Description
Book SynopsisProviding an introduction to the artistic and architectural traditions of the Islamic world, A Story of Islamic Art explores fifty case studies, taken from different regions of the Islamic world and from the seventh to the twenty-first centuries.
The novel aspect of these case studies is that they are presented as fictional narratives, allowing the reader to imagine art and architecture, either in their original cultural settings or at some later point in their histories. These stories are supported by a scholarly framework that allows the reader to continue their exploration of the chosen artefacts and their historical context.
The fifty case studies take the form of short stories, each of which focuses on one or more object from the Islamic world. These encompass portable items in a wide variety of media, book illustrations, calligraphy, photographs, architectural decoration, buildings, and archaeological sites. The book also provides a detailed introduction,
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgements
Notes for the Reader
List of Figures
Introduction
Glossary
Timeline
Chapter 1: Sanaʿa, 660
Chapter 2: Aswan, 691
Chapter 3: Aleppo, 695
Chapter 4: Damascus, 714
Chapter 5: Qusayr ʿAmra, 745
Chapter 6: Akhmim, 751
Chapter 7: Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi, 774
Chapter 8: Basra, 841
Chapter 9: Samarra, 856
Chapter 10: Qayrawan, 863
Chapter 11: Bukhara, 930
Chapter 12: Rusafa, 998
Chapter 13: Baghdad, 1000
Chapter 14: Tripoli, 1070
Chapter 15: Samarqand, 1085
Chapter 16: Kharraqan, 1093
Chapter 17: Harran, 1104
Chapter 18: Herat, 1183
Chapter 19: Mecca, 1199
Chapter 20: Kashan, 1201
Chapter 21: Wasit, 1236
Chapter 22: Palermo, 1248
Chapter 23: Tabriz, 1306
Chapter 24: Cairo, 1361
Chapter 25: Granada, 1375
Chapter 26: Xi’an, 1402
Chapter 27: Panjakent, 1490
Chapter 28: Nizwa, 1531
Chapter 29: Venice, 1547
Chapter 30: Erzincan, 1568
Chapter 31: Sofia, 1582
Chapter 32: Isfahan, 1637
Chapter 33: Agra, 1642
Chapter 34: Hawizeh Marshes, 1673
Chapter 35: Istanbul, 1733
Chapter 36: Breslau, 1766
Chapter 37: Lahore, 1799
Chapter 38: Nafplio, 1831
Chapter 39: Kuala Lumpur, 1886
Chapter 40: London, 1892
Chapter 41: Edirne, 1899
Chapter 42: Simunul, 1902
Chapter 43: Qalʿat Bani Hammad, 1908
Chapter 44: Manzala, 1910
Chapter 45: Hindiyya, 1918
Chapter 46: Rabat, 1937
Chapter 47: Cleveland, 1956
Chapter 48: Djenné, 1985
Chapter 49: New York, 2015
Chapter 50: Anywhere, 2020
Appendix: Notes on Chapters 1–50
Further Reading
