The Mosque in the Medieval Islamic World
Why study the mosque? For historians of architecture and culture alike, the answer is gratifyingly simple. This is the Islamic building par excellence, and as such the key to Islamic architecture. Moreover,…
Medieval Islamic World – Astronomy and Astrology
The Study of Astronomy During the medieval period, scientists in the Islamic worldmade many contributions to the field of astronomy. While their work was based on ancient sources from Greece, Iran, and India, they updated…
The Minarets of Cairo
Nowhere in the Muslim world can you find such a profusion of domes and minarets as in Cairo. Rising from the haze of crowded, crumbling streets in the old, chaotic, yet picturesque medieval…
Islamic Architecture – Abbasid Period
Under theAbbasid caliphate (750–1258), which succeeded the Umayyads (661–750) in 750, the focal point of Islamic political and cultural life shifted eastward from Syria to Iraq, where, in 762, Baghdad, the circular City of Peace…
Early Medieval Dynasties in The West: Fatimids, Ayyubids
As Abbasid authority weakened, the Shi’ite Fatimid dynasty (909−1171)—claiming descent from Fatima, daughter of the Prophet and wife of Ali—rose to power in North Africa. They expanded into Egypt and Syria, and in…
