stories of diverse cultures, like the Turkish, the Persian as well as Indian.
Common traits in art included calligraphy on different mediums, geometrical motifs, domes and minarets. In literature, the absence and intolerance of 'fiction' as advised by the Quran was a common trait.
