the Dar al-Khilafa of Samarra and palace building in early Abbasid Iraq Saba, Matthew. creator text bibliography gw 2022 monographic eng

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158 p. : ill. ; col. ; maps ; plans ; 31 cm. 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 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 -- Matthew Saba. Includes bibliographical references (pages 141-151) and index. Buildings History Islamic architecture Palaces NA1468.S26 S233 2022 9783954905195 pucpr 220604 20250218113607.0 eng