Multiple connections between the Damascus mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem; implications of the size of the surface area covered in mosaic; links with classical, early Christian, Byzantine and other Umayyad mosaics, and with... more
Multiple connections between the Damascus mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem; implications of the size of the surface area covered in mosaic; links with classical, early Christian, Byzantine and other Umayyad mosaics, and with the art of pre-Islamic Arabia; the meaning and iconography of the Damascus mosaics; originality of the Damascus mosque; problems and pitfalls in the interpretation of the Damascus mosaics; their originality and their place in late antique art; Qur'anic inscriptions on high buildings, gardens and rivers; the theme of paradise; the uses of colour in the Damascus mosaics; the karma.
The book provides an archaeological and art historical study of the architecture and the architectural decoration of the remarkable palatial residence in Khirbat al-Minya at Lake Tiberias in northern Palestine, modern Israel. It constitutes the first monograph publication of finds from German excavations at the site in 1932–39 and their archaeological record, and it contributes to the discussion on Umayyad art and its relation to Early Byzantine and Late Antique art in the Bilad ash-Sham.
UPDATE Summer 2024. This article was earlier declined by a leading journal specialising in Islamic studies and another concerned with the ancient history and archaeology of the southern Levant, citing rather absurd and disingenuous... more
UPDATE Summer 2024.
This article was earlier declined by a leading journal specialising in Islamic studies and another concerned with the ancient history and archaeology of the southern Levant, citing rather absurd and disingenuous objections, which included the lack of originality! I believe that they did so fearing its possible political ramifications. I therefore decided to make this important study freely available online here and let my peers decide on its merits. It has since clocked up more visitors than any of my other publications on this website. Shortly after an earlier draft was posted on Academia.edu, Ahmad Ahmadi of Teheran University expressed to me his appreciation of my article. He requested my permission to translate it into Farsi and have it published in the Iranian Islamic studies journal, JAP. I was happy to accede to his request, and the article was duly published under both our names in vol. 30, issue 178 [2019], of that journal. That Farsi version can be found in the listing of my journal publications.
This study weighs up the influence of Ḥadīth, "traditions of the Prophet Muhammad of Islam", on the architecture of the major mosques which were built from the establishment of the Islamic state in 1/622 to the end of the Umayyad period... more
This study weighs up the influence of Ḥadīth, "traditions of the Prophet Muhammad of Islam", on the architecture of the major mosques which were built from the establishment of the Islamic state in 1/622 to the end of the Umayyad period in 132/750. The thesis is divided into eight chapters. The first of which is an introduction that deals with: (i) the reasons for underestimating the role of Ḥadīth in shaping mosque architecture; (ii) the main questions of the study; (iii) and the approaches and methodologies applied to handle such questions. The second chapter discusses the historiographical problems of Ḥadīth and other early Arabo-Islamic sources. The third investigates the nature and functions of the sizable hypaethral building which was reportedly erected by the Prophet and which we believe was a mosque, and not simply a private domicile. The fourth chapter examines the form of this structure, which - by definition - represents an embodiment of Ḥadīth regarding mosques. The fifth chapter, however, asks whether there was an 'orthodox' form of the mosque according to Ḥadīth. It also tries to explore the features of such a form, should it exist. The sixth and seventh chapters investigate whether and how Ḥadīth influenced the architectural evolution of the mosques which were built under the Rāshidūn and the Umayyads, respectively. Chapter eight is a conclusion that summarizes the findings of the study
MOSAIC IN ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE Immediately after Islam had emerged in the Arabian Peninsula in the first half of the seventh century, it expanded into a vast geographical area in the first 100 years. The generation of its own cultural... more
MOSAIC IN ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE Immediately after Islam had emerged in the Arabian Peninsula in the first half of the seventh century, it expanded into a vast geographical area in the first 100 years. The generation of its own cultural identity, correspondingly its religious, political expansion and strength occurred in that period, as well. It is appreciated that a style to be characterized as Islamic Art originated in the architectural works of art which belonged particularly to the Umayyad authority with the impact and contribution of the ancient indigenous elements. That art was advanced in subsequent periods and gained a unique feature especially with the Seljuks. In this study, it is discussed that the mosaic technique, whose origins can be traced to antiquity and experienced an extensive process throughout the Middle East, was implemented in Islamic architecture, such as mosques, palaces, and tombs. It attempted to introduce that the practice of those mosaics was developed according to the principles of Islamic faith by means of calligraphic bands, floral and geometrical arrangements in the process from its beginning until the extension of tilemosaic and tile techniques.
This contribution aims to complete the debates concerning the Mosque of the Prophet in Madīna with a study focused on the dwelling quarters that populated the surroundings of the blessed building over time (622-711). An in-depth analysis... more
This contribution aims to complete the debates concerning the Mosque of the Prophet in Madīna with a study focused on the dwelling quarters that populated the surroundings of the blessed building over time (622-711). An in-depth analysis of the sources has allowed us to sketch a reliable plan of the ensemble, finally succeeding in demonstrating that the direct link between the mosque and the caliphal residence-conceivably involving a specific ceremonial purpose-must be postdated to the Marwānid period.
