https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo17703325.html

Hundreds of exceptional cartographic images are scattered throughout medieval and early modern Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscript collections. The plethora of copies created around the Islamic world over the course of eight centuries testifies to the enduring importance of these medieval visions for the Muslim cartographic imagination. With Medieval Islamic Maps, historian Karen C. Pinto brings us the first in-depth exploration of medieval Islamic cartography from the mid-tenth to the nineteenth century.

Pinto focuses on the distinct tradition of maps known collectively as the Book of Roads and Kingdoms (Kitab al-Masalik wa al-Mamalik, or KMMS), examining them from three distinct angles—iconography, context, and patronage. She untangles the history of the KMMS maps, traces their inception and evolution, and analyzes them to reveal the identities of their creators, painters, and patrons, as well as the vivid realities of the social and physical world they depicted.  In doing so, Pinto develops innovative techniques for approaching the visual record of Islamic history, explores how medieval Muslims perceived themselves and their world, and brings Middle Eastern maps into the forefront of the study of the history of cartography.

This article presents the Syriac text with English translation of the "Hymn on the Church of Edessa" and advances the claim that, "It is the earliest extant document which associates the central dome (and other architectural features) of a Christian church with cosmology and mystical theology." After detailed study of the Syriac text, literary analysis situates the hymn with respect to the writings of Ephrem the Syrian and Antiochene and Alexandrian modes of exegesis, especially as represented in the hexaemeral homilies of the Syriac writers, Narsai and Jacob of Sarug. The conclusion is that the hymn adapts the architectural theoria of Eusebius on the Church at Tyre to the domed church building by using Jacob's prior interpretation of the opening chapters of Genesis.
The posted article is an excerpt. The full text can be found at JSTOR or by an email request to kathleen.mcvey@ptsem.edu.

2015 Eleanor Tufts Book Award, American Society for Hispanic Art Historical Studies.

Exploring the aristocratic villas and court culture of Córdoba, during its "golden age" under the reign of the Umayyad dynasty (r. 756–1031 AD), this study illuminates a key facet of the secular architecture of the court and its relationship to the well-known Umayyad luxury arts. Based on textual and archaeological evidence, it offers a detailed analysis of the estates' architecture and gardens within a synthetic socio-historical framework.

Anderson focuses closely on the Cordoban case study, synthesizing the archaeological evidence for the villas that has been unearthed from the 1980s up to 2009, with extant works of Andalusi art and architecture, as well as evidence from the Arabic texts. While the author brings her expertise on medieval Islamic architecture, art, and urbanism to the topic, the book contributes to wider art historical discourse as well: it is also a synthetic project that incorporates material and insights from experts in other fields (agricultural, economic, and social and political history). In this way, it offers a fuller picture of the topic and its relevance to Andalusi architecture and art, and to broader issues of architecture and social history in the caliphal lands and the Mediterranean.

An important contribution of the book is that it illuminates the social history of the Córdoban villas, drawing on the medieval Arabic texts to explain patterns of patronage among the court elite. An overarching theme of the book is that the Córdoban estates fit within the larger historical constellation of Mediterranean villas and villa cultures, in contrast to long-standing art historical discourse that holds villas did not exist in the medieval period.

The imposing ruins of a Byzantine church known as Üçayak, situated in the vicinity of the city of Kırşehir in central Anatolia, on the border between the historic Byzantine provinces of Galatia and Cappadocia, exhibit several conspicuous architectural features. The church presents a combination of an ambiguous twin-church plan, a distinctive building technique, and a remarkably sophisticated exterior design comparable with those of metropolitan buildings. Together these features leave doubts about the sources of the church’s design, its original function and its patronage. In order to ponder the relationship between Üçayak‘s architecture and metropolitan and regional architectural developments, this paper deals with the church’s design and structural type within the framework of the totality of eleventh-century building activities, and examines possible function of the twin-church by comparing it with other regional Byzantine-rite churches. This study brings to the fore the extraordinary place of this church within the context of the regional construction, and establishes its close ties with eleventh-century metropolitan architecture. It also reveals the engagement of a master builder closely familiar with metropolitan practice and suggests that the building activities in the region of Bithynia may have facilitated the transmission of metropolitan architectural concepts further inland. In all probability, Üçayak‘s patron was a member of the local elite, which was customarily connected to the capital. Regarding the possible function of the twin-church of Üçayak, this article argues for the burial and commemorative functions, which often motivated the double arrangement in Cappadocian rock-cut churches.

