Calligraphy and Architecture in the Muslim World

Abstract

Explores the myriad interactions between calligraphy and architecture throughout the history of the Muslim world

• 30 case studies explain different aspects and contexts of calligraphy in Islamic architecture

• Geographically wide-ranging – covers North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, China and Spain

• Takes an interdisciplinary approach to analysing calligraphy as part of its larger spatial-architectural context

• Lavishly illustrated with over 300 colour images

From Spain to China, Islamic architecture and calligraphy are inexorably intertwined. Mosques, dervish lodges, mausolea, libraries, even baths and market places bear masterpieces of calligraphy that rival the most refined of books and scrolls.This major reference work focuses on architectural inscriptions through the Muslim world, from the emergence of Islam to the present day.

• What were the purposes of these inscriptions?

• How do they infuse buildings with culturally specific meanings, sacred or profane?

• What do they add to architectural design?

• What sorts of materials were used, and how do they interact with light and space?

• Who were their patrons, and what do we know about the artists who produced them?

Find out with this exciting new collection edited by a stellar cast of international contributors.

About the Contributors

Nasiba Baimatowa, Harvard University, USA

Bavand Behpoor, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany

Süleyman Berk, Yalova University, Turkey

Sheila S. Blair, Boston College and Virginia Commonwealth University, USA

Johanna Blayac, University Paris 8 Saint-Denis, France

Patricia Blessing, Stanford University, USA

Snježana Buzov, Ohio State University, USA

M. Uğur Derman, independent

Edhem Eldem, Boğaziçi University, Turkey

Nina Ergin, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey

Mohammad Gharipour, Morgan State University, USA

Sina Goudarzi, independent

Sadiq Javer, Tsinghua University in Beijing, China

Hilal Kazan, independent

Saeid Khaghani, Shahrood University of Technology, Iran

Ulrike-Christiane Lintz, Saarland University, Germany

Tehnyat Majeed, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Pakistan

Talip Mert, Marmara University, Turkey

Bernard O’Kane, American University in Cairo, Egypt

José Miguel Puerta Vilchez, University of Granada, Spain

İrvin Cemil Schick, İstanbul Şehir University, Turkey

Ann Shafer, American University in Cairo, Egypt

Bahia Shehab, Mi7-Cairo and American University in Cairo, Egypt

Sumayah Al-Solaiman, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Barbara Stöcker-Parnian, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany

Murat Sülün, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey

Hashim Al-Tawil, Henry Ford Community College, USA

Abdülhamit Tüfekçioğlu, Yüzüncü Yıl University, Van, Turkey

Caroline Olivia M. Wolf, Rice University, USA