Early and Medieval Islamic Art and Architecture

Iberian Architecture: The Islamic Influence on 20th century Iberian Architecture

by Valdeir Faria - Filho

Country Estates, Material Culture, and the Celebration of Princely Life: Islamic Art and the Secular Domain

by Anna Ballian

Byzantium and Islam Age of Transition, 7th-9th century
Edited by Helen C.Evans with Brandie Ratliff
Exhibition catalogue, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2012.

INFORME-MEMORIA DE LA IAU EN LAS MANZANAS 1.10 Y 1.11 DEL PLAN PARCIAL RENFE (CÓRDOBA).

by Rafael Hidalgo

Abstract: This paper focus on the archaeological works
held in the area close to the Imperial palatium of... more Abstract: This paper focus on the archaeological works
held in the area close to the Imperial palatium of Cercadilla.
The works document many archaeological phases from Imperial
Roman times to Late Islamic Age. The most important
structures, dated back to the Caliphate, are a huge private
building and many houses included in one of Madinat
Qurtuba’s neighbourhoods.

Informe-Memoria de la Intervención Arqueológica de Urgencia en el aparcamiento bajo el vial norte del Plan Parcial Renfe de Córdoba (segunda fase)

by Rafael Hidalgo

Murillo, J..F.; Ventura, A.; Hidalgo, R.; Bermúdez, J.M.; Fuertes, M.C.; González, M.; Carmona, S. y López, I., en:    Anuario Arqueológico  de  Andalucía, 2000. III/Actividades de Urgencia.Sevilla.       

This paper focus on Phase 2 of the archaeological
works held in the area in which Plan Parcial R.E.N.F.E. is more This paper focus on Phase 2 of the archaeological
works held in the area in which Plan Parcial R.E.N.F.E. is
developed since many years ago. The excavations totally
documented the Caliphate neighbourhood and the huge
building inside located during Phase 1. The works also reveals
the existence of a smaller Late Islamic neighbourhood.

Fragments of the So-Called Marwan Tiraz

by Mina Moraitou

Co-authored with Mariam Rosser-Owen and Ana Cabrera
Published in the exhibition catalogue Byzantium and Islam - Age of Transition 7th-9th century (2012)
Edited by Helen Evans and Brandie Ratliff

Enclosed in Ivory: The Miseducation of al-Mughira

by Francisco Prado-Vilar

"Enclosed in Ivory: The Miseducation of al-Mughira,” Journal of the David Collection 2.1 (2005): 138-63.

In response to the publication of SOPHIE MAKARIOU's rambling criticism of "Enclosed in Ivory" in her... more In response to the publication of SOPHIE MAKARIOU's rambling criticism of "Enclosed in Ivory" in her lackluster and derivative "The al-Mughira Pyxis and Spanish Umayyad Ivories: Aims and Tools of Power," in Umayyad Legacies: Medieval Memories from Syria to Spain, ed. A. Borrut and P. Cobb (Leiden: Brill, 2010), pp. 313-35, here I invite more intelligent readers to peruse "Enclosed in Ivory" again in its manifold dimensions of analysis, waging its historical, iconographic, and literary arguments, as well as its wider methodological implications. Curiously enough, this article, conceived an "ekphrasis" that mimics the structure and rhetoric of the object it describes, anticipates, as does the al-Mughira pyxis with its target audience, Makariou’s ethically and hermeneutically challenged response, beginning with the opening quote all the way through its various layers of moral commentary.
.

(2007) Politis, K. D., O’Hea, M. & Papaioannou, G.. Ghawr as-Safi Survey and Excavations 2006-2007. Annual of the Dept of Antiquities of Jordan 51: 199-211

by Margaret O'Hea

New Light on Late Antique Pella: Sydney University Excavations in Area XXXV, 1997. ADAJ (2002) 46:503-533

by Margaret O'Hea

Authors:
da Costa, Kate
O'Hea, Margaret
Mairs, Lachlan
Sparks, Rachel
Boland, Pat

CEUTA, PUERTA DE ALANDALUS. UNA RELECTURA DE LA HISTORIA DE CEUTA DESDE LA CONQUISTA ÁRABE HASTA LA FITNA A PARTIR DE LOS DATOS ARQUEOLÓGICOS

by Fernando Villada

Co-authored with J.M. Hita and J. Suárez

The fight between Umayyads and Fatimids took place mainly in the Magrib al-Aqsa. Mind- ful that its control was vital... more The fight between Umayyads and Fatimids took place mainly in the Magrib al-Aqsa. Mind- ful that its control was vital for the security of al- Andalus, al-Nasir conquest in 391 H (931) Ceuta, the door that opens and closes the way to al-An- dalus. From that moment, the port will become a strategically point for the Umayyad State. The importance of the city is reflected in the chronicles of the moment that gather the different informa- tion about the city. Until now, they were the fun- damental source on which to raise the history of this period.
For some years the developed archaeological investigation, has been allowing to obtain great amount of data, most unpublished, that largely it decisively contributes to extend our knowledge over the city.
This paper shows all these new information and tries to more accurately reconstruction that this decisive period for the history of the port of the Straits.

