Mamluk history through architecture : monuments, culture and politics in Medieval Egypt and Syria / / by Nasser Rabbat

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910960354103321
• Autore: Rabbat Nasser O.
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: London ; ; New York : , : I.B. Tauris, , 2010
• ISBN: 9780755697472; 0755697472; 9781786733863; 1786733862; 9781786723864; 1786723867
• Edizione: [First edition.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (252 pages)
• Disciplina: 720.9560902
• Soggetti: Architecture, Mameluke - Egypt - History - To 1500; Architecture, Mameluke - Syria - History - To 1500; Architectural structure & design
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references.
• Nota di contenuto: Front Cover -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Table of Contents -- List of illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- Preface -- Part 1 Unpacking Mamluk Sources -- 1. The Changing Concept of Mamluk in the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria -- 2. Representing the Mamluks in Mamluk Historical Writing -- 3. Perception of Architecture in Mamluk Sources -- 4. Architects and Artists in Mamluk Society: The Perspective of the Sources -- Part 2 Architecture as History -- 5. The Mosaics of the Qubba al-Zahiriyya in Damascus: A Classical Syrian Medium Acquires a Mamluk Signature -- 6. The Militarisation of Taste in Medieval Bilad al-Sham -- 7. Al-Azhar Mosque: An Architectural Chronicle of Cairo's History -- Part 3 Architecture and Language -- 8. Documenting Buildings in the Waqf System -- 9. The Iwans of the Madrasa of Sultan Hasan -- 10. Qasr: An Agent of Monumentality in Mamluk Architecture -- 11. Mamluk Throne Halls: Qubba or Iwan -- Part 4 Architecture as Cultural Index -- 12. Writing the History of Islamic Architecture in Cairo -- 13. The Ideological Significance of the ; Dar al-'Adl in the Medieval Islamic Orient -- 14. 'Ajib and Gharib: Artistic Perception in Medieval Arabic Sources -- 15. The Formation of the Neo-Mamluk Style in Modern Egypt -- Glossary -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.
• Sommario/riassunto: "The most enduring testament to the Mamluk Sultanate is its architecture. Not only do Mamluk buildings embody one of the most outstanding medieval architectural traditions, Mamluk architecture is actually a key to the social history of the period. Analysing Mamluk constructions as a form of communication and documentation as well as a cultural index, "Mamluk History Through Architecture" shows how the buildings mirror the complex - and historically unique - military, political, social and financial structures of Mamluk society. With this original and authoritative study, Nasser Rabbat offers an innovative approach to the history of the Mamluks - through readings of the spectacular architecture of the period. Drawing on examples from throughout both Egypt and Syria, from the Citadel and Al-Azhar Mosque of Cairo to the Mausoleum of al-Zahir Baybars in Damascus, Rabbat demonstrates how Mamluk architecture served to reinforce visually the spirit of the counter-Crusade, when the Muslim world rebounded from the setbacks of the First Crusade. Both holistically and in case studies, Rabbat demonstrates how history is inscribed into and reflected by a culture's artefacts. This is a groundbreaking work in the study of architecture and social history in the Middle East and beyond."--Bloomsbury Publishing.