This course introduces students to Islamic art and architecture with a particular focus on the cultures of the Mediterranean and Near East from the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE) to the end of the fifteenth century. After an initial examination of the early formative history of Islamic art and architecture, which will engage with the enduring legacy of pre-Islamic traditions during the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, we will turn to the tenth century and the rise of smaller, but increasingly powerful regional polities and rival caliphates. Our tour of the artistic production of the Islamic world will finish in the late fifteenth century with the end of Islamic rule in Andalusia under the Nasrids (1230-1492 CE) and the growing imperial aspirations of the Ottomans.
Students will gain familiarity with a range of media and techniques of artistic production, from architecture to portable arts including metalwork, ceramics, painting, and calligraphy. This course will engage with the diverse artistic traditions of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, Turkey, the Levant, Iran, and Central Asia. We will explore the development of regional styles as well as the transmission and circulation of artworks, ideas, and artisans within these regions. Throughout the semester, we will investigate the arts of the Islamic cultures of the Mediterranean and Near East through recurring themes of cross-cultural encounter, ethnic and religious identity, gender, and social stratification. At the end of the semester, students will produce a final research paper that will demonstrate their mastery of formal analysis, research skills, and command of material from class lectures.
- Teacher: Lyla Halsted