Cities Of Medieval Iran

Cities of Medieval Iran brings together studies in urban geography, archaeology, and history of medieval Iranian cities, covering the millennium from 500 to 1500 AD, with a focus on urban actors themselves.

In pieces drawn from over the course of his distinguished career, pre-eminent historian Roy Mottahedeh explores such diverse topics as the social bonds that connected people in the early Islamic Middle East, the transmission of learning in the Muslim world, religious and ethnic toleration in the past and in the present, and the theme of ‘wonders’ in The Thousand and One Nights. His essays extend from the early Islamic period through the medieval era and on to modern times. A number concern Iran, the country of his father’s birth, and again Mottahedeh’s studies range widely, including Persian panegyric poetry, the origins of the city of Kashan, and Shi‘ite political thought. Speaking to contemporary concerns, he also touches upon voting rights, academic freedom, and censorship. Intended not only for those in Islamic studies but for students of history and interested lay readers, there are introductions to each section written with the non-specialist in mind, and these sections progress from more general topics to those more specialized. In the Shadow of the Prophet thus reflects Mottahedeh’s desire that the Islamic world and its history become better understood so that cooperation between Muslims and non-Muslims might become the order of the day.

Continuity and often violent change in medieval Persia are revealed in this detailed study of aspects of Persian history during three turbulent centuries (1040–1335 A.D.). An extensive introduction provides the chronological framework for this examination of the vital areas of administrative, economic, and social history. This book is a major contribution from the pen of a scholar whose knowledge of the sources of the history of Islamic Persia and of the country itself is hardly to be matched by any living Western scholar. Lambton provides an astonishing amount of information and also uniquely deep insights into Persian history and society.

Exploring the rationale behind the physical structure and spatial patterns of traditional Iranian cities, this study examines cities built before the general modernization of Iran that began after World War II, in the light of specifically Iranian environmental factors.

Offers an original account of the formation of medieval Sunnism, emphasising Islamic discourses of heresy and orthodoxy.