This present work is a study of Seljuk caravanserais in the vicinity of Denizli with a special focus on local socio-economic and historical factors. A first objective is to examine the suggestions, based on formalistic features such as architectural plans, about the functions of the caravanserais. A new approach, local contextualization, is attempted in order to investigate further functional aspects of Han-abad and Akhan.
The activities of a local family who took part in Seljuk high bureaucracy and the local economy give significant clues about the purpose and design of the caravanserais. A second objective is the analysis of the architectural features and ornamentation programs in order to evaluate the influences of local factors.

An irrigation dam project was carried out by DSI at the village of Kureyşler, Aslanapa district, Kütahya province and the construction has been completed. In this area, there are Höyüktepe, Attepe Settlement, Dereköy Necropolis and Almacık Bridge, which are registered as Grade 1 protected Archaeological Sites. Since the those archaeological sites are located in the dam lake basin, studies have been carried out by Kütahya Museum Directorate under the responsibility of Museum expert Archaeologist (MA) Serdar ÜNAN for three years. There is an avarage of 3 km distance between Höyüktepe, Attepe Settlement and Dereköy Necropolis and the studies were conducted between 2014 and 2016. The borders of Höyüktepe were determined as 200 m in east-west and north-south directions, and it was determined to be a medium sized mound which is the first place the Kureyşler Dam Rescue Excavation was started. Attepe Settlement is located northeast of Kureyşler village, approximately 3 km east of Höyüktepe. Dereköy Necropolis is located in Dere village, Kızlar Yeri locality. The first rescue excavation in this area was carried out in 2013 by Kütahya Museum Directorate. Field work was carried out for 6 mounths during the 2015 excavation season at three areas, namely Höyüktepe, Attepe Settlement and Dereköy Necropolis. 56 squares, each measuring 10.00x10.00m, at Höyüktepe, 31 squares at Attape and 7 at Dereköy were excavated. In the 2016 excavation season, it was possible to work for three months. 23 squares were studied at Höyüktepe and 1 square at Attepe. At Höyüktepe settlement; four different periods: Early Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age, Hellenistic and Late Roman Periods; at Attepe Settlement Late Eastern Roman Period settlement dated to 10-11st century AD were identified. Marble sarcophagi of secondary use dating to the Roman Imperial Period and tombs dating to the Late Eastern Roman Period (10-11st century AD) were unearthed at Dereköy Necropolis.
The results of the archaeological excavations conducted at the Höyüktepe Settlement and the Dereköy Necropolis in 2014 were immediately published in 2015 in the book titled “Kütahya, Kureyşler Dam Rescue Excavations 2014”1. This book titled “Kütahya, Kureyşler Dam Rescue Excavations 2015-2016” has been prepared for publication, this is the continuation of the mentioned book. This book contains the articles about these subjects: the Early Bronze Age II architecture, pottery, metallurgical finds, seals, bone tools, figurines, terracotta brushes, textile group, chipped and ground stones of Höyüktepe settlemet; and Middle Bronze Age architecture, pottery and small finds of the Höyüktepe Settlement. Also there are articles about the Late Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Period, its architecture, coins, metal artifacts, lead seals. Architecture and metal finds of Attepe Settlement are worth mentioning. The articles that evaluate findings of Höyüktepe, Attepe settlements and Dereköy Necropolis as a whole are about the tomb types and death practices, glass ware-, pottery, metal finds, archaeobotanical finds, anthropological remains, faunal studies. Beside these there are articles about Paleolithic researches, georadar, metal analyses, paleoclimatology and geomorphological researches. The findings were reflected in the studies by using carbon 14 age determination and dendrochronology methods within the scope of archaeometry. Dating results are also included in related articles.
This book includes articles particularly by Serdar ÜNAN, who took the scientific responsibility of the Kureyşler Dam Rescue Excavations, scientific consultants, archaelogists and academics working in different universities in Turkey and the World who participated and contributed to the Kureyşler Rescue Excavations.