Following the Arab conquest of Jerusalem in 638 CE, its official name remained essentially unchanged for over a century, the Latin form Aelia merely being transliterated into the Arabic Īliyā. This fact is attested on coins and seals... more
Following the Arab conquest of Jerusalem in 638 CE, its official name remained essentially unchanged for over a century, the Latin form Aelia merely being transliterated into the Arabic Īliyā. This fact is attested on coins and seals dating from the Umayyad period. In the early 9th century CE, the name Īliyā fell out of use to be replaced by al-Quds, in recognition of the sacred status of Jerusalem. This study offers an explanation for delayed name change by examining the testimony of earliest surviving sources, including in particular the contemporaneous coins and the foremost Islamic monument that survives from Umayyad rule, the Dome of the Rock. New observations about this early Islamic shrine and its mosaic decoration are reported and analysed. The various strands of evidence are brought together and throw new light on the persistence of the name Īliyā for Jerusalem.
بعد از اینکه اعراب در سال ۶۳۸ میادی ] ۱۶ یا ۱۷ هجری[ اورشلیم را فتح کردند، نام این شهر تا حدود یک قرن تقریبا دست نخورده ماند؛ با این تغییر کوچک که فقط عنوان لاتین آن که آئیلیا بود کمی عربی گردید و تبدیل به ایلیا شد. شاهد این مدعا -ثابت ماندن نام تا حدود یک قرن- سکه ها و مهرهایی است که از دوره اموی باقی مانده است. از سال های ابتدایی قرن نهم میادی ]اواخر قرن دوم هجری[ بود که عنوان ایلیا جای خود را به لفظ قدس ) )al-Quds داد، دلیل این نام گذاری هم جایگاه قدس یای بود که اورشلیم داشت. این پژوهش در نظر دارد تا با تکیه بر قدیم یترین منابع باقیمانده از دورهٔ اموی نظیر سکه های این عصر و همچنین قدیم یترین بنای باقیمانده از عصر حا کمان اموی، یعنی قب ةالصخره توضیحی برای این تأخیر در تغییر نام پیدا کند. همچنین مشاهدات و نظرات جدید دربارهٔ این بنای مقدس اسامی و نمای خاص موزاییکی اش آورده و تحلیل شده است. و در نهایت شواهد و مدارک مختلف را کنار هم چید هایم تا با نگاهی نو بقای یک صد سالهٔ نام ایلیا برای اورشلیم را بررسی کنیم.
This book is the first systematic collection and discussion of dwellings in the Umayyad ‘cities’ (madāʾin) and ‘palaces’ (quṣūr) of Bilād al-Shām. Giuseppe Labisi offers an overview of the apartments within and identifies the... more
This book is the first systematic collection and discussion of dwellings in the Umayyad ‘cities’ (madāʾin) and ‘palaces’ (quṣūr) of Bilād al-Shām. Giuseppe Labisi offers an overview of the apartments within and identifies the architectural models that inspired Umayyad dwellings. This study also allows the precise identification of the origin of pre-Islamic dwelling models and their reinterpretation in Umayyad domestic architecture. Through classification, the author has been able to group the apartments of quṣūr chronologically by the reigns of the Umayyad caliphs. The identification of the dictates of Islamic domestic tradition and the characteristics of early Islamic Arabia and Late Antique houses offer original insight and allow us to situate the Umayyad residences of Bilād al-Shām in their wider cultural context. Additionally, Umayyad dwellings have been classified and presented in a rich catalogue as an appendix within the text.
La région connaît du vi au viii siècle un développement considérable qui n'est pas perturbé par la conquête arabe mais favorisé par un système administratif nouveau. L'archéologie récente s'est tournée vers l'habitat rural en privilégiant... more
La région connaît du vi au viii siècle un développement considérable qui n'est pas perturbé par la conquête arabe mais favorisé par un système administratif nouveau. L'archéologie récente s'est tournée vers l'habitat rural en privilégiant la prospection. Cette méthode est limitée par l'opacité de ses procédures et l'imprécision de ses typologies céramiques. Les modèles courants accordent une grande prospérité à l'époque byzantine et un fort déclin à l'époque omeyyade. Si l'on prend en compte les durées relatives (trois siècles de présence byzantine contre 90 ans de pouvoir omeyyade) la proportion des sites omeyyade croît singulièrement. Il est difficile par ailleurs d'appliquer à des habitats tardifs les critères de la polis grecque. De plus le développement de ces habitats se produit sur de courtes périodes. Les inscriptions d'églises sont concentrées sur la fin du vi siècle et le début du Vif et concernent les villages de la badiyah. Ce développement peut refléter non pas un accroissement de la population mais son redéploiement alors que les villes, prospères dans la première moitié du vi siècle tendent à se concentrer. Ce mouvement peut avoir été favorisé par la peste de 542 et ses récurrences qui ont pu faire fuir les habitants des villes vers les villages : il est même possible que la population totale ait baissé. Les différences entre habitat urbain et villageois s'effacent. Il y a peut-être eu également un changement de modèle économique entraîné par l'érosion des sols, elle-même liée à la pression exercée par les villes sur les ressources naturelles. Le modèle urbain impérial de Justinien s'arrête dans les années 560-570 ; les villages offrent alors une alternative attrayante.
