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Course details
Semester 1
The Classical Heritage in Islam: Early Islamic Art in its Late Antique Context (HIAR10116)
Subject Area
History of Art
Pre-requisites
Visiting students should have at least 3 History of Art courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. ** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
Credits
20
Course level
SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate)
Course description
After the conquest of a vast territory spreading from North Africa to India, early Muslims started to organize their empire. During the early centuries (7th-11th c.) along with the administrative system, the new rulers also transformed the landscape and the culture of the conquered societies. The transformation of the extant cities and the foundation of new urban centres, the establishment of an Islamic network of pilgrimage sites, the erection of mosques and theological schools, of palaces and new civil engineering works, the creation of a new Islamic aesthetic for the decorative programs of the public buildings, the spread of Arabic language and the rise of the art of the book, the appearance of a new coinage and of monumental public inscriptions: all these processes dramatically changed the world conquered by Islam in the 7th century. The vocabulary for the creation of this "new world", however, was wisely selected and creatively adapted from the civilizations early Muslims encountered during their conquests. Furthermore, the vastness of early Islamic rule allowed blending together different material, stylistic and technical traditions ranging from West Africa to Arabian Peninsula, to Mesopotamia, to India.
Timetable
View the timetable and assessment information for this course
Course delivered by
College of Humanities and Social Science
Edinburgh College of Art
This article was published on Feb 24, 2012