Qusayr 'Amra: Art and the Umayyad Elite in Late Antique Syria (Transformation of the Classical Heritage) [Hardcover]

Garth Fowden (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520236653 | ISBN-13: 978-0520236653 | Publication Date: September 20, 2004 | Edition: 1

From the stony desolation of Jordan's desert, it is but a step through a doorway into the bath house of the Qusayr 'Amra hunting lodge. Inside, multicolored frescoes depict scenes from courtly life and the hunt, along with musicians, dancing girls, and naked bathing women. The traveler is transported to the luxurious and erotic world of a mid-eighth-century Muslim Arab prince. For scholars, though, Qusayr 'Amra, probably painted in the 730s or 740s, has proved a mirage, its concreteness dissolved by doubts about date, patron, and meaning. This is the first book-length contextualization of the mysterious monument through a compelling analysis of its iconography and of the literary sources for the Umayyad period. It illuminates not only the way of life of the early Muslim elite but also the long afterglow of late antique Syria.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Three features make this book remarkable. First, its scholarship is impeccable, unusually broad, and complete. Second, its author has a clear story to tell. Third, it illuminates the world of Late Antiquity, which is only now beginning to be understood." - Oleg Grabar, author of The Shape of the Holy"

From the Inside Flap

"Three features make this book remarkable. First, its scholarship is impeccable, unusually broad, and complete. Second, its author has a clear story to tell. Third, it illuminates the world of Late Antiquity, which is only now beginning to be understood."--Oleg Grabar, author of The Shape of the Holy

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 419 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (September 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520236653
• ISBN-13: 978-0520236653
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #776,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > History > Middle East > Jordan
  • #82 in Books > History > Middle East > Syria

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.