Islamic Art Architecture

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course examines the art and civilization of the Islamic world, from the birth of Islam in the 7th century CE through the 18th century. The vast geographic region significantly influenced by Islam or Islamic leadership stretches from southern Spain, across North Africa, into the Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and all the way to Afghanistan and India. We will consider objects and monuments of various media, including architecture, textiles, metalwork, glass, ceramics, and the arts of the book, in the context of the religious, philosophical, economic, and sociopolitical factors surrounding their creation. This course is organized around the major dynasties under which Islamic art and architecture were produced. Textbooks: 1. Richard Ettinghausen, Islamic Art and Architecture 650-1250 (Yale University Press, 2003) 2. Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom, The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800 (Yale University Press, 1996)