Inscriptions of the Medieval Islamic World
Published on 9. June 2023
Book
Hardback
752 pages
978-1-4744-8944-7 (ISBN)
Description
This volume offers an overview of the state of the field, and shows the importance of Islamic inscriptions for disciplines such as art history, history and literature. The chapters range from surveys to detailed exploration of individual topics, providing an insight to some of the most recent cutting-edge work on Islamic inscriptions. It focuses on the period from the rise of Islam to the fifteenth century, ranging across the Islamic world from the Maghreb to India and Central Asia, and inscriptions in Arabic, Persian and Turkish.
The five sections of the book draw together some of the principal themes: 'Royal Power' investigates the role of sultanic patronage in epigraphy, and the use of inscriptions for projecting royal power. 'Piety' examines the relationship between epigraphy and religious practice. 'Epigraphic Style and Function' explores the relationship between the use of specific epigraphic styles and scripts and the function of a monument. 'Inscribed Objects' moves from monumental inscriptions to those on objects such as ceramics and pen-cases. The final section considers the interplay between inscriptions and historical sources as well as the utility of inscriptions as historical sources.
The five sections of the book draw together some of the principal themes: 'Royal Power' investigates the role of sultanic patronage in epigraphy, and the use of inscriptions for projecting royal power. 'Piety' examines the relationship between epigraphy and religious practice. 'Epigraphic Style and Function' explores the relationship between the use of specific epigraphic styles and scripts and the function of a monument. 'Inscribed Objects' moves from monumental inscriptions to those on objects such as ceramics and pen-cases. The final section considers the interplay between inscriptions and historical sources as well as the utility of inscriptions as historical sources.
Reviews / Votes
Inscriptions of the Medieval Islamic World explores the importance of epigraphic languages stretching from Spain to the Crimea between the 7th and 16th century CE. This landmark volume offers fresh interdisciplinary insights on the significance of the written word, prompting renewed attention on one the Islamic world's most pivotal art forms. -- Christiane Gruber, University of Michigan This anthology alerts to the diversity of visual and textual themes in epigraphic cultures of medieval Islam. It demonstrates what we gain from seeing inscriptions in their context of a specific time, place, and function. And it shows the relevance of discussing epigraphy as a historically distinct product across its general taxonomic categories in philology and art history. -- Markus Ritter, University of ViennaMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
200 colour illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 250 mm
Width: 170 mm
Thickness: 48 mm
Weight
1814 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4744-8944-7 (9781474489447)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Bernard O'Kane
Inscriptions of the Medieval Islamic World
E-Book
04/2023
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€165.99
Available for download
Bernard O'Kane
Inscriptions of the Medieval Islamic World
E-Book
04/2023
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€165.99
Available for download
Persons
Bernard O'Kane is Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at the American University in Cairo. He is the author of Timurid Architecture in Khurasan (1987), Studies in Persian Art and Architecture (1996) and Early Persian Painting (2003); and the editor of Treasures of Islamic Art in the Museums of Cairo (2006). A.C.S. Peacock is Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic History at the University of St Andrews, and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. His previous publications include The Great Seljuk Empire (2015) and Early Seljuq History (2010). Mark Muehlhaeusler is a Senior Instructor at the American University in Cairo.
Content
1. Introduction Bernard O'Kane and A. C. S. Peacock
Part I: Inscriptions and Royal Power
2. The Fatimid Public Text Revisited Jonathan M. Bloom
3. Micro and Macro Power Projection in the Medieval Islamic World: The Architectural and Numismatic Epigraphic Evidence Richard P. McClary
4. The Monumental Inscriptions of the Great Seljuqs Malikshah and Tutush. Observations on Texts, Protocols and Writing Styles Roberta Giunta
5. New Epigraphic Data from a Ghurid Monument at Chisht-i Sharif: Expressing Power and Piety in Sixth/Twelfth-Century Afghanistan Viola Allegranzi
Part II: Inscriptions and Piety
6. Stars and Symmetry: The Name of the Prophet Muhammad in Architectural Inscriptions Bernard O'Kane
7. Barakat Muhammad. Notes on Square Kufic Epigraphy in the History of Morocco Umberto Bongianino and Peter T. Nagy
8. Islamic Supplications of the Funerary Architecture of Medieval Castile Razan Francis
9. The Shaykh and the Amir: Reflections on the non-Quranic Epigraphic Programme in the Buildings of Shaykhi al-Umari al-NasiriNoha Abou-Khatwa
Part III: Inscriptions, History and Society
10. Tombstones from Aswan in the British Museum Venetia Porter
11. Marwanid Inscriptions Carole Hillenbrand
12. The Rise of New Epigraphic Languages in the Medieval Islamic East. The Interplay of Persian, Turkish and Arabic on Inscriptions A. C. S. Peacock
13. Inscriptions from the Golden Horde Period and the Crimean Khanate in Crimea: a Body of Hitherto Neglected Material within the Study of the Inscriptions of Islamic Lands Nicole Kancal-Ferrari and Fatma M. Sen
Part IV: Inscribed Objects
14. The Epigraphic Samarra Horizon: Blue-on-White Ceramics Rebecca Wrightson
15. Art with Poetry: Inscriptions on Mamluk Metalwork Doris Behrens-Abouseif
16. 'The Calligrapher is an Ape!' Arabic Epigrams on Pen Boxes (Sixth/Twelfth-Ninth/Fifteenth Centuries) Frederic Bauden
17. Between the Artist and the Patron: Painted Inscriptions of the Khamsa of Shah Tahmasb Selin UEnlueoenen
Part V: Epigraphic Style and Function
18. The Influence of Aesthetics on Orthographic Decisions in the Early Islamic Graffiti of Wadi al-Khirqa, Northern Hijaz Risa Tokunaga
19. The Here and the Hereafter: Rounded and AngularInscriptions in Medieval Syria, Anatolia and the Jazira Scott Redford
20. Luted Letters: The Relief Inscriptions on Kashan Lustre Mihrabs Sheila Blair
21. Carved Letters, Designs and Ornaments: Ilkhanid Stuccos and 'Signatures' of their Craftsmen Ana Marija Grbanovic
22. The Qutb Minar: Epigraphic Notes Robert Hillenbrand
Index
Part I: Inscriptions and Royal Power
2. The Fatimid Public Text Revisited Jonathan M. Bloom
3. Micro and Macro Power Projection in the Medieval Islamic World: The Architectural and Numismatic Epigraphic Evidence Richard P. McClary
4. The Monumental Inscriptions of the Great Seljuqs Malikshah and Tutush. Observations on Texts, Protocols and Writing Styles Roberta Giunta
5. New Epigraphic Data from a Ghurid Monument at Chisht-i Sharif: Expressing Power and Piety in Sixth/Twelfth-Century Afghanistan Viola Allegranzi
Part II: Inscriptions and Piety
6. Stars and Symmetry: The Name of the Prophet Muhammad in Architectural Inscriptions Bernard O'Kane
7. Barakat Muhammad. Notes on Square Kufic Epigraphy in the History of Morocco Umberto Bongianino and Peter T. Nagy
8. Islamic Supplications of the Funerary Architecture of Medieval Castile Razan Francis
9. The Shaykh and the Amir: Reflections on the non-Quranic Epigraphic Programme in the Buildings of Shaykhi al-Umari al-NasiriNoha Abou-Khatwa
Part III: Inscriptions, History and Society
10. Tombstones from Aswan in the British Museum Venetia Porter
11. Marwanid Inscriptions Carole Hillenbrand
12. The Rise of New Epigraphic Languages in the Medieval Islamic East. The Interplay of Persian, Turkish and Arabic on Inscriptions A. C. S. Peacock
13. Inscriptions from the Golden Horde Period and the Crimean Khanate in Crimea: a Body of Hitherto Neglected Material within the Study of the Inscriptions of Islamic Lands Nicole Kancal-Ferrari and Fatma M. Sen
Part IV: Inscribed Objects
14. The Epigraphic Samarra Horizon: Blue-on-White Ceramics Rebecca Wrightson
15. Art with Poetry: Inscriptions on Mamluk Metalwork Doris Behrens-Abouseif
16. 'The Calligrapher is an Ape!' Arabic Epigrams on Pen Boxes (Sixth/Twelfth-Ninth/Fifteenth Centuries) Frederic Bauden
17. Between the Artist and the Patron: Painted Inscriptions of the Khamsa of Shah Tahmasb Selin UEnlueoenen
Part V: Epigraphic Style and Function
18. The Influence of Aesthetics on Orthographic Decisions in the Early Islamic Graffiti of Wadi al-Khirqa, Northern Hijaz Risa Tokunaga
19. The Here and the Hereafter: Rounded and AngularInscriptions in Medieval Syria, Anatolia and the Jazira Scott Redford
20. Luted Letters: The Relief Inscriptions on Kashan Lustre Mihrabs Sheila Blair
21. Carved Letters, Designs and Ornaments: Ilkhanid Stuccos and 'Signatures' of their Craftsmen Ana Marija Grbanovic
22. The Qutb Minar: Epigraphic Notes Robert Hillenbrand
Index