Cairo of the Mamluks
Subtitle: a history of the architecture and its culture
By: Doris Behrens-Abouseif
Publisher: American University in Cairo Press
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Cairo, Egypt
Language: eng
Number of pages: 359
ISBN-13: 9789774160776
Subjects: Mameluke Architecture; Islamic architecture; Mosques; Tombs; Islamische Architektur
Description: The Arab philosopher Ibn Khaldun described Cairo under the Mamluks as ""a city beyond imagination"". The Mamluk sultans originated as a slave-based caste rose to rule in the mid-13th century. Accordingly, they designed their capital to be the heart of the Muslim world. It became the focus of their enormous patronage of art and architecture, the stage for their ceremonial rituals, and a memorial to their achievements. This history of Mamluk architecture spans three centuries and examines the monuments of the Mamluks in their social, political and urban context, during the period of their rule (1250-1517). The book displays the multiple facets of Mamluk patronage, and also provides a succinct discussion of the sixty key monuments built in Cairo by the Mamluk sultans. The unique strength of Doris Abouseif s work lies in its scholarly yet engaging presentation of original material, diligently researched in the waqf (Islamic endowments) archives including architectural plans and personal records. A richly illustrated volume with colour photographs, plans and isometric drawings, it will be an essential reference work for scholars and students of the art and architecture of the Islamic world as well as art historians and historians of late medieval Islamic history. -- Amazon.com.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 337-345) and index.
Table of contents: title: The Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517); title: Pious patronage; title: Motivation and perception of monumental patronage; title: The patronage of the civilian elite; title: Ceremonial culture; title: Treasures, status and style; title: Construction: organization and cost; title: The growth of the Metropolis; title: The Metropolitan architectural style; title: The evolution of Mamluk architecture in Cairo; title: The successors of the Ayyubids; title: The reign of al-Zahir Baybars; title: From al-Mansur Qalawun to al-Nasir Muhammad; title: The early period of al-Nasir Muhammad's reign; title: Al-Nasir Muhammad's Third Reign and after; title: The reign of al-Nasir Hasan and after; title: The reign of al-Nasir Faraj Ibn Barquq; title: The reign of al-Mu'ayyad Shaykh; title: The reign of al-Ashraf Barsbay; title: The reign of al-Zahir Jaqmaq; title: The reign of al-Ashraf Inal; title: The reign of al-Ashraf Qaytbay; title: The reign of al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri.