The Production of Meaning in Islamic Architecture and Ornament (Collected Papers in Islamic Art)

The book presents investigative and interpretive articles on some of the most significant monuments and innovative features of medieval Islamic architecture, ornament, and gardens in Syria and Iraq, with comparative expansions into Anatolia, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain. These monuments, many of which have vanished in recent years, are examined within the context of the political divisions and theological ruptures that characterized the Islamic world between the eleventh and mid thirteenth centuries. Although some of these forms—including muqarnas vaulting, proportioned Qur’anic scripts, and cursive public inscriptions—would become ubiquitous in all Islamic architecture, these papers argue that they were produced and systematized within highly contentious political and theological discourses that imbued them with fairly specific meanings. Furthermore, the monumental types that were created in this period—in particular, the madrasa, the hospital, the tribunal (dar al-‘adl), and the citadel palace—represent borrowings from Baghdad, the Abbasid capital and safeguard of Sunni Islam. As such, the reader will be presented with medieval Islamic architecture as a discursive formation that echoes, though on a reduced scale, Abbasid glory and signals future developments in later Islamic architecture. Contents 6 List of Figures 8 Preface 22 PART I: SYRIA 28 1 Monuments with a Message: Propagation of Jihād under Nūr al-Dīn (1146–1174) 30 2 Survivals and Archaisms in the Architecture of Northern Syria, c. 1080–1150 53 3 Circles of Power: Palace, Citadel and City in Ayyubid Aleppo 73 4 Ḍayfa Khātūn, Regent Queen and Architectura Patron 102 5 Defending Ayyubid Aleppo: The Fortifications of Al-Ẓāhir Ghāzī (1186–1216) 121 6 Originality and Innovation in Syrian Woodwork of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries 132 PART II: IRAQ 154 7 The Mosque of Nūr al-Dīn in Mosul, 1170–1172 156 8 The Resurgence of the Baghdad Caliphate 185 9 The Politics of Patronage in Medieval Mosul: Nūr al-Dīn, Badr al-Dīn and the Question of the SunnÈ Revival 206 PART III: DOMES 226 10 The Muqarnas Dome: Its Origin and Meaning 228 11 The Muqarnas Domes and Vaults of Cairo 251 12 Andalusian Roots and ʿAbbasid Homage in the Qubbat al-Barudiyyin in Marrakech 262 PART IV: WRITING 284 13 The Transformation of Arabic Writing: Part 1, Qurʾānic Calligraphy 286 14 The Transformation of Arabic Writing: Part 2, the Public Text 337 15 Canonicity and Control: The Sociopolitical Underpinnings of Ibn Muqla’s Reform 381 PART V: GARDENS 394 16 The Medieval Islamic Garden: Typology and Hydraulics 396 17 Control and Abandon: Images of Water in Arabic Gardens and Garden Poetry 431 18 Eternal Hunting Fields: The Frescos at QusayrʿAmra as a Pastoralist Interpretation of the Paradise Garden 451 PART VI: SHRINES 464 19 Invented Pieties: The Rediscovery and Rebuilding of the Shrine of Sayyida Ruqayya in Damascus, 1975–2006 466 20 Glorifying the Imamate: Architecture and Ritual in the Shiʿi Shrines of Syria 489 21 The Functional Aspects of Medieval Islamic Hospitals 504 Index 527 Collects Yasser Tabbaa's writings on transformations in Islamic architecture and ornament in relation to parallel theological and political changesDiscusses monuments in Syria and Iraq, many of which have vanished without being properly studiedExplores innovations in medieval Islamic architecture within the shifting political and theological landscapeReaffirms the centrality of the Abbasid Caliphate in these innovations and their dispersion throughout the Islamic worldExpands on the role of poetry in the transmission of garden and fountain types from the eastern to the western Islamic worldInvestigates the unprecedented expansion of Shi'i shrines in Syria, largely due to Iranian patronageThis volume collects Yasser Tabbaa's investigative and interpretive articles on medieval Islamic architecture, ornament and gardens in Syria and Iraq, with comparative expansions into Anatolia, Egypt, North Africa and Spain. Tabbaa examines the monuments, many of which have vanished in recent years, within the context of the political divisions and theological ruptures that characterised the Islamic world between the 11th and 13th centuries. The writings cover significant forms such as muqarnas vaulting, proportioned Qur'anic scripts and cursive public inscriptions, and monument types such as the madrasa, the hospital, the tribunal (dar al-'adl) and the citadel palace. Collectively, they present medieval Islamic architecture as a transformative process that echoes Abbasid glory and signals future developments in later Islamic architecture This volume collects Yasser Tabbaa’s investigative and interpretive articles on medieval Islamic architecture, ornament and gardens in Syria and Iraq, with comparative expansions into Anatolia, Egypt, North Africa and Spain. Tabbaa examines the monuments, many of which have vanished in recent years, within the context of the political divisions and theological ruptures that characterised the Islamic world between the 11th and 13th centuries.Discusses monuments in Syria and Iraq, many of which have vanished without being properly studiedExplores innovations in medieval Islamic architecture within the shifting political and theological landscapeReaffirms the centrality of the Abbasid Caliphate in these innovations and their dispersion throughout the Islamic worldExpands on the role of poetry in the transmission of garden and fountain types from the eastern to the western Islamic worldInvestigates the unprecedented expansion of Shi’i shrines in Syria, largely due to Iranian patronage This volume collects Yasser Tabbaa's investigative and interpretive articles on medieval Islamic architecture, ornament and gardens in Syria and Iraq, with comparative expansions into Anatolia, Egypt, North Africa and Spain. He examines the monuments, many of which have vanished in recent years, within the context of the political divisions and theological ruptures that characterised the Islamic world between the 11th and 13th centuries. The writings cover significant forms such as muqarnas vaulting, proportioned Qur'anic scripts and cursive public inscriptions, and monument types such as the madrasa, the hospital, the tribunal (dar al-'adl) and the citadel palace. Collectively, they present medieval Islamic architecture as a transformative process that echoes Abbasid glory and signals future developments in later Islamic architecture-- Dos de la jaquette « This volume collects Yasser Tabbaa's investigative and interpretive articles on medieval Islamic architecture, ornament and gardens in Syria and Iraq, with comparative expansions into Anatolia, Egypt, North Africa and Spain. He examines the monuments, many of which have vanished in recent years, within the context of the political divisions and theological ruptures that characterised the Islamic world between the 11th and 13th centuries. The writings cover significant forms such as muqarnas vaulting, proportioned Qur'anic scripts and cursive public inscriptions, and monument types such as the madrasa, the hospital, the tribunal (dar al-'adl) and the citadel palace. Collectively, they present medieval Islamic architecture as a transformative process that echoes Abbasid glory and signals future developments in later Islamic architecture »--Jaquette This volume collects Yasser Tabbaa's investigative and interpretive articles on medieval Islamic architecture, ornament and gardens in Syria and Iraq, with comparisons to Anatolia, Egypt, North Africa and Spain, within the context of the political divisions and theological ruptures of the Islamic world between the 11th and 13th centuries.