Egyptian Palaces And Villas

Egypt's romantic allure does not end with the age of the pharaohs. This lavishly illustrated book offers a look inside the opulent estates of the pashas, khedives, and great ladies of 19th-century Egypt, and the princes and kings of the early 20th century. Here in all its cosmopolitan splendor is the world of unparalleled prosperity that attracted adventurers the world over, from the Belle Époque through the Roaring Twenties.--From publisher description.

"As Egypt opened up to Western influence in the nineteenth century, new architectural styles became popular. The main importers and propagators of European styles in Cairene domestic architecture were the family of Muhammad 'Ali, keen to cultivate a fashionable modern image. They viewed photographs of the latest in European Neo-classical buildings and selected the palaces of their dreams. Architects and artists came from Europe to create a variety of glorious palaces, mansions, and villas in Cairo, many in what was then the new desert development of 'Abbasiya." "This study, which received the 1994 Frank G. Wisner Award of the American University in Cairo, first explores the introduction and popular adoption of these outside influences in domestic architecture. The author then examines as an example of the architecture of the first half of the century the palace of 'Abbas Hilmi I, and from the second half of the century surveys the villas and urban development of 'Abbasiya."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

During the nineteenth century, cultural heritage became a dominant feature of the political ideology of the European states and of their colonies. It became a new form of legitimization for the rising nation-state, cementing its inextricable link with that nation's politics and practices. The set of concepts and practices defining cultural heritage were exported to, and imposed over, the colonized populations in North Africa and the Near East. The legacy of the colonial period has proven very significant in the domain of cultural heritage which has become a crucial cultural arena in many Arab states. As in the majorities of post-colonial states, in the Arab world, the inherited paradigm of cultural heritage has been subject to various forms of adaption and re-elaboration that have made it a lively and complex space of negotiations between various actors. Thus, in The Politics of Cultural Heritage in the Middle East, Irene Maffi and Rami Daher draw together expert scholars to unravel these complex processes that are involved in the definition, production and consumption of heritage and its material culture in the Middle East, and the dynamics of the key actors involved. The variety of the cases analysed that cover the region from Morocco to Lebanon, as well as the multiplicity of the actors concerned such as the state (post-colonial or colonial), international organizations, municipal councils, local communities, families and even exceptional personalities, highlights and explores the complex processes where very local and specific dynamics intertwine with transnational economic, political and cultural fluxes. In its examination of the workings of cultural heritage in the Middle East, this book is an important resource for students and scholars of Middle East Studies, Cultural History, History of Art and Architecture, and for stakeholders involved in the field of cultural heritage.

The commodification of Islamic antiques intensified in the late Ottoman Empire, an age of domestic reform and increased European interference following the Tanzimat (reorganisation) of 1839. Mercedes Volait examines the social life of typical objects moving from Cairo and Damascus to Paris, London, and beyond, uncovers the range of agencies and subjectivities involved in the trade of architectural salvage and historic handicraft, and traces impacts on private interiors, through creative reuse and Revival design, in Egypt, Europe and America. By devoting attention to both local and global engagements with Middle Eastern tangible heritage, the present volume invites to look anew at Orientalism in art and interior design, the canon of Islamic architecture and the translocation of historic works of art.

In a fascinating study of ancient Roman architecture, classics scholar Alexander McKay examines simple houses, mansions, estates and palatial buildings, interior furnishings, and gardens--revealing that Roman civilization was astonishingly similar to our own. He also discusses the conditions of life in the Roman provinces. 153 illustrations.

Providing fresh perspectives on this ancient culture, a digest of current research trends in Egyptology, as well as a unique examination of the Egyptian world, this title enables students to gain a clear understanding of ancient Egyptian society.

Elements from Ancient Egypt have been present in Croatia ever since Antiquity. 'Egypt in Croatia' considers artefacts discovered in present-day Croatia, 16th-20th century travellers, Egyptian collections and early collectors (1820s-1950s), the development of Egyptology as a field of study as well as the various elements of ‘Egyptomania’.