The Seljuqs and their Successors: Art, Culture and History (Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Art)

Rising from nomadic origins as Turkish tribesmen, the powerful and culturally prolific Seljuqs and their successor states dominated vast lands extending from Central Asia to the eastern Mediterranean from the eleventh to the fourteenth century. Supported by colour images, charts, and maps, this volume examines how under Seljuq rule, migrations of people and the exchange and synthesis of diverse traditions - including Turkmen, Perso-Arabo-Islamic, Byzantine, Armenian, Crusader and other Christian cultures - accompanied architectural patronage, advances in science and technology and a great flowering of culture within the realm. It also explores how shifting religious beliefs, ideologies of authority, and lifestyle in Seljuq times influenced cultural and artistic production, urban and rural architecture, monumental inscriptions and royal titulature, and practices of religion and magic. It also presents today's challenges and new approaches to preserving the material heritage of this vastly accomplished and influential civilization. Cover 1 The Seljuqs and their Successors 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Figures 8 Tables 14 Series Editor’s Foreword 15 The Contributors 16 Editors’ Note on Transliteration 18 PART ONE INTRODUCTION 20 Ch. 1 Editors’ Introduction 22 Ch. 2 What is Special about Seljuq History? 25 Ch. 3 Seljuq Art: An Overview 36 PART TWO RULERS AND CITIES 52 Ch. 4 Rum Seljuq Caravanserais: Urbs in Rure 54 PART THREE FAITH, RELIGION AND ARCHITECTURE 70 Ch. 5 The Religious History of the Great Seljuq Period* 72 Ch. 6 Domes in the Seljuq Architecture of Iran 91 Ch. 7 The Politics of Patronage in Medieval Mosul 107 PART FOUR IDENTITIES: RULERS AND POPULACE 130 Ch. 8 Ghaznavid, Qarakhanid and Seljuq Monumental Inscriptions 132 Ch. 9 Inscribed Identities 148 Ch. 10 Grasping the Magnitude 163 PART FIVE MAGIC AND THE COSMOS 180 Ch. 11 A Seljuq Occult Manuscript and its World 182 CH. 12 Al-Khazinı’s Astronomy under the Seljuqs 199 PART SIX OBJECTS AND MATERIAL CULTURE 216 Ch 13 Casting Shadows 218 Ch. 14 What’s in a Name? Signature, Maker’s Mark or Keeping Count 234 Ch. 15 Collaborative Investigations of a Monumental Seljuq Stucco Panel 247 CH. 16 The Florence Shahnama between History and Science 264 Glossary 283 Bibliography 285 Index 316