Description
Book SynopsisA literary tour of Christian monasteries of the medieval Middle East
The Book of Monasteries takes readers on an engaging tour of the monastic centers of the medieval Middle East, illustrated with a rich variety of poetry and prose. Starting with monasteries in Baghdad, readers are taken up the Tigris into the mountains of south-eastern Anatolia before moving to Palestine and Syria, along the Euphrates down to the old Christian center of ?irah and onward to Egypt. For the literary anthologist al-Shabushti, who was Muslim, monasteries were important sites of interactions between Abbasid elites and the Christian communities that made up about half the population of the Abbasid Empire at the time.
Each section in this anthology covers a specific monastery, beginning with a discussion of its location and the reason for its name. Al-Shabushti presents poems, anecdotes, and historical reports related to each site. He selects heroic and spectacular incidents, illus
Trade Review
"Not only has [Kilpatrick] rendered what one suspects is rather challenging Arabic in readable and often stylish English prose, but she has also provided a great many helpful notes and a useful introduction and bibliography." * Ahram Online *
"An intriguing read for those interested in Muslim-Christian relations within the Abbasid empire and...medieval monasticism." * Medievalists.net *
