HIS 256 The Islamic World to 1683

Despite political upheavals under Muslim domination in the Middle Ages, Palestine was a center of great artistic activity recognized for its incredible dynamism. Its unique contribution to the Islamic "macrocosm," however, never became the subject of extensive study. Numerous archeological excavations on this relatively small geographic area reveal the existence of extremely well preserved monuments of high architectural quality and exceptional religious value. This is what Myriam Rosen-Ayalon exposes in this thorough introduction to Palestinian Islamic art and archeology.

Luxury decoration, refinement, and high spirituality are defined as "Persian style" in architecture. This lavishly illustrated book examines the sources, analyzes the forms, and discusses the mystic themes and symbolism of the immense heritage handed down by Islamic artists and craftsmen. 500 illustrations.

Islamic Arts, a comprehensive survey covering a thousand years, highlights those characteristics that connect the various arts of the Islamic lands without minimizing the differences. The book is divided into three time periods - 600-900, 900-1500 and 1500-1800 - and each section analyses architecture, the arts of the book, decorative and applied arts. Islamic Artsbrilliantly captures the essence of Islamic culture.

The art which arose from the 7th century in the Islamic empires reached from Spain and Morocco to the borders of China. It bore the stamp above all of Arabs, Persians and Turks, but outstanding contributions also came from Egypt and India. "Islamic Art" presents prominent examples: luxury ceramics, prayer mats, goldsmithery, as well as witnesses to the decorative arts and calligraphy - and above all the masterpieces of the courtly book illumination of Persia and the Mughal emperors of India.