Shamsa

thumb|Shamsa at the center of Ardabil Carpet. [[Iran, 1539-40. Victoria and Albert Museum]] upright=0.8|thumb|Shamsa in the Book frontispiece|frontispiece of the [[Ruzbihan Qur'an. Iran, . Chester Beatty Library]] upright=0.8|thumb|Shamsa bearing the names and titles of Shah Jahan. [[India, c. 1630-45. Metropolitan Museum of Art]] In Islamic art, a shamsa (Persian: شمسه shamseh, Arabic: شمسة shums, Ottoman Turkish: شمسه [Turkish: Şemse]) is an intricately decorated rosette or medallion which is used in many contexts, including manuscripts, carpets, ornamental metalwork and architectural decoration such as the underside of domes. It can take a number of overall shapes, from circles to stars. The name means "little sun", as a diminutive of shams, the Arabic word meaning "sun", and the work is often stylised as a sunburst. It is characterized by the recurrent motifs present in Islamic art, such as the use of geometrical floral or vegetal forms in a repetitive design known as an arabesque. The arabesque is often used to symbolize the transcendent, indivisible and infinite nature of God, and as with other patterns and forms of Islamic art, the shamsa also has a religious significance, such as symbolizing the unity of God.

Shamsa is also a female first name in Arabic, Urdu, and Somali, for example of Shamsa Al Maktoum, Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei, Shamsa Ali and Shamsa Araweelo.