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The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria: Sunnis, Shi'is and the Architecture of Coexistence (Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Art)
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About The Shrines Of The 'Alids In Medieval
Product Description The first illustrated, architectural history of the ‘Alid shrines, increasingly endangered by the conflict in Syria The ‘Alids (descendants of the Prophet Muhammad) are among the most revered figures in Islam, beloved by virtually all Muslims, regardless of sectarian affiliation. This study argues that despite the common identification of shrines as ‘Shi’i’ spaces, they have in fact always been unique places of pragmatic intersectarian exchange and shared piety, even - and perhaps especially - during periods of sectarian conflict. Using a rich variety of previously unexplored sources, including textual, archaeological, architectural, and epigraphic evidence, Stephennie Mulder shows how these shrines created a unifying Muslim ‘holy land’ in medieval Syria, and proposes a fresh conceptual approach to thinking about landscape in Islamic art. In doing so, she argues against a common paradigm of medieval sectarian conflict, complicates the notion of Sunni Revival, and provides new evidence for the negotiated complexity of sectarian interactions in the period. Beautifully illustrated with over 120 colour images The first study of Syrian ‘Alid shrines as critical sites of Islamic pious practice in some of Islam’s most important cities Uses architecture to present a more nuanced understanding of the history of sectarianism Utilises an unusually wide range of source materials including medieval Arabic textual sources, spatial and architectural analysis, archaeological investigation, epigraphy and GPS survey Review '[Stephennie Mulder] should be thanked for sharing the fruits of such a challenging project, one that only those scholars with the necessary versatility, perseverance and passion can carry through to the end. "The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria" forces us to recognize the historical value of the 'Alid shrines in Syria at this moment in time when such recognition is needed more urgently than ever before.' - Kazuo Morimoto, The University of Tokyo, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies "Mulder's volume on the 'Alid shrines of Syria fills a significant lacuna in the study of Shi'a architecture... well-researched and meticulously referenced." -- Cleo Cantone, Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies "This book should be required reading on every graduate architecture and methodology course. Apart from its fascinating subject matter, it is exemplary in its method, its slow but compelling progression from the micro-level of archaeological reconstruction to the macro-level of political patronage and sacred topography... I have no doubt that it will be the basic reference text on the subject for many years to come, and rightly so." -- Finbarr B. Flood, Medieval Encounters "A remarkable study...by utilizing a wide range of source material and drawing a carefully conceived picture of how this architecture of coexistence was constructed and perpetuated, the book as a whole makes an original and innovative contribution to the study of the history of Islamic ecumenism and its substantial and enduring forms." -- Daphna Ephrat: The Open University of Israel, Der Islam Review An elegant study of how shrines were the locus of ecumenical veneration in times of heightened sectarian tensions. That the focus of the book is Syria constitutes a hopeful reminder that sectarianism was not the historical norm and that architecture can and did mediate between divergent religious passions. , Nasser Rabbat, Massachusetts Institute of Technology About the Author Stephennie Mulder is Assistant Professor in Islamic Art and Architecture at the The University of Texas at Austin.