The Framing of Sacred Space offers the first topical study of canopies as essential spatial and symbolic units in Byzantine-rite churches. Centrally planned columnar structures--typically comprised of four columns and a roof--canopies had a critical role in the modular processes of church design, from actual church furnishings in the shape of a canopy to the church's structural core. As architectonic objects of basic structural and design integrity, canopies integrate an archetypical image of architecture and provide means for an innovative understanding of the materialization of the idea of the Byzantine church and its multi-focal spatial presence.

The Framing of Sacred Space considers both the material and conceptual framing of sacred space and explains how the canopy bridges the physical and transcendental realms. As a crucial element of church design in the Byzantine world, a world that gradually abandoned the basilica as a typical building of Roman imperial secular architecture, the canopy carried tectonic and theological meanings and, through vaulted, canopied bays and recognizable Byzantine domed churches, established organic architectural, symbolic, and sacred ties between the Old and New Covenants. In such an overarching context, the canopy becomes an architectural parti, a vital concept and dynamic design principle that carries the essence of the Byzantine church. The Framing of Sacred Space highlights significant factors in understanding canopies through specific architectural settings and the Byzantine concepts of space, thus also contributing to larger debates about the creation of sacred space and related architectural taxonomy.

DISCOUNT PRICE: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/9780190465186/?cc=us&lang=en&promocode=AAFLYG6

ABSTRACTS and key words for individual chapters available through the link:
http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190465186.001.0001/acprof-9780190465186?rskey=2i6XIu&result=1

BOOK REVIEWS:
https://www.arlisna.org/publications/reviews/1306-the-framing-of-sacred-space-the-canopy-and-the-byzantine-church;
https://networks.h-net.org/node/846873/pdf
https://www.academia.edu/37328366/Review_of_Jelena_Bogdanovic_The_Framing_of_Sacred_Space_The_Canopy_and_the_Byzantine_Church
https://www.academia.edu/38119678/Critical_note_on_The_Framing_of_Sacred_Space._The_Canopy_and_the_Byzantine_Church_by_Jelena_Bogdanovic_in_Medieval_Archaeology_62.2_December_2018_455-456
http://www.bmcreview.org/2018/02/20180249.html
http://www.maticasrpska.org.rs/stariSajt/casopisi/ZMSLU_46.pdf pages 283-285

IV. FORUM KUNST DES MITTELALTERS

BERLIN UND BRANDENBURG

360° – VERORTUNG, ENTGRENZUNG, GLOBALISIERUNG
20.–23. SEPTEMBER 2017

veranstaltet vom
Deutschen Verein für Kunstwissenschaft e.V.
mit der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, der Freien Universität Berlin und dem Leibniz-Institut für Geschichte und Kultur des östlichen Europa

PANEL TOPIC
Spätbyzantinische Ornamente (13.–15. Jahrhundert) – Überschreitung von Genregrenzen, Kulturgrenzen und Forschungsdisziplinen
Organisation: Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, Brookline (MA)
Leitung: Antje Bosselmann-Ruickbie, Mainz


PAPER ABSTRACT

Middle and Late Byzantine era architecture developed a specific idiom in wall masonry with the implementation of a variety of stone and brick or all-brick patterns and decorative designs. Ceramoplastic ornamented façades of churches became a canvas on which a variety of ornaments were applied. One of the early and most striking examples were the Pseudo-Kufic freezes of churches of Southern Greece such as the Panagia Church of Osios Lucas dated ca. 962-963. This Kufesque ornament, which lasted up until 13th century, is an apparent example of cultural transfer among Islamic world and Byzantium.
This paper focuses though on a few other brick ornaments such as ‘ivy leaf,’ ‘sun,’ and ogee blind arches that have attracted comparatively less the interest of scholars. Those ornaments either in single occurrence or in combination are met on façades of mosques, churches, fortification walls, dervish convents in a wide geography all around Eastern Mediterranean under the Byzantine and the Islamic cultures of the Fatimids, Ayyubids, Mamluks, and Ottomans. In this context Venice should also be taken into consideration. Cultural transfer through this example of mobility of ornaments apparently is beyond religious limitations. It becomes clear that there is a flexibility in what enters an architect’s or mason’s design portfolio compared to what enters a priest’s bag.

