Description
Book SynopsisKeppel Archibald Cameron Creswell (1879-1974) developed an early interest in Islamic architecture, which became his main area of research at the time of his military posting in Egypt, in 1916. His publications are still fundamental research tools for scholars in the field. Creswell considered photography as an essential tool for recording architectural artefacts, and this volume deals with the photographs that concern Mesopotamia, Syria and Jordan, kept today at the Biblioteca Berenson, of the Villa I Tatti, Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, in Florence. On the whole, they can be dated between 1919 and 1930. Many of the sites and monuments photographed by Creswell are still standing, but there are many others that no longer exist, or have been significantly modified. Geolocations for all the photographed monuments can also be viewed on Google My Maps.
For this reason, the Creswell photo collection is an exceptional resource for the study of ancient monuments, especially for any conservation and restoration project.
Table of ContentsA martyr for Islamic architectural history, by Spyros Koulouris ;
Processing the photo archive ;
Archival descriptions ;
Studying the past – working for the future ;
Introduction ;
Creswell and the Berenson Collection ;
Biographical sketch ;
Creswell photographer: the working method ;
Creswell’s legacy of photographs ;
Creswell’s collection at the Biblioteca Berenson ;
Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan in Creswell’s photographs ;
Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan at the end of World War I ;
Photographers in Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan prior to Creswell’s work ;
The sites and the monuments ;
Mesopotamia ;
Birecik ;
Harran ;
Samarra ;
Qantarat Harba ;
Baghdad ;
Al-Madain – Taq Kisra ;
Al-Ukhaidir ;
Syria ;
Ancient churches of Northern Syria: Qalat Siman, Qalb Lawzah and Ruweiha ;
Aleppo ;
Masyaf ;
Hama ;
Homs ;
Damascus ;
Transjordan ;
Amman ;
Iraq al-Amir ;
Qusayr Amra ;
Conclusions ;
Appendixes ;
1. Register of photographers in Mesopotamia, Syria and Transjordan between the 1840s and the 1930s ;
2. Register of Creswell’s photographs of the Biblioteca Berenson ;
3. Synopsis of Creswell’s photographs in the different archives ;
4. Sites and monuments geolocation,
by Francesco Saliola (Free online resource ) ;
Bibliographic references ;
Arabic Summary
