Discover Islamic Art In The Mediterranean

The great Islamic Dynasties of the Mediterranean are the protagonists of this book, together with their fascinating artistic and cultural legacy. Thirty-nine scholars, museum curators and experts in cultural heritage, from 14 countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, are the authors of the 22 chapters that take the reader through 13 centuries of Islamic history from the period of the Prophet Muhammad up until the end of the Ottoman Empire (1922). Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean is a collaborative work that was written for all those who share our idea that there is not only one history, but that at least as many histories as peoples exist. The idea of this book is to contribute to a historically more accurate and thus more authentic understanding of Islam by offering different perspectives of interpreting history, art and culture. This Book is published to complement the www.discoverislamicart.org Virtual Museum and its cycle of 18 Virtual Exhibitions Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

The great Islamic Dynasties of the Mediterranean are the protagonists of this book, together with their fascinating artistic legacy. Thirteen centuries of Islamic history from the Prophet Muhammad to the end of the Ottoman Empire.

A Discovery in Living Art tells the story of the exchanges between the furthest frontier of the Maghreb and Al-Andalus for more than five centuries. Political and social circumstances gave birth to a crossroad of cultures, techniques and artistic styles revealed by the splendour of Idrisid, Almoravid, Almohad and Marinid mosques, minarets and madrasas. The influence of Cordovan architecture and Andalusian decorative models, horseshoe arches, floral and geometric motifs and the use of stucco, wood and polychromatic tiles, display the continuous interchange that made Morocco one of the most brilliant homes of Islamic civilisation. Eight itineraries invite you to discover 89 museums, monuments and sites in Rabat, Meknes, Fez, Chefchaouen, Tetouan and Tangier (among others)."

This fascinating new series will present 12 Exhibition Trails in 11 countries, which follow the chronology of the spread of Islamic art in that area. The Museum With No Frontiers programme is based on the novel idea of organising exhibitions without transporting the works of art, instead allowing the visitor to discover the artefacts, architecture and museums in their original environment and within their historical and cultural context. This concept makes it possible for the Islamic art academic or enthusiast to experience art as a living illustration of social history. Each Exhibition Trail is divided into a number of itineraries that provide detailed information on the history and significance of each structure or work and offer practical information on guided tours, transportation and cultural activities. The beautifully illustrated descriptions of the archaeological sites, artworks and architecture are written by experts in the field who live in the specified area itself. Visit the virtual gallery www.mwnf.org for further information. The exhibition is devoted to significant monuments from the reign of the Umayyad caliphs (660-750 AD) in an area that stretched from Amman to Mo

The Islamic world's artistic traditions experienced profound transformation in the 19th century as rapidly developing technologies and globalizing markets ushered in drastic changes in technique, style, and content. Despite the importance and ingenuity of these developments, the 19th century remains a gap in the history of Islamic art. To fill this opening in art historical scholarship, Making Modernity in the Islamic Mediterranean charts transformations in image-making, architecture, and craft production in the Islamic world from Fez to Istanbul. Contributors focus on the shifting methods of production, reproduction, circulation, and exchange artists faced as they worked in fields such as photography, weaving, design, metalwork, ceramics, and even transportation. Covering a range of media and a wide geographical spread, Making Modernity in the Islamic Mediterranean reveals how 19th-century artists in the Middle East and North Africa reckoned with new tools, materials, and tastes from local perspectives.