Khirbat el Mak’hul, Jordan

by Martin D. Wilson

In Kafafi et al, The Wadi az-Zarqa and Wadi edh-Dhuleil Excavations & Survey Project, Preliminary Report on the September-October 1996 Fieldwork Season, Annual of the Department of Antiquities, Jordan Vol. XLI, pp. 9-26, 1997

The report presents the results of a detailed analytical survey of the ruins of a defended medieval village, situated... more The report presents the results of a detailed analytical survey of the ruins of a defended medieval village, situated on a hilltop in the upper Zarqa district. The survey, directed by Martin Wilson, was carried out during the course of a Cultural Resource Management landscape survey of a 144 sq.km zone. The report presents the results of 1996-1997 fieldwork seasons. The project was executed by the University of Rome, La Sapienza.

Khirbat el Mak’hul, Jordan

by Martin D. Wilson

In Caneva, I., et al, Annual of the Department of Antiquities, Jordan 45, 2001, pp. 111–5

An analytical survey of the ruined medieval Islamic hilltop village known as Khirbat el Mak’hul in the district of the... more An analytical survey of the ruined medieval Islamic hilltop village known as Khirbat el Mak’hul in the district of the upper Zarqa.

Khirbat el Mak’hul: an Early Islamic hilltop complex

by Martin D. Wilson

In M Munzi , B Bianchi, A Peruzzetto & M D Wilson, Ricognizioni nell’alta valle del Wadi az-Zarqa, Giordania centro-settentrionale: dall’età romana all’Islam. Published in Archeologia Medievale, vol. XXVII, pp. 388-390, 2000

Summary of an analytical survey of the ruins of a medieval hilltop village in the Upper Zarqa known as Khirbat el... more Summary of an analytical survey of the ruins of a medieval hilltop village in the Upper Zarqa known as Khirbat el Mak’hul. The survey, directed by Martin Wilson in 1996 and 1997, forms part of an extensive Cultural Resource Management landscape survey undertaken by the University of Rome, La Sapienza.

" Introduction," Revisiting Andalus

by Glaire D. Anderson

Co-authored with Mariam Rosser-Owen, published in Revisiting al-Andalus : perspectives on the material culture of Islamic Iberia and beyond (Leiden ;Boston: Brill,, 2007).

Villa (munya) architecture in Umayyad Córdoba: Preliminary considerations

by Glaire D. Anderson

PLACE SANCTITY, SPIRITUALITY AND RAPID URBAN CHANGE: THE CASE OF AL-MADĪNA

by ʿĀṭef Alshehrī

Paper presented at the workshop:
Modernization and Socio-Economic Changes in the Gulf Arab Cities
Gulf Research Meeting 2011
Cambridge University
6 – 9 July 2011

In this paper, the powerful image of the Prophet’s city as a holy sanctuary in Islam is discussed through studying the... more In this paper, the powerful image of the Prophet’s city as a holy sanctuary in Islam is discussed through studying the city urban development within its historical context. It is a prerequisite for any fair appraisal of the present city urban development and future trends. The process of the urban formation of al-Madīna is traced from its inception as the first city of Islam after the hijra of the Prophet Mohammad. The origins of the city morphological order are discussed in order to elucidate the genesis of its future urban structure and growth. In particular, the early urban and societal elements that gave rise to the formation of the city are analyzed. Issues addressed include demographic and communal change after hijra, establishing the Prophet’s mosque and the marketplace.

The sanctity and spiritual significance of a place cannot be described as one instant in time. It has to be followed through to discover its roots, interpretation and practice by the successive cycles of generations who inhabited that particular place. In the case of al-Madīna, its spiritual significance intensifies and heightens, as the city is home to the Prophet Mohammed and a focal point for millions of Muslims. To that end, the spiritual implications related to the landscape of al-Madīna are highlighted while discussing the urban evolution of the city. The body of historical writings on al-Madīna by geographers and historians since the early centuries of Islam has always underscored the sanctity and the spiritual significance of the City and its landscape through tracing the sanctions and the sīra of the Prophet.

