Impermanent monuments, lasting legacies : the Dar al-Khilafa of Samarra and palace building in early Abbasid Iraq / Matthew Saba. txt
Series Studies in Islamic art and archaeology ; Band 3Editor: Wiesbaden : Reichert Verlag, 2022Descripción: 158 p. : ill. ; col. ; maps ; plans ; 31 cmTipo de contenido:- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9783954905195
- NA1468.S26 S233 2022
| Imagen de cubierta | Tipo de ítem | Biblioteca actual | Biblioteca de origen | Colección | Ubicación en estantería | Signatura topográfica | Materiales especificados | Info Vol | URL | Copia número | Estado | Notas | Fecha de vencimiento | Código de barras | Reserva de ítems | Prioridad de la cola de reserva de ejemplar | Reservas para cursos | |
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| Libro Col. General CARIBET | CARIBET Biblioteca Arquitectura Colección General CARIBET | General NA1468.S26 S233 2022 (Navegar estantería(Abre debajo)) | 1 | Disponible | 91000000074526 |
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This book offers a new interpretation of the palaces built by the Abbasid dynasty of Iraq at the apex of its political power from 750 to 900 A.D., focusing on the main palace of Samarra, the Dar al-Khilafa, as a case study. Early Abbasid palaces are known for their massive footprints, elaborate floorplans, and extensive decoration on the one hand, and for their speedy construction, uneven quality, and brevity of courtly occupation on the other. This study argues that these palaces reveal a concept of monumentality endemic to their era that did not assume the long-term permanence of the building. Rather, such palaces, conceived by their patrons and architects asimpermanent monuments,were designed to create legacies of imperial power through the performative act of construction itself, the presentation of the finished product to select audiences during spectacular events, and the slow decay of their extensive ruins over time. These structures utilized large expanses of empty space combined with the elaboration of ceremonial protocols and the impact of innovative but often repetitive and inexpensive ornament to make a powerful impression without investing heavily in configurations of space or details of decor that might not survive. It was the words of viewers about these structures, either in the form of anecdotes or poetry, that the Abbasids understood to be truly permanent, and some caliphs encouraged the creation of elaborate poems to extend the impact of these palaces far beyond their anticipated use as courtly residences. Considering these palaces in light of coeval ideas about monumentality and memory, this study advances knowledge on an important period in the history of Islamic architecture that has been difficult to approach due to the complexity of the archaeological and literary evidence. To this end, the book includes an inventory of some of the architectural ornament found in the Dar al-Khilafa of Samarra during the excavations of Ernst Herzfeld, offering a presentation of that material based on findspot. This study's synthesis of archaeological evidence, primary sources, and secondary literature raises fresh questions regarding the temporality of palace architecture in the pre-Modern Islamic world-a phenomenon not limited to the Abbasid period-and offers a counterpoint to notions of the monument as a permanent, unchanging structure. It will be of interest to historians of pre-Modern architecture, as well as scholars of Arabic literature interested in the relationship between poetry and other art forms.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 141-151) and index.
Acknowledgements 7 --
List of Common Abbreviations 9 --
Note on Dates, Transliterations, and Translations 10 --
Introduction: The Problem of Impermanence 11 --
Early Abbasid palaces and the Dar al Khilafa of Samara as a case study 12 --
Research on Samarra's palaces since the first recorded excavations 13 --
Architecture and audience 15 --
Approach and outline 16 --
1. Grandeur and Impermanence: The Construction of Samarra and Other Palace Complexes in the Early Abbasid Period 19 --
Samarra's rise and fall as the Abbasid imperial residence 19 --
Impermanence in early Abbasid palaces 22 --
Impediments to permanence: Geography and politics 25 --
The theme of architectural impermanence in Abbasid literature 27 --
Historical consciousness and the relevance of a lasting legacy 30 --
Glorious impermanence 33 --
2. A Place Set Apart: Building with Open Space in Abbasid Palace Exteriors 35 --
The difficulties of Samarra's Bab al-Amma 36 --
The use of open space in Abbasid palace plans 39 --
Exterior zones and Abbasid ceremonial 43 --
Palace as harim 46 --
The phenomenology of open space 48 --
3. An Architecture of Temporary Events: The Adornment of the Audience Hall Complex in Samarra's Dar al-Khilafa 51 --
A note on sources 53 --
The plan of the Audience Hall Complex 53 --
Wall ornament found in situ: Orderly arrangements from varied sources 55 --
Detached architectural fragments: A case of selective opulence? 60 --
The architectural surface and the Abbasid audience 64 --
The architecture of events 69 --
4. An Ever-Changing Surface: Impermanence and Ornament in Abbasid Palaces 71 --
Varied vegetation: Aesthetic flexibility in the ornament of Abbasid palaces 73 --
Aesthetic rigidity in the ornament of Abbasid mosques? 77 --
Mutable configurations: Reuse in Samarra's palaces and beyond 78 --
Ornament, impermanence, and the elusive nature of "Abbasid style" 80 --
5. An Enduring Trace: Palaces, Poetry, and the Literary Canon 83 --
Architectural and verbal monuments 85 --
The Samarra palace poems as exemplary "modern" works 87 --
Abbasid palaces as timeless Arab architecture 90 --
Poetic truths 92 --
The afterlife of the Samarra palace poems 94 --
Conclusion: The Concept of an ‘’Impermanent Monument’’ and Its Legacy 97 --
Other early Islamic palatine traditions and their relationship to time 98 --
Contrasting temporalities in Islamic architecture and beyond 101 --
Appendix I: Select Transcriptions from Herzfeld’s Second Campaign Diary 103 --
Appendix II: Partial Inventory of Fragments of Architectural Ornament and Furnishings Attributable to the Dar al Khilafa of Samara 109 --
Note on organization of inventory 109 --
Note on content of records 111 --
Links to related online resources 111 --
Inventory by Findspot Area 113 --
Bibliography 141 --
Index 153 --
Credits of photographs illustrated in figures 159 --
Figures 161 --
This book offers a new interpretation of early Abbasid palaces as "impermanent monuments". Synthesizing an array of sources, ranging from archaeological finds and classical Arabic literature to modern studies on the social and intellectual history of Islamic civilization, it reveals ways in which the Abbasid court designed, decorated, presented, and documented its palaces to leave lasting legacies of imperial power with what were considered at the time to be impermanent structures. In doing so, it sheds light on an architectural concept endemic to early Islamic Iraq that challenges popular notions of the monument as permanent and unchanging. The main palace of Samarra, known as the Dār al-Khilāfa , serves as the primary case study for this phenomenon, and the book includes an inventory of some of the fragments of architectural ornament found in this palace during the excavations of Ernst Herzfeld. -- From publisher's website