Islamic Art and Archaeology of Palestine

214 Pages·2006·27.046 MB·English

by  Myriam Rosen-Avalon

ISLAMIC ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN PALESTINE
This book is dedicated
to my dear Dodik.
Islamic Art and Archaeology
in Palestine
MYRIAM ROSEN-AYALON
m Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2006 by Left Coast Press Inc.
Published 20 16 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © 2006 Presses Universitaires de France
This is an English translation of Art et archeologie islamiques en Palestine,
published in 2002 by Presses Universitaires de France.
Translated by E. Singer.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereaf-
ter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage
or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rosen-Ayalon, Myriam.
[Art et archeologie islamiques en Palestine. English]
Islamic art and archaeology in Palestine I
Myriam Rosen-Ayalon; translated by Esther Singer.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN -13: 978-1-59874·063-9 (hardback : alk. paper)
ISBN-w: 1-59874·063-6 (hardback: alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59874·064-6 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-59874-064-4 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Palestine-Antiquities. 2. Art, Islamic-Palestine. 3· Islamic antiquities-Palestine.
4· Archaeology-Palestine. I. Title.
DSm.r.R6713 2oo6 20060!4613
ISBN 13: 978-1-59874-064-6 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-59874-063-9 (hbk)
Contents
List of Illustrations 7
Preface g
Introduction 15
1 * The Pre-Islamic Period and the Beginnings of Islamic Occupation 19
2 «s The Umayyad Period: Identity and Grandeur 25
3 «s The Abbassid, Tulunid, and Fatimid Periods 67
4 <•> :The Ayyubid and Mamluk Periods 93
5 «s The Ottoman Period: An Art Turned Toward Istanbul 129
6 «s The Post-Ottoman Period: Armenian Ceramics 145
Conclusion 149
Appendix 159
Noies 167
Bibliography 181
Glossary 201
Index 205
Akowí ífoe Author 213
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List of Illustrations
Map i Principal sites 159
Map 2 Location of excavation sites and main monuments 160
Map 3 Location of excavation sites in Tiberias 161
Fig, 1 Inscription from Hammat Gader 27
Fig, 2 The Dome of the Rock, plan and cross section 30
Fig, 3 Al-Aqsa Mosque, plan 34
Fig, 4 Haram al-Sharif 37
Fig, 5 The Umayyad complex in Jerusalem 42
Fig, 6 Khirbat al-Minya, plan 45
Fig, 7 Khirbat al-Mafjar, plan 46
Fig, 8 Khirbat al-Mafjar, interior of the entrance 49
Fig, 9 The Umayyad mosque of Ramla, plan 54
Fig, 10 Mosques in the Negev 60
Fig, 11 The cistern of Ramla 69
Fig, 12 Abu Gosh, plan of the khan 70
Fig, 13 Jerusalem, the Citadel, and M, Broshis excavations 85
Fig, 14 Ramla, the minaret, cross section 102
Fig, 15 The Mamluk Citadel, Jerusalem 115
Fig, 16 Sidna Ali, plan and cross section 124
Fig, 17 The walls of Jerusalem 134
Fig, 18 Plan and ancient monuments in Acre 137
Fig, 19 Samples of epigraphy at different periods 162
Fig, 20 Partial typology of ceramics from Caesarea 163
Fig, 21 Partial typology of ceramics from Hammat Gader 164
Fig, 22 Partial glass typology (Tiberias) 165
Fig. 23 Table of dates 166
Plate 1 The Dome of the Rock 30
Plate 2 Interior of the al- Aqsa Mosque 33
Plate 3 Sculpture from Khirbat al-Mafjar 51
Plate 4 Ramla Cistern 55
Plate 5 Ceramics from Ramla 56
Plate 6 Ramla mosaic 57
Plate 7 Mosaic from Bet Shean 59
Plate 8 Coins from different periods 64
Plate 9 Bronzes from Caesarea 76
Plate 10 Jewelry from Caesarea 77
Plate 11 Bronze from Tiberias 80
Plate 12 Jewelry from Ashkelon 83
Plate 13 Minbar of al-Aqsa 87
Plate 14 Bones from Ashkelon 89
Plate 15 The Minaret of Ramla 103
Plate 16 The Lydda bridge 105
Plate 17 Entrance to the suq al-Qattanin 113
Plate 18 The Citadel of Jerusalem 117
Plate 19 Minbar of qadi Burhan al-din 117
Plate 20 Mihrab of the Tankiziya 120
Plate 21 Safed, mosque al-Jami al-Akhmar 122
Plate 22 Ottoman sabil 133
Plate 23 Damascus Gate 135
Plate 24 Jazzar Pacha mosque 139
Plate 25 The Acre Aqueduct 142
Plate 26 Armenian ceramics in Jerusalem 147
Preface
I
SLAMIC ARCHAEOLOGY is one of the newest branches in this field and
has only recently received official recognition. This applies to the study
of Palestine as well as the surrounding areas, and helps explain the care
needed when presenting an overview of this subject.
The geographical region covered by this book corresponds to the area west
of the Jordan River, which does not coincide with any historical political entity.
The Islamic art and archaeology that developed in this region cannot be sepa
rated from its geographic and cultural context, and, as is the case everywhere,
its defining characteristics did not emerge in a vacuum. The difFerent phases of
Islamic art resulted from shifts in centers of culture, and these influences had
a great impact on Palestine, a true melting pot of political, cultural, and artis
tic energies. However strong these influences were, it would be a mistake to
downplay local contributions to artistic production. The impact of these two
forces—external and local—is what we will follow throughout this volume.
This book is designed to be a first step in this field. Its objective is to pres
ent, for the first time, an overview of finds from excavations and the main
monuments in the region, in order to provide a summary of the subject. The
classification used here will, I hope, be a starting point for more in-depth stud
ies, both in terms of phenomenological interpretation and for the study of its
characteristics.
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