Architectural activities of remarkable quality continued to thrive north of Byzantium under the sponsorship of Serbian and Wallachian nobility long after the fall of Byzantium and occasionally even in territories under Ottoman rule. Triconch domed churches, which have been enduring examples of Middle Byzantine architecture and especially of monastic architecture on Mount Athos, shaped notions of an Orthodox Christian identity shared by Serbs and Wallachians, as opposed to the Islamic architecture of the Ottoman Turks. This essay highlights the architectural experimentations and plastic treatment of triconch churches built by Serbian and Wallachian nobility within and beyond the territories of their domains as pervasive statements of cultural, religious, and familial identity. It questions established narratives about the autonomous national development of the so-called Morava-style churches and their linear influence on churches in the principality of Wallachia. By enlarging the discussion about the territorial and chronological domains of the triconch churches built by Serbian and Wallachian nobility between ca. 1350s and 1550s, this essay shows that a narrow focus on national divides has obscured more robust geographical and temporal exchanges of architectural principles and practices in the development of Byzantine and post-Byzantine architecture.

Long discredited as inadequate illustrations of thought processes more appropriately represented in algebraic or verbal terms, diagrams have enjoyed a renaissance across numerous disciplines-from philosophy and computer science to the burgeoning field of graphics-as a means of visualizing knowledge.

Meticulous record of more than 300 medieval structures, extensive fieldwork on numerous archeological sites, more than 100 texts and several critical books on medieval architecture mark professor Aleksandar Deroko’s work on preserving medieval architectural heritage in Serbia and the former Yugoslavia. They are all aptly illustrated with his drawings and photographs. Deroko’s genuine interest in medieval architecture and its preservation shaped his student days between the two world wars, a period also characterised by a clash between traditionalism and modernism in architecture. Destruction from war, public negligence of medieval heritage, the so-called “golden rush” when many hoped to uncover lost medieval treasures, and the overall lack of clear methodologies for the preservation of architectural heritage displeased young Deroko, who often publicly expressed his opinion on the urgent need for medieval structures to be saved and restored, and in particular religious architecture. Even his undergraduate thesis for his architectural degree, which focused on the Church of St. Sava in Belgrade, was inspired by medieval religious architecture and its values. This paper addresses the relevance of Deroko’s work today, especially in the light of his understanding of medieval architecture as art and a dynamic cultural symbol relevant for architectural practices.

Akhan caravanserai was built in 1253-1254 during the Mongol Invasion of Anatolia. From the architectural perspective, Akhan has both a courtyard and shelter parts. According to the inscription on the portal of the shelter, the foundation date is 1253 (H. 651) but the inscription on the main portal gives 1254 (H. 652) as the foundation date. Difference in the dates of the foundation inscriptions illustrates two different building stages of Akhan. The shelter was built in 1253, whereas the courtyard part of Akhan was built in 1254.
The names of Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Izzeddin Keykavus II and Governor Seyfeddin Karasungur are mentioned in both inscriptions. The building is accepted to be one of the most attractive caravanserais thanks to its architectural and ornamental characteristics. For these reasons, it also been considered that Akhan functioned as one of the “ Sultan Khan” type caravanserais, which known to provide accomodation services to the Seljuk Sultans. Moreover, the historical figures and events related to the construction era of the building, give some clues regarding the functions of the caravanserai. Particularly, historical records regarding Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Izzeddin Keykavus II, Governor Seyfeddin Karasungur and the lider of Denizli Turkmens Mehmet Bey, Malik Maurozomes and his family members confirms that Akhan caravanserai functioned as “ state office”. Furthermore, the architectural and ornamental features of Akhan in addition to complexity and functionality of the service spaces, especially for water related spaces (baths, fountains etc) also prove that Akhan operated as “state office”and “sultan khan”.
This study aims to examine Akhan caravanserai, located in vicinity of Denizli, from the aspect of the space-function relations to assess architectural features with historical contextualization. It also aims to reveal more valid and consistent results based on the relationships between architectural plan features and historical background of Akhan.

