Product Description

Despite growing interest in Islamic architecture, introductions to the subject which go beyond the superficial are scarce. Employing a broad historical narrative, The Story of Islamic Architecture introduces the religious, social, and political influences that have shaped the Islamic architectural form, while revealing an architectural splendor unfamiliar to most Western readers.

Painter and educator Richard Yeomans interweaves historical fact with precisely detailed descriptions to trace the genesis and flowering of Islamic architecture in the various Muslim regions of the world including Spain, the Maghreb, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Persia, and Central Asia, ending at the farthest point East in India. The volume includes a brief introduction to Islam and to the theological attitudes which determine the form and function of its art and architecture.

The Story of Islamic Architecture is fully illustrated with over 200 striking color photographs, and includes a comprehensive glossary of architectural terms. Yeomans' flowing, clear, and engaging narrative captures not only the shapes and colors of this architecture, but even the sounds of activities that take place in the space defined by it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1941058 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06-01
• Released on: 2000-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

About the Author
RICHARD YEOMANS is Coordinator for Art and Design at the Institute of Education, University of Warwick.

Customer Reviews

Visual meditations & a thoughtful story
The Story of Islamic Architecture - visual meditations & a thoughtful story Richard Yeomans

Interweaving history with detailed descriptions of the monuments & mosques, Richard Yeomans studies the flowering of Islamic architecture from Spain to India.

Introducing us to The Mosque, The Ministry, the Sectarianism, The Five Pillars of Islam, Sacred Scripture, The Sharia & Sufism, this large book of maps & a multitude of bright photographs traces the spread & cultural influences of the Muslim Faith from its origins through the Medieval ages. Here we discover that mosques are far more than mere houses of worship occasionally visited.

In The Religious Basis of Form & Function in Islamic Architecture we learn the hows & the whys of this unique & elegant style of building. In the beginning, naturally, was the Umayyad Architecture, in that melting pot we now call the Middle East where three religions built upon each other over centuries of surges in populations, wars & economics.

From Spain to India, Islamic architecture is represented by both the exotic & the simple. From the encrusted Topkapi Palace in Istanbul to the plain stone Palace of the Winds in Jaipur the full rhythmic designs of this religious expression of beauty is explored & explained.

A reverential encyclopedia of a spiritual path that has broadened my appreciation of what stirs the Muslim sense of the sublime, the majestic & the beautiful.

A prime example of one man's pursuit of his bliss. A joy of a book!