Traditional Architecture of the Arabian Gulf: Building on Desert Tides

Overview

This book chronicles the florescence of architecture in the Arabian Gulf after the expulsion of the Portuguese in the early 1600's. It demonstrates how the power vacuum created by the collapse of Portuguese control over the trade routes in the Indian Ocean encouraged a growth in fortified architecture, especially in Oman, that radiated out to the surrounding region and was then slowly replaced by new patterns in domestic and public architecture and town planning throughout the Gulf as the trade lines were secured...
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Overview

This book chronicles the florescence of architecture in the Arabian Gulf after the expulsion of the Portuguese in the early 1600's. It demonstrates how the power vacuum created by the collapse of Portuguese control over the trade routes in the Indian Ocean encouraged a growth in fortified architecture, especially in Oman, that radiated out to the surrounding region and was then slowly replaced by new patterns in domestic and public architecture and town planning throughout the Gulf as the trade lines were secured and the individual countries took the first steps towards the formation of today's modern nation-states.

The book documents the buildings and crafts of this era and analyses them within the framework of the political, economic, and social information available through primary sources from the period in a way that is both intelligent and accessible. It considers the settlements as part of a larger-connected network of cities, towns and villages and focuses both on how the buildings provided innovative solutions to the demanding climate and yet incorporated new decorative and functional ideas.

Topics are extensively and richly illustrated with colored photographs of the buildings as they are now, black and white and color historic photographs from archival and museum collections, line drawings, and computer-generated reconstructions.

The book is therefore attractive to a number of audiences, including those who live in or travel to the Gulf as well as people with an interest in Arab and Islamic design, culture and society, vernacular architecture, and post-colonial approaches to colonial history.

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Editorial Reviews

CHOICE
This volume, which fills a void in the study of traditional Arabian Gulf architecture, will be a crucial reference for further study of particular buildings, regions and domestic or public structures. The breadth of the study will appeal to a wide audience interested in sociopolitical history, vernacular architecture, postcolonial history, and regional building practices. Essential.
GREAT NEW BOOKS THAT ARE A MUST READ
Ronald Hawker expertly analyzes the change in Persian Gulf architecture within a larger framework of political, economic, and social information. Provides an intelligent and accessible study of this region. Ronald Hawker should be commended for providing such a unique and in-depth study of this little known region.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781845641351
  • Publisher: WIT Press
  • Publication date: 6/10/2008
  • Pages: 252
  • Product dimensions: 8.40 (w) x 11.90 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Table of Contents

Ch. 1 Shifting Sands: An Archaeological History of the Gulf 1

Ch. 2 Tribes, Trade and Empire: The Arabian Gulf in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries 21

Ch. 3 Mosques, Houses, Markets and Forts: Building Types in the Gulf 43

Ch. 4 Beach Stone and Palm Frond: Style and Material 77

Ch. 5 The Upper Gulf: Bridge Between Empires 103

Ch. 6 The Central Gulf: Of Pearls and Dates 125

Ch. 7 The Lower Gulf: A Varied Land 155

Ch. 8 Oman: Gateway to the Gulf 199

Epilogue 231

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