The book investigates the contribution of glass finds to understanding the nature of the transition from Byzantine to Islamic rule in Syria-Palestine, by analysing numerous glass assemblages from Jerusalem and its environs. This original synthesis explores the nature of numerous types of glass objects, and their distinct distribution in various types of sites. Furthermore, the identification of trends of continuity and change in the fabrics, technologies, typologies and styles of the glass finds throughout this turbulent period, illuminates the nature of the processes undergone by the various communities in the Jerusalem area.
The monograph comprises a newly established, comprehensive, up-to-date typo-chronology, based on hundreds of glass wares of the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods from scores of excavations, in and around Jerusalem and in neighbouring regions. Additionally, a holistic study of lighting devices, glass lamps and windowpanes, includes a novel assessment of Christian, Muslim and Jewish written sources regarding lighting in religious buildings in Jerusalem in the relevant periods.

This postgraduate programme offers a unique opportunity to study the arts of Asia and the Islamic world with lectures by leading scholars in the field. The course will provide an object-based learning experience through direct access to the reserved collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the British Museum. The lecture programme is supported by field trips to museums, galleries and private collections. The course is designed to train museum curators or serious collectors. It will also prepare students for work in a variety of professions in the art and the museum world and provides a pathway to the master’s degree for those with no background in the subject. Museums and curators in Asia, and museums specialising in non-Western collections elsewhere, will find it an attractive, object-focused training opportunity for enhancing curatorial skills in the study, display and cataloguing of art objects in a fully-resourced academic environment. Students can choose one or more in combination of the three-month modules on offer annually, which are listed below. Those who successfully complete a single module will be awarded a certificate. Students successfully completing any three of the modules below will be awarded a SOAS (University of London) accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art.

The thesis explores on the Sufis of twelfth to thirteenth centuries Andalusia and how the beliefs and ideas during that time influenced the spirit and material culture of the geographical area. During the times of the Almohad administration a Sufi-laden doctrine called ‘The Doctrine of Divine Unity’ was made as an official governmental charter. This caused an effect on the artefacts that were produced during this time. On top of that, the nature of the Almohad government that encouraged intellectual development further enhanced and intensified the influence of Sufism. Two prominent figures were highlighted in this thesis are namely the founder of the Almohad administration, Ibn Tumart and the famous Andalusian Sufi and philosopher, Ibn Arabi. The thesis takes on a theological approach upon studying the artefacts. Inscriptions were analyzed and compared with Sufi texts that were produced during this time. The Ruh al-Quds and Durrat al-Fakhirah that were written by Ibn Arabi became the primary sources for the study besides ‘The Doctrine of Divine Unity’. In addition to that, a few key terms in Sufism itself were explained, problems raised by other art historian were discussed and a method to approach Sufi-themed art was introduced.

The articles gathered in this special issue of Convivium offer a variety of perspectives-history of medieval art, architecture, literary studies-that explore the relations between spoliation and translation, with a particular focus on the interconnections and similarities between material/artistic and textual/literary cultures. Building on current research in spolia and translation studies, these contributions respond to the increasing interest in and popularity of these two topics in recent scholarship. A conceptual point of departure is that reuse and translation represent two crucial processes facilitating cultural dialogues and exchanges across time and space. Material and textual spolia fascinate us, because they provide various means and levels of engagement with the past with a tangible form, sometimes of an ambivalent nature. Objects, artefacts, buildings, and texts have been subject to constant reworkings, through which they have been interpreted and translated: old stories gain new significance in new contexts, just as old objects gain new meanings in new settings. The aim of this collection is to foster a better understanding of such processes and, at the same time, of the history of the medieval worlds of the Eastern Mediterranean, which is marked by constant cross-cultural encounters and interactions.

I prepare high-quality illustrations of art objects or historical buildings for museums and academics to use in publications and related work. You can appreciate a small selection of my works at: https://sites.google.com/site/matildegrimaldi/
Please do take the time to look at my works, and do not hesitate to contact me for any enquiry!
matilde.grimaldi@gmail.com

Lecture delivered in Greek.

