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Discover the wonders of Islamic art in this title that uncovers the unique culture and people that have created these beautiful art forms.

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Now more than ever, Islam and Islamic culture is a topic that is as misunderstood as it is fascinating. In this exquisite oversized volume spanning 1200 years of history, celebrated scholar Professor Nasser D. Khalili presents a benchmark visual history of the peoples, the cultures, and the artworks that have defined the Islamic world. From Spain to Indonesia, North Africa to China, more than fifty of the world’s nations are of the Muslim faith. The material culture of the Muslim people is accordingly rich and varied, ranging from taking in architectural projects on a huge scale and minutely detailed miniature paintings, exquisitely patterned silk textiles and bold yet sophisticated calligraphy.

Written histories of the art of the Islamic lands have until now either been very general or highly focused on particular regions or types of artifacts. Now the spectacular format of Islamic Art and Culture provides the reader to view the magnificent sweep of the arts of Islam in a unique and accessible way. Diverse developments throughout the Islamic world are compared simultaneously across time and place, and specific objects and buildings seen in the light of key events in Muslim history. From calligraphy to carpets, armor to architecture, this book voluptuously reveals the immense heritage handed down through Islamic artists over the centuries, and examines their relationship to their Western peers. ... Read more

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Cairo's museums are home to some of the richest collection of Islamic art in the world. Long the seat of great dynasties, whose rulers and descendants both amassed and patronized works of art, Cairo's status as one of the wealthiest and most populous cities of the medieval world is reflected in the exquisite arts and crafts that make up its collections, which expanded in the twentieth century through the purchase of private collections so that they now include not just the arts of the dynasties that made Cairo their capital, such as the Fatimids, Ayyubids, and Mamluks, but material from other important areas of the Islamic world, such as Iran and Turkey, as well.Masterpieces of every medium are represented, including the decorative arts of ceramics, metalwork, textile, woodwork, glass, carved stone and ivory, and the art of the book. The objects vary from pieces made for purely secular purposes, many of them with blazons showing that they were the property of the great amirs of the time, to some of the choicest examples recovered from the architectural masterpieces that permeate Cairo's landscape.An introductory chapter guides the reader into the world of Islam and its art, while subsequent chapters unfold and describe the riches of the works of art that were crafted and amassed throughout the ages. The book is lavishly illustrated throughout with specially commissioned color photographs.Contributors to this volume include Mohamed Abbas, Noha Abou-Khatwa, Farouk Askar, Mohamed Hamza, and Bernard O Kane. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Beautiful Pages, Very Poor Binding.
This is a visually stunning book that covers an array of islamic art pieces from the Museums of Islamic Art in Ciaro. The annotations and essays are just as rich. An excellent book for students, academics and collectors of Islamic Art.
My only reservation is that despite the fact that this book has been published in hard back, the binding is extremely poor. My copy simply fell apart within 24 hours of it arriving. I had viewed the pages of the book about three times -just amazed by the photographs. However, during the fourth viewing of the book, as I started to engage in reading through the text, the pages had become detached from the stitched spine. I had to have my book repaired at the cost of what the book cost me in the first place. I was told by the book repairer that the glue used by the publisher/printing firm was of very poor quality and had become very brittle rather than form a flexible adhesive.
Overall though the book is a fabulous reference book.

enlightening tour of Islamic art at Cario museums
The woodworks, ivory carvings, metalwork, ceramics, manuscripts paintings, sculptures, glass, and other art works, despite their variety, different ages, and countries, all "bear something of the essence of the Islamic faith: divine unity, balance, and peace." Unlike much Western art, Islamic art is not meant to be provocative or idiosyncratic. Their are works from Turkey, Iran, and other places in the Muslim world. But most are from Egypt arranged according to different ruling dynasties starting about 600AD. Fine color photographs catch the details of designs, the textures, and the workmanship of the varied pieces. General text gives historical and cultural background of the different historical periods, and there's an informative, concise annotation with each art work pictured. The variety of the art works, the specifics of the annotations, and the text sections giving background convey the bounty of the world of Islamic art. ... Read more

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Students and scholars of the Italian Renaissance easily fall under the spell of its achievements: its self-confident humanism, its groundbreaking scientific innovations, its ravishing artistic production. Yet many of the developments in Italian ceramics and glass were made possible by Italy's proximity to the Islamic world. The Arts of Fire underscores how central the Islamic influence was on this luxury art of the Italian Renaissance. Published to coincide with an exhibition at the Getty Museum on view from May 4 to August 5, 2004, The Arts of Fire demonstrates how many of the techniques of glass and ceramic production and ornamentation were first developed in the Islamic East between the eighth and twelfth centuries. These techniques - enamel and gilding on glass and tin-glaze and lustre on ceramics - produced brilliant and colourful decoration that was a source of awe and admiration, transforming these crafts, for the first time, into works of art and true luxury commodities. Essays by Catherine Hess, George Saliba, and Linda Komaroff demonstrate early modern Europe's debts to the Islamic world and help us better understand the interrelationships of cultures over time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Graced with a map, 61 color images and 17 b/w illustrations
Compiled and deftly edited by Catherine Hess (Associate Curator of Sculpture, Getty Museum), The Arts Of Fire: Islamic Influences On Glass And Ceramics Of The Italian Renaissance is informationally enhanced by the contributions of George Saliba (Professor of Arabic and Islamic Science, Columbia University) and Linda Komaroff (curator of Islamic Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Graced with a map, 61 color images and 17 b/w illustrations, The Arts Of Fire showcases luxury glass and ceramic objects made by Italian artists and craftsmen during the 15th and 16th centuries -- an era considered to be a high point in Renaissance art. What's less well known is that none of these wonderful creations would have been possible without the introduction of the technological and formal advances in the art and production of glass and ceramic ware imported into Italy from contacts within the Islamic East where they were originally developed and practiced. Also available in a hardcover edition (0892367571, $65.00), The Arts Of Fire is a superb and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic Art History reference collections, The Arts Of Fire is a joy to simply page through and will leave the reader wondering what other treasures the Getty Museum has within its collections. ... Read more

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The Mediterranean trade in luxury goods from the East made a strong and lasting impression on Italian artistic taste and production during the early Renaissance. This opulently illustrated book describes and illustrates the fascinating ways that imported art objects inspired improvements and new variety in Italian decorative arts. From Italian textiles featuring Islamic and Asian motifs to ceramics and glassware that reflected Syrian techniques and ornamental concepts, this book gives an extraordinary view of the influence of imported Oriental goods in Italy over three crucial centuries of artistic development. Rosamond Mack traces Italy's emerging decorative arts tradition as she discusses textiles, ceramics, glass, bookbinding, and metalwork; she also considers how Italian painting reflects trans-Mediterranean trade and travel. Painters represented carpets and ceramics from the East in their works, as well as textiles with bands of writing replicating or suggesting Arabic script, negotiating cultural differences in their borrowings. These paintings show how Islamic motifs were absorbed into Christian contexts. Beginning in the 1300s and 1400s, the works of Italian craftsmen inspired by luxury goods from Islamic and Asian countries gradually began to compete with those brought to Europe in huge quantities on Italian merchant ships. Yet even after their own versions surpassed the quality of some of the imported goods, Italians continued to collect, imitate, and adapt objects from the Ottoman empire and China. As Mack discusses these important influences, she provides useful summaries of the history of Renaissance decorative arts and presents a balanced and carefully researched view of the controversial topic of East-West artistic exchange. This uniquely comprehensive study offers an intriguing look at the effects of exchange in Renaissance material culture, shedding new light on the development of the Italian Renaissance as a whole. No other source provides so rich and inclusive a synthesis of the period's decorative arts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Perfect Condition and Great Price
It came brand new, in perfect condition and it was a nice discount!

INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION IN THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
To whom visit Italy, Venice is different of other important art centers , like Rome or Firenze . The Oriental influence in the
architecture remains as first impression.Screnning windows in the lunette above Porta Sant'Alippio , ,the grills on Saint Mark, the facades of the Doge's Palace.But,also, in the painting , and general decorative arts the islamic and oriental influence is visible. Venise was the gateway of the Orient.As
written in the Introduction of this excellent book , it was not necessary to travel to the bazaars of Damascus to acquire merchandise,because it could be found in Venice . The book is a complete study of this commerce ,between 14th and 17 th centuries ,and its influence in the life of Venice - including
the new class of designers , imitating silks , ceramics , glasses , and other kind of products.This book describes a very
interesting connection , not quite found in other works - the
influence of Islamic civilization in the Italian Renaisance.
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Product Description
Islamic ceramic tilework is surely one of the most magnificent forms of decorative art in the world. Through the centuries Islamic potters and craftsmen have displayed a skill and ingenuity that verge on the miraculous. From Morocco in the west to India in the east, their work adorns mosques and minarets, palaces and mausoleums, revealing an extraordinary mastery of form, function, and design. The architecture of the Islamic world represents an incontestable high point in the art of ceramic decoration, and employs an inexhaustible source of decorative motifs: from floral to figurative, from geometric to allegoric, all in sumptuous, vibrant color. The art form continues to amaze and inspire today.

This volume presents a broad panorama of Islamic architectural decoration in all it diversity, drawn from a vast area including Spain, North Africa, Turkey, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent. Sumptuous illustrations-- accompanied by a text that places each monument in its historical, architectural, and technological context-- conjure up a dazzling, magical world of fabulously decorated buildings, revealing the secrets of the techniques that made them possible.
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Customer Reviews (3)

The pictures will hypnotize you
This is an excellent book, no matter how many times you go through it you are completely captivated by the pictures of the stunning mosques, mausoleums, palaces, etc. It actually makes you want to visit the whole muslim world country by country.

From Esfahan, to Cairo, From Samarkand, to Cordova - (countries included: Morrocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Turkey, Spain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) obviously it can't have every country and every monument but it has the main ones and is reasonably priced.

Gorgeous!
This book is full of wonderful photos!An excellent resource book for anyone who is interested in studying the visual richness of this medium.

Good photos but poor texts
I understand that it is almost impossible to write about many different centres of Islamic tiles but at least the authors should try but not just put a lot of color pictures of the tiles and write short text about it. This books is just good title and size. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A book worth reading
In a world where the beauty of Islam is shadowed by fear, the Art speaks to the Truth of this great way of life. Dr. Nasr is deeply knowledgeable man from whom we can all learn a great deal.As with all of his books, beware the push for perennialism.

A study of art as it is understood in the Islamic world

Little is discussed regarding 'Islamic art' its meaning and message other than in the works of this author, F Schuon and Titus Burckhard.There are plenty of books regarding the tools that were used, the colours and shapes but little on what actually motivated those who designed the great Mosques in Iran, Turkey and other parts of the world, who composed works of literature and works of art.

This book goes some way to answer those questions it also includes an exellent study of Rumi based on some traditional sources that are little known in the West.It should be pointed out regarding Rumi that the vast majority of literature published concerning him is not based on original sources but simply re-writes of Nicholson, Arberry or Iqbal.Apart from Nicholsons notes to the Mathnawi wich is based upon the commentary of Ankaravi I am not aware of any available translation of a comentarty of the Mathnawi (something that is badly needed)

Profesor Nasr goes some way in this book to explain the true meaning of Rumi and another great Persian poet and Sufi Farid ud-Din Attar.There is also an exellent chapter on music, the concept of space in Islamic art and the concept and understanding of painting and minitures in Islamic art (a form of art that has been misunderstood in recent years)

An excellent selection and introduction to the subject
Professor Nasr's work on Islamic subjects is generally characterised not merely by its academic and still hospitable style but further by an indepth understanding and experience of spirituality as such in its most universaland applicable sense.In the book "Islamic art and Spirituality"he cover the highlight themes of traditional art, architecture,calligraphy, poetry, prose literature, esoterism, piety, etc, as itdeveloped in Islamic lands.Of special interest is the chapter on thePersian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi.I warmly recommend the present work tostudents of religious studies as well as religios seekers from alltraditions. ... Read more

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In the 13th century, under the leadership of Genghis Khan, nomadic horsemen burst out of Mongolia and began their sweep across Asia, creating the largest empire the world has ever known. Particularly in China and Iran (Persia), the results were far-reaching: the Mongols imposed enormous changes but were also influenced by the highly developed civilizations of their new subjects. During the century they ruled Iran - the period of the Ilkhanid dynasty (1256 to 1353) - the Mongols adopted Islam and sponsored a brilliant cultural flowering that encompassed many branches of the arts and transformed local Persian artistic traditions. This volume, which focuses on the Ilkhans and their culture, features some 200 extraordinary objects in colour, including manuscript paintings and illuminations, ceramic tiles, metalwork and textiles. Essays by eight scholars provide the historical and political background and address such subjects as the art of the book, religious art, and the transmission of designs across Asia. ... Read more

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Provides a fascinating insight into how people lived, worked and played, the structures they built and the battles they fought, and and the ideas and beliefs that formed the basis of their culture. Ages 12+. ... Read more

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A detailed look at the fast-growing field of Islamic banking and finance

The Art of Islamic Banking and Finance is a modern American take on what it means to incorporate Islamic finance principles into everyday banking and investment techniques by introducing a new brand of banking for all people of all faiths: The Riba-Free (RF) banking.

The author is considered the father of RF (Islamic) banking in America. He has been a banker and an Imam/scholar for over 40 years in America since 1968. He started the tedious process with a finance company, LARIBA, in Pasadena, California in 1987. This is the first book ever in the field to trace the origins of prohibiting the renting of money at a price called interest rate and over-indulging in debt. The book reviews in great details the theological foundations of prohibiting interest in the Jewish Bible, the Christian Bible, and the Qur'aan. The author then discusses money and how fiat money is created, the role of the Federal Reserve, and the banking system in America. The book also discusses for the first time ever how to include an important aspect of RF (Islamic) finance using commodity indexation and marking the items to be financed to market in order to avoid participating in economic "bubbles." The author discusses how these rules work, how they affect consumer behavior, and how they change the role of the banker/financier.

• Covers a new pioneering model that is based on the Law (Shari'aa) and how it is applied in every transaction from joint ventures and portfolio management to home mortgages and personal financing
• Shows how to incorporate the Law (Shari'aa) into American financing and banking systems
• Points to RF (Islamic) finance and banking as a way to emphasize socially responsible investing

The Art of Islamic Banking and Finance also includes a discussion on the emergence of a culture of RF (Islamic) banking and finance today, which is based on the real Judeo-Christian-Islamic spirit and very effective when compared to twentieth-century models that use financial engineering and structuring techniques to circumvent the Law (Shari'aa). The book also includes case studies based on the actual experience of the author and detailed analysis of the superior results realized by applying this new brand of banking to financing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Good Read !
Just completed reading the book. Technical details about Interest-free banking were very revealing and useful.

Authors personal experience in Texas real estate was interesting. Similarities of Judeo-Islamic values in financing was interesting. The book also tries to explains how paper money, reselling of mortgages, and hyper speculations in market creates economic bubbles. The comparison of Al Azhar and South Asian opinions on Islamic financing was interesting. I guess partial credit of Malaysians success in Islamic financing goes to Al Azhar school. This book is a good read

ishtiaque ahmed review
I just got graduated from MSU with a major in finance and was looking for a job. One day, somehow I came to know about LARIBA - The Bank of Whittier. I did some research online and figured out that this is a banking system which provides services based on faith (religion). I got quite interested as I am a Muslim. I did shoot them an email to enquire about a job related to my field. I got a reply that they got a position at their California branch but wanted me to read this book before called "The Art of Islamic Banking and Finance". So I got this book from Barnes & Noble's and started reading.

Prior to this I had no idea what to expect. All I knew is, it is a banking system that doesn't charge interest. However, I had no idea how does it work and how do you make profit without charging interest. First I thought it is only about Islamic faith based finance but as I kept reading I figured out that the book presents a banking system which is three (Judeo-Christian and Islamic) faith based. The author did a great job about bringing and quoting all the verses from the Bible (both old and new testament) and the Quran which demands an interest free monetary and banking system: the RF banking system (riba free or interest free).

The author also did explain briefly about the current interest based banking and monetary system to make sure that the reader could do comparisons and contrasts between the two systems. The current system is all making money out of money with interest loans and the use of tools like futures, options and derivatives and other speculative tricks. However, the author talks about how to earn money through hard work and the assumption of risk in the free market economy, not through gambling and speculation. The author also explains the financial meltdown because of the subprime mortgages and how the balloon payment of interest on these mortgages had a big part on it. The RF system takes fiat money not as a commodity that demands a rental fee and neither does it reproduce itself. It only grows when used in investing on economic activities within the community. The RF system (riba free or interest free) is based on renting assets and services based on the current rental or lease rate (marking it to the market) pioneered by the free market force of supply and demand. It also states that the value of different things in fiat currency should be attached to reference commodities using the commodity indexation rule. This way it is more practical and easier to recognize economic bubble; investment practices could be adjusted to avoid it. These models and assumptions are certainly well backed up by the religious, historical and mathematical data the author has provided in the book.

The RF banking system (riba free or interest free) demands a socially responsible and ethical banking system which is a total contrast to Wall Street. RF banking is not about money lending, but about financing and investing on tangible assets and services only on financially and economically viable projects while respecting the laws of the land. It doesn't finance alcohol related businesses, gaming, gambling or any other unethical or harmful activities which is prohibited by the Judeo-Christian-Islamic value system. There are many Islamic banks around that claims to be Islamic and are providing services using the cost plus, joint ventures and lease to own model. These banks and their models in reality are not very different than interest based banking system and what happened is their customers ended up losing their savings.

The world financial and banking system today is in demand of a major financial change and renovation. The book is not about demolishing the current interest based financial structure but about an option or back up plan in the form of RF banking system where both can co-exist. When we talk about banks people might get the first impression that all banks and bankers are the same; all they know is how to make money on money. However, this book might give the reader a very different perspective on this unique banking system and its bankers and implement it because of its basis on faith, logic, practical application and respect for its customers.

Not worth it.Don't buy it.
A lot of fillers.The materials on Islamic finance could be done in a couple of chapters.Lacking the most current Islamic investment products. Very generic information everybody can get from websites.

Hats Off
Hats Off!

The world is in continuing financial and economic crisis.Indeed, we are about to enter the second stage of a long depression with great social distress and even war as the inevitable consequences.The causes of the crisis include the endless creation of money out of nothing; the addition of interest (as distinct from genuine administration cost); and then the lending of that money in a totally irresponsible way for anything except the development and spreading of the real economy.In particular the crisis is marked by signs of a civilisation in decline - horrific levels of NINJA loans (No Income, Jobs, or Assets); sub-prime lending; interest-only mortgages; fraudulent valuations; even more fraudulent derivatives including the infamous Collateralised Debt Obligations; and outrageous naked short selling (in which somebody purports to sell something which he neither owns nor rents).Moreover, governments have become controlled by a Wall Street and City of London financial elite which cares only for itself and nothing for the people in Main Street.

It is therefore with relief that we turn to this remarkable book whose ethos and prescription give hope that the world will reject the present corrupt, inefficient and outdated system and develop something which is moral, practical and new.Or perhaps not so much new as, in key respects, a rediscovery of what is best in the past.For example, recognising that the Christian God and Muslim Allah are one and the same, the book observes that, in their origins, Christianity, Islam and Judaism rejected interest (riba).And they were right to do so because interest/riba enables the rich to batten onto the poor and acts as a debilitating brake on the efficiency of a market economy.Thus it reduces the consuming power of borrowers by 20% or more and acts as a gigantic siphoning mechanism whereby 80% of the population lose out, 10% are in balance and the remaining 10% are in very considerable gain.

So it is hats off to anybody who, with inter-faith spirit and intent, wants to do something about the imposition of interest and it is doubly hats off to Yahia Abdul-Rahman who decided to challenge the institution of interest/riba in its very stronghold - the USA.Significantly, his challenge can be said to amount to a revival of the considered, responsible, socially conscious mores of the old-fashioned banking system which built the USA - not least in its aversion to irresponsibly-incurred debt - as opposed to today's corrupt, failing system of rigged market finance capitalism which thinks society is beneficially furthered if individuals, corporations, town, cities and governments are put into unending and unrepayable debt.

In 1987 Abdul-Rahman and a group of dedicated friends each put up $10,000 capital to start LARIBA (meaning `no riba'#, a Riba-Free #i.e., interest-free) finance house.Today, it includes the Bank of Whittier and provides sharia-compliant financing worth $400 million covering everything from homes to churches; cars to clinics.Crucially, all of the financing is socially responsible and community based.Upholding the basic human right of humans to have access to credit, the book shows how LARIBA implements the cardinal rule of banking - know your customer - and then does everything it can to get the customer out of debt if at all possible rather than toencourage him, as the existing system does, to go into deeper debt.

The human side of the book recounts the fascinating journey of Yahia Rahman from an oil engineer devoted to serving Muslim communities to an international banker devoted to serving all individuals and communities which are receptive to socially responsible banking.While LARIBA essentially started as a way to enable ordinary Muslims to have access to the financial services that non-Muslims take for granted, it is now of international importance not least because it is leading the development of new paradigm thinking and practice.

This is an excellent book for anybody who wants an ethical, practical banking opposed to the corrupt forms which are wrecking today's global economy.Moreover, it is to be commended not only for its text book knowledge but also because it makes for a most enjoyable read.Significantly, its vocabulary - particularly of the term `Riba-free Banking' rather than `Islamic Banking' - and its careful techniques are being widely taken up and that, perhaps more than anything else, is the measure and quality of the book.

Review of the Art of Islamic Banking and Finance
This book is a quantum leap in the literature on Islamic banking and finance. Its style is direct and frank; it avoids apologetics, shows the influence of the Jewish and Christian heritage on Islamic banking traditions and contributes to the current debates on the localization of the economy (e.g.,[...]). Each chapter of the book can be read independently. Chapter 5 on the various types of monies and money creation in the US and Chapter 7 on the conventional banking system are extremely useful, insightful and simple to read. The criticism of the Shari'aa Boards in Chapter 10 hits the nail on the head. Chapters 11 and 12 on the operations of what the author calls riba-free banking in the US is a good complement to the literature on the Muslim role in the use (e.g., Akbar Muhammad's Chapter 9 in The Islamic Impact, edt. by Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad et al. (http://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Impact-Yvonne-Yazbeck-Haddad/dp/0815622996/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273898997&sr=8-1) and Mary Jane O'Donnel's Chapter 9 in Race, Religion, Region: Landscapes of Encounter in the American West, edt. by Botham and Patterson (http://www.amazon.com/Race-Religion-Region-Landscapes-Encounter/dp/0816524785/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273899290&sr=1-3).

The main problem of the book is its attempt to placate the so-called "Muslim Puritans" (p. 232). This leads to acceptance oftheir thesis that money is consumed like food when it is spent (pp. 201, 228, 277, 321 and many others) to show that it cannot be rented. A second issue is that the proposed Mark-to-Market technique to set out the rental rate of money can only work when a market already exists, and not when the market does not exist (e.g., education loans) or is emerging (for a new technology).
Finally, the book could certainly benefit from more through editing, to avoid some typos, some excessive repetitions and to have a better index. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume focuses on the question of meaning in the visual arts of the Islamic world. Twelve essays deal with a wide variety of materials - ceramics, metalwork, stone carving, textiles, manuscript illustration, calligraphy, and the forms and decorations of architecture- and the topics covered range in date from the seventh to the seventeenth centuries. Some focus on the formal transformations of themes, objects, or motifs in the context of Islamic civilization. Others explore the factors that have shaped the aesthetic perceptions of Islamic artists and patrons. In their search for the fundamental assumptions that shaped the character of Islamic art, the authors utilize a wide variety of primary sources, from historical chronicles and literary tests to monumental inscriptions and numismatics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

the authority on islamic art till this day.
If you plan to study islamic art---get this book. Its out of print and can be stupidly expensive. Good news is, there are a few different publications of this book---so just get the cheapest one---all are pretty much the same (different foreward, etc. but not different in text). This book is kind of dry---but it gives you the facts. I am glad I read it. It is used as a text book so don't expect excitement and pictures. Expect scholarly info. ... Read more

Product Description
With architecture designed by I. M. Pei, an interior by J.-M.
Wilmotte, and one of the world s finest collections, the
Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, showcases the artistic
achievements of the Muslim world in a dazzling way. Interviews
with I.M. Pei and Jean-Michel Wilmotte reveal how the
architects sought to express the museum s ties with tradition
while allowing the building to become an integral part of the
region s modern architectural environment. In addition, Dr.
Sabiha Al Khemir, the director of the museum, discusses her
vision for the display of the objects and the challenges of
presenting Islamic art to the public. A selection of thirty of the
museum s most important treasures, including metalwork,
miniatures, carpets, calligraphy and ceramics, are featured
with texts outlining their origins and significance. ... Read more

Product Description
An exquisitely illustrated survey of the decorative motifs and visual themes from one of the great artistic periods in Indian history.

Mughal decorative arts delight in arabesque and geometric designs, as well as scenes of nature (flowers, birds, and animals) and human pleasure (music, dancing, feasting, love-making). Master craftsmen at the Mughal and Rajput courts employed a variety of materials and techniques to produce marble panels inlaid with semi-precious stones, sandstone screens perforated with geometric designs, brass vessels inlaid with strips of silver and gold, jade drinking cups, dagger hilts encrusted with rubies and emeralds, and costumes and sashes embroidered with silk and golden threads. No less gorgeous were the vividly toned and exquisitely detailed miniature paintings that portrayed contemporary events as well as epic tales.

Drawing on the finest and most representative examples in public and private collections in India, Europe, and America, this stunning survey examines common decorative motifs and themes in Mughal art. More than 300 illustrations amply convey the virtuoso workmanship and the sheer elegance of design common to all objects. It will be an essential reference work for art historians, designers, and anyone interested in the arts and life of India. 300+ color photographs and illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Wow pictures
Few interesting things that I learnt from reading this book:

The beautiful marble work in Tajmahal, which looks like a painting to a layman is 'Pietre Dura'.

Islam forbade depiction of humans and animals in architecture design. This makes us see why there is not much of structures with human forms like in European architecture.

Beautiful, Inspiring and Detailed
I received this book as a gift and what a wonderful gift it is.As a designer, I always long for detailed photography and lots of images, and this book really delivers.A plethora of carved, inlaid, and painted designs delight the eye--in fact, some of the same artworks I snapped photos of as a tourist in India are detailed here.Flowers, plants, animals, geometric designs, inlays...A beautiful, generously scaled, and well researched addition to my design library.

Islamic Eye Candy
I bought this after reading a brief but favorable mention in the NY Times. The interdisciplinary approach (from architecture --mainly 17th century-- to ceramics, metalwork, etc.) is unusual and interesting, and the photography is exquisite. Frankly I wish I had experienced this book before my visit to the Taj Mahal, as it is valuable in training the eye for what to look for. It might be problematic for westerners to go to the architectural sites in Pakistan these days, so the book serves as a convenient substitute for that.
'Mughal Decoration' is unlikely to sell many copies in the West because the subject matter is Islamic. That's unfortunate. If you're interested in different kinds of art and architecture, disregarding this kind is a significant omission. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Best I've Found
I was looking for inspiring Islamic-style (NOT specifically Islamic - but nature inspired, Islamic coloring, etc) designs for clay glaze designs.I bought Islamic Design ($27), Art Nouveau Floral and Animal Designs ($28) and Arabic Art in Color ($12).The prices reflect in the appropriate order (higher $ to lower $) of quality.Here is my comparison:

Islamic Design, has a cd of all the images, 127 pages of images, high quality images.Some of the images are small, but loading them onto your computer allows you to zoom in.Images on disc are bigger.

Art Nouveau Floral and Animal Designs: has 48 pages of images, a cd, the images are pretty good, the colors are a little dull but maybe that's part of the style?Images are also bigger on disc.The price is a little high for only 48 pages.

Arabic Art in Color: 47 pages of images.The images are of low quality, there is no CD, the colors seem dull, many of the designs look like middle school math projects on graph paper, and MANY OF THE IMAGES ARE REPEATED IN HIGHER QUALITY IN Islamic Design.Pay the extra money for the higher quality.Also, this book was hard to scan close to the binding without having to rip off the pages.I meant to return this but ran out of time.

Dover Disappointment
I use a lot of Dover clipart and this 'design series' is the first real disappointment. They want a premium price for this clip-art, and here's what you get for it;

Large sized images, many in excess of 3000px, but much of the art is obviously just re-scanned at a higher dpi. That doesn't necessarily improve the quality of the lines and colors. Colors which should be solid are instead, dithered, and often fail to fully fill up their apportioned areas, leaving margins of white space. Black lines are not entirely black, and are not entirely there. The bottom line is that these scans are very poor quality and require a lot of touch-up before they can be morphed and used in a project. Added to the fact that there's half as many pieces of clip art as you'd find in a Dover book that costs 1/3rd as much, and that there's 'filler' clips which are just about useless because they're essentially showing you the original pictures from where a pattern was pulled, this 'designer series' is a huge disappointment. One made worse if you bought any of these at full price.

Do yourself a favor, buy these off the used bookshelf, there's good reason that they're so much less expensive there.

Great value
I am a graphic designer for a magazine, and I use Dover publications often in both my professional and personal work. I have to represent many different cultures with the layouts I create. The Islamic patterns in this book and CD-Rom set are beautiful, and very useful. The price is so cheap, even if you only end up using a few images, it is a good deal. They can help put the viewer in the culture when the photo shoot needed help and an appropriate stock photo is not available. The printed book itself is attractive and pleasant to browse through.

One drawback is that the sources are not identified. It would be nice to know something about the background behind each design: where is it from, is it characteristic of any particular Islamic group? I would like to be able to use the images as intelligently as possible, and a little education along with the artwork would be nice.

I haven't used them yet, but there are also vector versions: over 70, all one color pieces. The quality varies, but at the price, I have no complaint. At least some of them will be useful, from what I have seen.

Overall, I would recomemd this book; you won't find a less expensive collection of Islamic art with this high lvel of quality and variety of formats. ... Read more

Product Description

The Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century marked a new phase in the development of Islamic art. Trans-Eurasian exchanges of goods, people and ideas were encouraged on a large scale under the auspices of the Pax Mongolica. With the fascination of portable objects brought from China and Central Asia, a distinctive, hitherto unknown style& mdash;Islamic chinoiserie& mdash;was born in the art of Iran.

Highly illustrated,Islamic Chinoiserie offers a fascinating glimpse into the artistic interaction between Iran and China under the Mongols. By using rich visual materials from various media of decorative and pictorial arts& mdash;textiles, ceramics, metalwork and manuscript painting& mdash;the book illustrates the process of adoption and adaptation of Chinese themes in the art of Mongol-ruled Iran in a visually compelling way. The observation of this unique artistic phenomenon serves to promote the understanding of the artistic diversity of Islamic art in the Middle Ages.

Product Description
Containing more than 40,000 pieces art from the Seljuk and Ottoman empires as well as other Muslim civilizations, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts is a rich and inspiring place to visit. The best of their collection-from stone, wood, and ceramic pieces to handmade carpets and calligraphy-filled manuscripts-is vividly presented in this lustrous guide. This is a must for all libraries and those specializing in the study of Islamic or Turkish-Islamic art. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Great Buy
The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul has a wonderful collection, covering over 1300 years.They have an especially fine collection of carpets.I was tempted to buy this new book at the museum shop (for $95), but didn't want to lug it home.I got it from Amazon for about 1/3 of the cost, and because I am a "Prime" member, I didn't pay for shipping either.Great illustrations. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Accompanies an exhibition presenting the architects' models of the Islamic Art Museum at Doha in Qatar. This set of masterpieces, called as Islamic arts, includes everyday utensils, which shed light on the cultures of Islam. ... Read more