The Seljuqs and their Successors: Art, Culture and History

Description

Rising from nomadic origins as Turkish tribesmen, the powerful and culturally prolific Seljuqs and their successor states dominated vast lands extending from Central Asia to the eastern Mediterranean from the eleventh to the fourteenth century. Supported by colour images, charts, and maps, this volume examines how under Seljuq rule, migrations of people and the exchange and synthesis of diverse traditions―including Turkmen, Perso-Arabo-Islamic, Byzantine, Armenian, Crusader and other Christian cultures―accompanied architectural patronage, advances in science and technology and a great flowering of culture within the realm. It also explores how shifting religious beliefs, ideologies of authority, and lifestyle in Seljuq times influenced cultural and artistic production, urban and rural architecture, monumental inscriptions and royal titulature, and practices of religion and magic. It also presents today’s challenges and new approaches to preserving the material heritage of this vastly accomplished and influential civilization. Cover The Seljuqs and their Successors Copyright Contents Figures Tables Series Editor’s Foreword The Contributors Editors’ Note on Transliteration PART ONE INTRODUCTION Ch. 1 Editors’ Introduction Ch. 2 What is Special about Seljuq History? Ch. 3 Seljuq Art: An Overview PART TWO RULERS AND CITIES Ch. 4 Rum Seljuq Caravanserais: Urbs in Rure PART THREE FAITH, RELIGION AND ARCHITECTURE Ch. 5 The Religious History of the Great Seljuq Period* Ch. 6 Domes in the Seljuq Architecture of Iran Ch. 7 The Politics of Patronage in Medieval Mosul PART FOUR IDENTITIES: RULERS AND POPULACE Ch. 8 Ghaznavid, Qarakhanid and Seljuq Monumental Inscriptions Ch. 9 Inscribed Identities Ch. 10 Grasping the Magnitude PART FIVE MAGIC AND THE COSMOS Ch. 11 A Seljuq Occult Manuscript and its World CH. 12 Al-Khazinı’s Astronomy under the Seljuqs PART SIX OBJECTS AND MATERIAL CULTURE Ch 13 Casting Shadows Ch. 14 What’s in a Name? Signature, Maker’s Mark or Keeping Count Ch. 15 Collaborative Investigations of a Monumental Seljuq Stucco Panel CH. 16 The Florence Shahnama between History and Science Glossary Bibliography Index