National and Capodistrian University of Athens
School of Economic and Political Sciences
Department of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies
Athens, Greece

Course: Introduction to the arts of the Islamic world
Instructor: Lecturer Dr. Panagiotis Poulos

Monday, May 22nd 2017, 13:30-15:00

Available:  https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/std/issue/27682/295727

ABSTRACT: This article examines the alternating brick and stone walls of Ottoman mosques from the 14th and 15th centuries. Different types of the alternating walls and closely related architectural features such as arches, friezes, drums for domes, and mortar beds are also investigated. The change and improvements in the alternating walls of Ottoman mosques for two centuries are analyzed, evaluated and interpreted. Besides that the origin of the alternating wall and the differences and similarities between Ottoman and Byzantine examples of alternating walls are discussed in order to reveal the features of the Ottoman alternating walls. Furthermore, the previous studies in this topic are explained and the results of this article are compared with those studies. It is been uncovered that the 2/1 system of perpendicular alternating brick and stone walls is evident in four of the 14th century Ottoman mosques, despite some of the earlier studies claiming that the system didn’t exist in the 14th century and suddenly appeared in the 15th century. It is also been claimed that the 4/1 system of perpendicular alternating brick and stone walls is disappeared  in the 15th century Ottoman mosques, however this study reveals it in  three mosques of that period.

In addition to that the use of well-cut stone blocks and bricks on the alternating walls is recorded in nineteen of the 15th century Ottoman mosques; despite that some of the previous studies were found it in only two of the mosques from the 15th century. Thus the use of well-cut stone blocks had not become widespread suddenly in the 16th century but it went through a process of increasing from the 15th century. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ....................................  Özet: Bu çalışma, XIV-XV. yüzyıllara ait Osmanlı camilerinde görülen tuğla-taş almaşık duvarları incelemektedir. Almaşık duvar örgüsünün farklı uygulamaları ve bunlarla yakından ilişkili olan derz, kemer,  kasnak ve saçak özellikleri de ele alınmıştır. Yapılan değerlendirmede iki yüz yıllık zaman dilimi içinde meydana gelen değişim ve gelişimin analizi ve yorumlanması, tarihî süreç bağlamında yapılmıştır. Almaşık duvar uygulamalarının kökeni ve Bizans yapılarıyla ilişkisi üzerinde durularak Osmanlı camilerinde görülen almaşık duvarın, Bizans örnekleriyle benzer ve farklı yönleri tartışılarak karakteristik özellikleri ortaya koyulmaya çalışılmıştır. Konuya eğilen diğer önemli çalışmalara değinilmiş ve ortaya çıkan sonuçlar karşılaştırılarak yorumlanmaya çalışılmıştır. Daha önceki yapılan bazı çalışmalara göre XIV. yüzyılda görülmediği ve XV. yüzyılda birden bire ortaya çıktığı belirtilen 2/1 düzende dikey tuğla-taş almaşıklığının, aslında XIV. yüzyıla ait dört yapıda bulunduğu anlaşılmıştır. Yine XV. yüzyıla ait yapılarda görülmediği belirtilen 4/1 dikey tuğla-taş almaşıklığın üç yapıda bulunduğu görülmüştür.

Daha önceki bazı çalışmalarda XV. yüzyıla ait sadece iki yapıda kesme taş-tuğla almaşıklığı görüldüğü tespit edilirken, bu çalışmanın sonucunda XV. yüzyıla ait on dokuz yapıda kesme taş-tuğla almaşıklığı tespit edilmiştir. Diğer bir deyişle, kesme taş malzeme kullanımı XVI. yüzyılda birden bire patlama yaparak ortaya çıkmamış, XV. yüzyılda belirli bir artış süreci takip etmiştir.

This is a syllabus for an Art History subject I taught in California from 1997-2004 on Global Diversity. Instead of teaching it as a non-Western art intro, I organized it around different global themes, and illustrated them with images from western, non-western, traditional, non-traditional, and ancient through contemporary works. I also introduced the students to art historical theory and methods. With the culture wars, the subject seems like it might still be relevant.