The impact of major urban changes is also discussed as part of the historical continuum of al-Madīna. Several significant urban events shaped the city for centuries such as building a city wall or introducing the railway as a new mode of transport. Since the 1950s, the city has expanded beyond its historical city walls, razed off major parts of its original urban fabric and experienced a demographic surge. These factors fueled an irreversible wheel of urban development, expansion and land acquisition that changed the character of the city totally. The present core area of the City around the Prophet’s mosque constitutes the entire historical city of al-Madīna. Its land use pattern, which has been traditionally more colorful and diverse, shifted to a sharper contrast of predominantly commercial at the center and residential at the edges, in contrast to its historical continuity. The pace and the nature of these rapid changes could have adverse effects on the perpetual image of al-Madīna as a sanctuary and a spiritually significant city throughout the Islamic history.

Ceramic House Models from Medieval Persia: Domestic Architecture and Concealed Activities

by Margaret Graves

Margaret S. Graves, 'Ceramic House Models from Medieval Persia: Domestic Architecture and Concealed Activities', Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies, 46 (2008), pp. 227-252

'Regional Variation in Early Irish Architecture' Antiquaries Journal 2005

by Tomás Ó Carragáin

The Spatial Structure of Persian Architecture the Cognition of Persian Paintersدرک نگارگران ایرانی از ساختار فضای معماری ایران

by Manouchehr Foroutan

Publish in 'Kiyal' The Quarterly Periodical of The Iranian Academy of The Arts, no. 13, Spring 2005, ISSN: 1684-2480, 70-83.
فصلنامه خیال ، شماره 13، بهار 1384

The article reviews a collection of Persian paintings of Ilkhanids, Timurid, and early Safavid periods (995 AD/619 AH... more The article reviews a collection of Persian paintings of Ilkhanids, Timurid, and early Safavid periods (995 AD/619 AH to 1587 AD/1218 AH). The paintings which all depict some kind of architectural space are analyzed with respect to their visual structures. These are then compared to formal strctures of Persian (Iranian) architecture of the same period to explain the visual congnition of architectural space.

word Keys: Persian Painting, Iranian Architecture, formal strcture, Timurid art, Safavid art, Ilkhanid art.

Architectural Language of Persian Paintings (Survey of Persian paintings as historical documents of Iranian Islamic architecture)

by Manouchehr Foroutan

Publish in 'Hoviateshahr', 6, Spering and Summer 2010, 131-142. Journal of Faculty of Art and Architecture, Tehran Science and Reaserch Branch, Islamic Azad University, ISSN: 1735-9562. Persian Language, English Abestract.

The documents of Iranian Islamic architecture especially visual documents are few and diffuse. However these documents... more The documents of Iranian Islamic architecture especially visual documents are few and diffuse. However these documents were attended little. Considerable paintings of the Islamic era, especially Ilkhanid, Timurid and early Safavid period have remained that can be evaluated and searched. This study, wants to show how Persian paintings (Miniature) as historical documents can be used for cognition Iranian Islamic architecture. What ways can be used for analysis them? What kinds of historical data can be apprehended and how validity them to be assessed? For answering these questions, "language" of Persian paintings must were understood.
The research based on historical method. For understanding language of Persian painting applied three strategies:
1) History of architectural representation was evaluated and tow ways of representation of architecture in painting were obtained.
2) Expressive features of Persian paintings were reviewed. Therefore, Persian paintings that represented well-known buildings were compared whit the building. For example three paintings from Nezami's quintuplet poem (khamse) were selected and compared by Taq-e-Bostan and also three Persian painting that were represented Mecca.
3) Persian paintings were compared whit samples of extant Iranian and other Islamic architecture. For example, representation of house in a Persian painting was evaluated.
In each of parts a case was evaluated. Cases review process include: dating represented architecture and dating Persian painting; evaluating validity of the painting as historical document; attention to features manuscript; evaluating purports of text and determining the general topics and themes; measure the degree of match with the reality of architecture by evidence; comparing the Persian painting and contemporaneous extant architecture or other Persian paintings same version or school; detecting architectural elements and details in painting, rereading represented architecture and interpreting it.
Finally, expressive features Persian paintings in representation of Iranian architecture are presented. Briefly Persian paintings features in the expression of Islamic architecture include: the use of multiple simultaneous isometric perspective; illustrating simultaneously inside and outside the space; imaging asynchronous events in an image; refer the three-dimensional two-dimensional; representing walls up to ceiling indoor; equal importance floor and wall display; components with respect to total of real space; independence scale of building and the human's scale; remove walls to see them back; reduce distances and compact show to space; choose the smallest component of architectural space for illustrating while maintaining a whole room due to limited spaces in the painting; display main elements and display some minor elements; use a virtual frame as metonymy of the inside and outside architecture. In addition, review showed that the difference representation (painting) and reality (building) in known buildings was significant. Referring to other texts (paintings and architecture) and compare those (intertextuality) by methods of historical semantics and symbolic show social meaning of the represented architecture. Using Persian paintings and relying on evidence in other fields can be readout architecture, to pay (for example a house of Ilkhanid period was readout). Persian paintings can be as "cognitive maps" to examine and review aspects of environmental psychology concepts such as "personal space", "proximity ", and "territorial behavior".

Keywords: history of Iranian Islamic architecture, visual historical documents of architecture, Persian painting, Miniature, representation of architecture

Analysis of Urban Spaces From Ilkhanid Tabriz Until Safavid Isfahan (Social, Political, Economical, and Cultural Background Survey) تحلیلی از فضا‌های شهری از تبریز ایلخانی تا اصفهان صفوی (بررسی زمینه‌های اجتماعی، اقتصادی، سیاسی و فرهنگی)

by Manouchehr Foroutan

publish in 'Hoviateshahr' , no. 4, journal of urban and architetcure of Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

This research wish answer this question: what is social, political, economical, and cultural background caused... more This research wish answer this question: what is social, political, economical, and cultural background caused evaluation of Iranian urban spaces from Ilkhanid until Safavid and formation of Isfahan Urbanism School? Method of this research is interpretational-historical method and based on librarian data. For the answer question of research, cities of Iran that have urbanism works in this era are selected. These cities include Tabriz, Soltanie, Samarkand, Herat, Mashhad, Neyshabur, Yazd, Kerman, Qazvin, Shiraz, and Isfahan. Then urbanism evaluations, alterations and changes of these cities are survey and compare by social, cultural, political and economical evaluations from Ilkhanid until Safavid era. These evaluations from Ilkhanid era prepared appearance urban evaluations; completion old urban spaces and formation of new town besides old city and new urban spaces and elements (include governmental square, boulevard, garden-palace complex, Sufism religious complex). Establishment of Safavid Empire, especially shah Abbas's works prepared Isfahan Urbanism School. Therefore urban elements that formed in previous era completed and then prepared to combine them and to form Isfahan Urban School in Safavid era. Too, commercial complex or religious complex (related to canonical Shiism) in Isfahan School was becomes the core of city in lieu of Sufism religious complex in pervious era.


Keyword: URBAN SPACE OF IRAN, HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF IRANIAN URBANISM, ISFAHAN URBANISM SCHOOL, URBANISM OF ILKHANID ERA, URBANISM OF TIMURID ERA, URBANISM OF TURKMEN ERA
این پژوهش درصدد پاسخ به این سؤال است که چه تحولاتی در فضاهای شهری از دورة ایلخانی تا ظهور مکتب اصفهان در دوره صفوی صورت گرفت و زمینه‌های اجتماعی، سیاسی، اقتصادی و فرهنگی این تحولات چه بود؟ برای پاسخ به این سؤال با رویکردی تفسیری- تاریخی و بر اساس مطالعات کتابخانه‌ای، تحولات شهرسازی در شهرهای واجد آثار شهرسازی این دوره با تحلیل تأثیرات تحولات اجتماعی، سیاسی، اقتصادی و فرهنگی بررسی گردید. این دگرگونی‌ها از زمان ایلخانان زمینه تحولات شهرسازی و شکل‌گیری فضا‌های شهری جدید در شهرسازی ایران را فراهم نموده است. تأسیس حکومت صفویه و به‌ویژه اقدامات شاه عباس، زمینهساز ایجاد مکتب شهرسازی اصفهان شد. به این ترتیب عناصر و فضا‌های شهریی که در دوره‌های پیشین شکل گرفته بود، تکامل یافتند و با هم ترکیب شدند. همچنین در مکتب اصفهان، ارسن‌های تجاری ـ خدماتی یا مذهبی تشیع رسمی به جای ارسن‌های مذهبی صوفیه، هسته‌های گسترش و توسعة شهری شدند.
واژه های كلیدی

فضاهای شهری ایران، زمینه‌های تاریخی شهرسازی ایران، مکتب شهرسازی اصفهان، شهرسازی دوره ایلخانی، شهرسازی دوره تیموری، شهرسازی دوره ترکمانان.