The Manuscript Tradition of the Islamic West: Maghribi Round Scripts and the Andalusi Identity
This book traces the history of manuscript production in the Islamic West between the 10th and the 12th centuries. It interrogates the material evidence that survives from this period, paying special attention to the origin and development of Maghribī round scripts, the distinctive form of Arabic writing employed in al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia) and Northwest Africa.More than 200 dated manuscripts written in Maghribī round scripts - many of which have not previously been published and are of great historical significance - are presented and discussed. This leads to a reconstruction of the activity of Maghribī calligraphers, copyists, notaries and secretaries, creating a better understanding of the development of their practices.Using a blend of art historical methods, palaeographic analyses and a thorough scrutiny of Arabic sources, the author paints a comprehensive and lively picture of Maghribī manuscript culture, from its beginnings under the Umayyads of Cordova until the heyday of the Almohad caliphate. He lifts the veil on a glorious, yet neglected season in the history of Arabic calligraphy, shedding new light on a tradition that was crucial for the creation of the Andalusī identity and its spread throughout the medieval Mediterranean.
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The Manuscript Tradition of the Islamic West: Maghribi Round Scripts and the Andalusi Identity
This book traces the history of manuscript production in the Islamic West between the 10th and the 12th centuries. It interrogates the material evidence that survives from this period, paying special attention to the origin and development of Maghribī round scripts, the distinctive form of Arabic writing employed in al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia) and Northwest Africa.More than 200 dated manuscripts written in Maghribī round scripts - many of which have not previously been published and are of great historical significance - are presented and discussed. This leads to a reconstruction of the activity of Maghribī calligraphers, copyists, notaries and secretaries, creating a better understanding of the development of their practices.Using a blend of art historical methods, palaeographic analyses and a thorough scrutiny of Arabic sources, the author paints a comprehensive and lively picture of Maghribī manuscript culture, from its beginnings under the Umayyads of Cordova until the heyday of the Almohad caliphate. He lifts the veil on a glorious, yet neglected season in the history of Arabic calligraphy, shedding new light on a tradition that was crucial for the creation of the Andalusī identity and its spread throughout the medieval Mediterranean.
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The Manuscript Tradition of the Islamic West: Maghribi Round Scripts and the Andalusi Identity

The Manuscript Tradition of the Islamic West: Maghribi Round Scripts and the Andalusi Identity

by Umberto Bongianino
The Manuscript Tradition of the Islamic West: Maghribi Round Scripts and the Andalusi Identity

The Manuscript Tradition of the Islamic West: Maghribi Round Scripts and the Andalusi Identity

by Umberto Bongianino

Hardcover

$160.00 
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Overview

This book traces the history of manuscript production in the Islamic West between the 10th and the 12th centuries. It interrogates the material evidence that survives from this period, paying special attention to the origin and development of Maghribī round scripts, the distinctive form of Arabic writing employed in al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia) and Northwest Africa.More than 200 dated manuscripts written in Maghribī round scripts - many of which have not previously been published and are of great historical significance - are presented and discussed. This leads to a reconstruction of the activity of Maghribī calligraphers, copyists, notaries and secretaries, creating a better understanding of the development of their practices.Using a blend of art historical methods, palaeographic analyses and a thorough scrutiny of Arabic sources, the author paints a comprehensive and lively picture of Maghribī manuscript culture, from its beginnings under the Umayyads of Cordova until the heyday of the Almohad caliphate. He lifts the veil on a glorious, yet neglected season in the history of Arabic calligraphy, shedding new light on a tradition that was crucial for the creation of the Andalusī identity and its spread throughout the medieval Mediterranean.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781474499583
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Publication date: 08/25/2022
Series: Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Art
Pages: 528
Product dimensions: 6.69(w) x 9.61(h) x (d)

About the Author

Umberto Bongianino is Departmental Lecturer in Islamic Art and Architecture at the Khalili Research Centre,University of Oxford. He has published chapters in several edited collections, and articles in Journal of Islamic Manuscripts, Journal of Transcultural Medieval Studies and Journal of Islamic Archaeology.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Book about Books

Maghribī Round Scripts: a New DefinitionMaghribī Round Scripts in the 3rd/9th and 4th/10th CenturiesMaghribī Round Scripts in the 5th/11th CenturyMaghribī Round Scripts in the 6th/12th CenturyBeyond Books: Quranic Manuscripts and Chancery Documents

Conclusion: Inscribed Identities

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