Islamic Art and Archaeology in Palestine

by Myriam Rosen-Ayalon

Overview

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. In chronological order she presents here for the first time the multifaceted and long-lasting achievements of Islamic art in Palestine, filling the gap of years of neglect on the subject.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598740646
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/15/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	214
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Pre-Islamic Period and the Beginnings of Islamic Occupation; Chapter 2 The Umayyad Period: Identity and Grandeur; Chapter 3 The Abbasid, Tulunid, and Fatimid Periods; Chapter 4 The Ayyubid and Mamluk Periods; Chapter 5 The Ottoman Period: An Art Turned Toward Istanbul; Chapter 6 The Post-Ottoman Era: Armenian Ceramics;

Editorial Reviews

"Rosen-Ayalon’s book is packed with much first-hand information and a very useful bibliography.... For the reader, this book can serve as a useful source of much interesting, yet little-known, material on Islamic Palestine. With this book, Rosen-Ayalon set herself a formidable task that is not fully accomplished. However, its shortcoming are perhaps unfairly highlighted owing to rapid improvements in contemporary Islamic archaeology and art, advances that leave us all scrambling to keep up." —Alan Walmsley, Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen for Australian Archaeology


"This volume is a very readable English translation of the first authoritative archaeological survey of Islamic times in Palestine...will be of great interest to researchers, students, and the general public interested in Islamic art and archaeology. Highly recommended." —CHOICE Magazine


"This book presents the results of archaeological excavations and of principal monuments of Palestine. It traces the history of art of this region from the pre-Islamic period to the Ottoman period, providing evidence of its contribution to the Islamic civilization and art." —Archiscopie


"An invaluable presentation of an area of research still poorly understood...always presented in a fashion useful and amicable to students." —Historiens & Geographes (2004)


"An essential manual for those who want to study the Islamic period in Palestine. " —Bulletin critique des Annales Islamologique 20 (2004)
"Interest in Islamic art and archaeology of Bilad-al-Sham has been increasing steadily over the past 20 years, but to date, no general work has appeared with a specific focus on Palestine, which has seen a great deal of this research activity. This new volume...intended by the author to present an overview of archaeological finds and the main monuments of Islamic Palestine, is therefore to be welcomed. [...] is a useful back ground work for undergraduate students inasmuch as it provides the most notable architectural and material culture features of Islamic Palestine." - Stephen McPhillips, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research

"Rosen-Ayalon’s work is a most welcome addition to Islamic archaeology, giving Palestine its proper due in the larger development of Islamic art. In a single, brief monograph she assembles a wide range of data from archaeological reports (old and new) and art historical studies, vetted through her extensive knowledge of both fields. It has excellent potential as a teaching tool for undergraduates and is an accessible introduction to the discipline for nonspecialists."

-Bethany J. Walker, Near Eastern Archaeology

From the Publisher