The Umayyads: The Rise of Islamic Art

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, General Art, Travel, History
Cover of the book The Umayyads: The Rise of Islamic Art by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara, Museum With No Frontiers, MWNF (Museum Ohne Grenzen)
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara ISBN: 9783902782076
Publisher: Museum With No Frontiers, MWNF (Museum Ohne Grenzen) Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
ISBN: 9783902782076
Publisher: Museum With No Frontiers, MWNF (Museum Ohne Grenzen)
Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint:
Language: English

Far from abolishing the freedom of local cults and undermining existing town plans, the Umayyads acknowledged the aesthetic language already in place on their arrival in Jordan (661), and re-invented its forms with an astonishing freedom of expression. Brief as their hegemony was (less than 90 years) the role of the Umayyad caliphs remains crucial in the history of Islam. By establishing the first crossroads between the two blocs of the Muslim world (IranMesopotamia and the Mediterranean), they brought the richness of the two civilisations to a re-united Middle East. The Umayyads were passionate architects and most of the art forms in which they have excelled (mosaic, stucco, frescoes and figurative sculpture) are, therefore, linked to architecture. Although they borrowed a number of motifs from the inexhaustible Antique repertoire, the architecture, as much as the decorative arts, clearly prefigure the artistic expressions of a later Islam. Jordan, small though it is, is a huge open-air museum, and it is to the Umayyads that one owes the apparition of the minaret, mihrab and maqsura; the full development of geometrical motifsand epigraphic borders. The pivotal role of the Umayyads in world culture is witnessed in the civic architecture of the period, which generated a multitude of splendidly decorated palaces such as, for example, the largest Umayyad Palace of Jordan, ‘Qasr al-Mouchatta’ or Qousayr Amra, where the famous frescoes of the Six Kings exhibit clearly their Hellenistic influence. Masterpieces such as caravanserais, country residences, hammams and great works of art, equally attest to Umayyad supremacy in the innovative use of existing styles. Museum With No Frontiers eloquently succeeds in bringing to light the cardinal synthesis which has presided over the birth of this unique artistic language.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Far from abolishing the freedom of local cults and undermining existing town plans, the Umayyads acknowledged the aesthetic language already in place on their arrival in Jordan (661), and re-invented its forms with an astonishing freedom of expression. Brief as their hegemony was (less than 90 years) the role of the Umayyad caliphs remains crucial in the history of Islam. By establishing the first crossroads between the two blocs of the Muslim world (IranMesopotamia and the Mediterranean), they brought the richness of the two civilisations to a re-united Middle East. The Umayyads were passionate architects and most of the art forms in which they have excelled (mosaic, stucco, frescoes and figurative sculpture) are, therefore, linked to architecture. Although they borrowed a number of motifs from the inexhaustible Antique repertoire, the architecture, as much as the decorative arts, clearly prefigure the artistic expressions of a later Islam. Jordan, small though it is, is a huge open-air museum, and it is to the Umayyads that one owes the apparition of the minaret, mihrab and maqsura; the full development of geometrical motifsand epigraphic borders. The pivotal role of the Umayyads in world culture is witnessed in the civic architecture of the period, which generated a multitude of splendidly decorated palaces such as, for example, the largest Umayyad Palace of Jordan, ‘Qasr al-Mouchatta’ or Qousayr Amra, where the famous frescoes of the Six Kings exhibit clearly their Hellenistic influence. Masterpieces such as caravanserais, country residences, hammams and great works of art, equally attest to Umayyad supremacy in the innovative use of existing styles. Museum With No Frontiers eloquently succeeds in bringing to light the cardinal synthesis which has presided over the birth of this unique artistic language.

More books from History

Cover of the book Il Sud Borbonico e le Verità Nascoste by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book This Superior Place by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book The Channel Islands by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book Army Life in a Black Regiment by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book The Modern North by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book Palmetto Predators by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book A Savage Empire by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book Exploring Border Reivers History by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book Marion by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book Mirage Of Power Pt1 V3 by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book Routledge Revivals: Medieval Archaeology (2001) by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book The Fourth Power by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book The Jesuits and Globalization by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book Acid Dreams by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
Cover of the book The Wild Irishman by Ghazi Bisheh, Fawzi Zayadine, Mohammad al-Asad, Ina Kehrber, Tohme Lara
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy