AL-HARAM AL-SHARIF – A Virtual Walking Tour
This virtual tour is comprised of various spherical panoramic photographs that place you inside the image, as if you were standing in the place where the photo was made. Use your mouse to…
The Alhambra – A Virtual Walking Tour
To understand the Alhambra you need to look at its history, location and surroundings. It is situated on the hill of Sabika, overlooking the city of Granada. Alhambra means, literately, “The Red” and…
Old Walled City of Shibam
Surrounded by a fortified wall, the 16th-century city of Shibam is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. Its impressive tower-like structures rise…
Manhattan in the Hadramaut
At the end of December 1984, UNESCO – the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization – issued a plea to the world to save another national treasure from disintegration: the mud-brick “skyscrapers”…
Sana’a Rising – “a Venice built on sand.”
In mid-February 1978, on my first morning in Sana‘a, I woke up before first light. Illuminated by the flame of a single bedside candle, the undulating overhead ceiling beams, plastered in white gypsum,…
DOME IN IRANIAN ARCHITECTURE
The Sasanian and early Islamic periods The dome on squinches first appeared in Persia in the Sasanian period in the palace at Fîrûzâbâd (q.v.) in Fârs and at nearby Qal´a-ye Dokhtar, both erected…
Kashmir & Shawls of Paisley Design
Shawls of Paisley design were in fashion for nearly 100 years, from around 1780 until the 1870’s. During this time millions were woven, embroidered and printed in Kashmir, Persia, India, Russia, USA and…
London’s Arab Hall
“…The Arab Hall in this fine house, without being at all like the Al-hambra in detail, gives the grand impression which Eastern art awakes in many minds.” An English vicar’s wife was so…
Calligraphy in Islamic art – beyond pen and paper
The development of sophisticated calligraphy as an art form is not unique to Islamic culture. Other examples include Chinese and Japanese calligraphy and illuminated bibles from north-west Europe including the famous Book of…
Nasrid plasterwork: symbolism, materials & techniques
This article provides an introduction to traditional materials and techniques used in Nasrid plasterwork as well as explaining their style and symbolism.
Islamic Art Reading List
Below is a selection of recommended titles covering a range of more general reading about Islamic art. Akurgal, Ekrem (ed.), The Art and Architecture of Turkey, Oxford, 1980. ISBN. 0192114514 Allen, Terry, Five Essays on…
Illustrations of Islamic Architecture
The Alhambra Granada, Spain Built chiefly in the 13th and 14th centuries The Alhambra (from the Arabic, Al Hamra, meaning The Red) is an ancient mosque, palace and fortress complex built by the…
