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Nasser D Khalili
The Timeline History of Islamic Art and Architecture by Professor Nasser D. Khalili, to be published by Worth Press in November 2005, is a major new work which provides a comprehensive overview of the arts of Islam for the general reader. Never before has there been a publication that brings every aspect of this vast subject together both geographically and chronologically. Through its ingenious format, The Timeline History of Islamic Art and Architecture presents the magnificent sweep of the arts of Islam in an attractive and accessible way.
The Islamic era began in the year 622 AD with the Hijra (or emigration) of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina. Within little more than a few decades of the Prophet's death in 632, Islam had already spread to territories stretching from the Atlantic to the China Sea and from North Africa to the frontiers of Siberia and, within a few centuries, sizeable Muslim communities had been established across an even wider area. Civilisations of very different religious, historic and artistic backgrounds were thus united under Islam. The culture of the Muslim peoples is accordingly rich and varied, encompassing vast architectural projects, minutely detailed miniature paintings, exquisitely patterned silk textiles and bold, sophisticated calligraphy.
The term 'Islamic art' broadly describes works produced by Muslim artists for Muslim patrons. 'Islamic' does not imply that the art is exclusively religious in content or use, indeed a significant portion is secular. It is 'Islamic' because its artistic vocabulary is partly rooted in Muslim philosophical thought and shaped to some extent by the spirit and doctrines of the Muslim faith. This is why it can be discussed as a whole in spite of the wide geographical area in which it was produced and the fact that Muslim artists and architects have been influenced and enriched by the artistic traditions of the other cultures with which they came into contact.
Paramount in importance and status is calligraphy and the role it played both as an art form in its own right and in the decoration of other art works and buildings. As the medium through which the Qur'an was recorded, the Arabic script acted as a spiritually unifying factor. Another important characteristic of Islamic art is the extensive use of scrollwork, arabesques, geometric motifs and interlace patterns. However, contrary to popular assumption, figural imagery also plays an important role in Islamic art. Although Islamic traditions prohibit the representation of human beings and animals in a religious context, the rule does not extend to secular art. It is misconceptions such as this that this publication will help to dispel.
Until now, histories of the art of Islamic lands have either been very general or highly focused on particular regions or types of artifact, so that a whole range of books has needed to be consulted to fit the vast jigsaw puzzle together. In The Timeline History of Islamic Art and Architecture, the 16 spectacular pages of the Timeline itself present a chronological overview of the major developments in Islamic art and architecture and enable the reader to see at a glance what was happening in the different countries of Islam during the same period. The Timeline is divided into five main geographical regions: North Africa and Spain; the Middle East (Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula); Asia Minor (Turkey); Iran and Central Asia (including Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics); and the Indian subcontinent. This arrangement is based both upon regional styles of art and architecture and spheres of political power as they stood until the late 19th/early 20th centuries and does not take account of modern national boundaries. Dates are presented according to both the Islamic and Western calendars. Diverse developments throughout the Islamic world can be compared simultaneously across time and place, and specific objects and buildings seen in the light of key events in Muslim history. The publication has more than 750 colour images showing the magnificence of Islamic architecture as well as exquisite objects, the majority from The Khalili Collection, one of the world's most important and comprehensive private collections of Islamic art.
Following the Timeline are fourteen lavishly illustrated chapters devoted to architecture and to individual arts -calligraphy, Qur'an manuscripts, miniature painting, bookbinding, lacquer, pottery, glass, metalwork, scientific instruments, jewellery, arms and armour, carpets and textiles, and coins. The Timeline History of Islamic Art and Architecture also contains a section devoted to the histories of the major dynasties of the Islamic world, with lists of the most important rulers. A four-page gatefold map gives the locations of historical and cultural sites, and the Muslim calendar and dating system are explained. The main text is supplemented by a glossary of key Islamic and art historical terms, a list of the major collections of Islamic art in museums, galleries and private collections throughout the world, suggestions for further reading, and an index. Finally, in a pocket at the back of the book is a rotating wheel, on one side of which the reader can see landmark achievements of Islamic art and on the other find key facts about the modern Islamic nations.
Professor J.M. Rogers, Honorary Curator of The Khalili Collection, formerly of the British Museum and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, notes in his foreword: "It is time to turn to the achievements of Islamic culture, notably to the art and architecture of Islam, which over the centuries has contributed no less than Islamic science to the West. "The present overview for the interested non-specialist, taking account of both the history and geographical range of Islamic cultures, is thus timely. It will be read with profit by anyone anxious to discover more of the major contribution of Islam to the history of world culture."
Professor Nasser D. Khalili is a graduate, Associate Research Professor, and Member of the Governing Body at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and Honorary Fellow of the University of London.
Published by Worth Press Limited
186 pages; fully illustrated in colour, gatefold map, glossary and index
37.2 x 25.4 cm
hardback with dust jacket (slip-cased)
1-903025-17-6
2005
£25/$50
THIS PUBLICATION WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE THROUGH OXBOW BOOKS BUT VIA WORTH PRESS LIMITED (worthpress@aol.com)
186 pages; fully illustrated in colour, gatefold map, glossary and index
37.2 x 25.4 cm
hardback with dust jacket (slip-cased)
1-874780-89-7
2007
£25/$50
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