audiobook The Treasures of Islamic Art in the Museums of Cairo by From Brand: American University in Cairo Press in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CrystalI bought this for my husband as a birthday gift and he loves it.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent.By DrI am no expert on Islamic Art. I live in New Zealand at the bottom of the world.I worked in the UK for 3 years.I visited the British Museum and National Gallery frequently ; the Victoria and Albert Museum less often. ( both have important collections of Islamic art.I visited as many Museums as I could around Britain. Now that I am retired I have more time to deepen my knowledge in various fields in the arts that I am interested in.There are a number of excellent works on Islamic art that are well written ; user friendly and with excellent colour photos.This is one such volume-- I hope to review several more.Note one reviewer comment on the binding-- I will be taking good care of this book as it is a gem and I want to reread it for time to time as I rework through my books on Islamic Arts.You can get some idea of the book's structure by seeing it's tablle of contentTable of contentsChronologyThe Museum of Islamic Art in CairoIntroduction to Islamic ArtThe Umayyads and Abbasids. 658--1258The Fatimids. 969--1171The Ayyubids and Early Mamluks. 1171--1382The Burgi Mamluks. 1382--1517Ottoman Art. 1517--19th century.Iranian Artglossary -- briefBibliography -- 1. Page.Index-- this is excellent. It is just over 6 pages and gives quick access to the riches in the bookEach section noted above has an introduction and a selection of objectsThis work gives a good coverage of Islamic Art.Some objectsI have arranged these by type. I think think gives a better view than trying to pick out several objects from each sectionWhich Museum MIA -- Museum of Islamic Art ;The Qur'an and related objects.TextilesThere is a wide range of excellent objects that could be mentioned***Item 28. Details of textile fragment. Linen and silk tapestry weave Umayyad; 8th century.The background colour is a beautiful red; the pattern a meandering stem from which branch flowers and grapes.Full page colour illustration showing two portions from this item that is 172 cm long. A gem of preservation.14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. enlightening tour of Islamic art at Cario museumsBy Henry BerryThe 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.