The World of Islam: Faith, People, Culture (The Great Civilizations) [Paperback]

Bernard W. Lewis (Editor)

Book Description

Series: The Great Civilizations | Publication Date: April 1992

In spite of its astonishing impact upon the modern world, the civilization of Islam is still "Terra Incognita" for many in the West. The thirteen contributors to this volume, all eminent specialists, aim to remedy that situation. Islam itself, and the peoples who accepted it, come first in the story. The central area and period of Islamic greatness - the Middle East and North Africa from the advent of Islam in the seventh century to the aftermath of the Mongol conquests in the thirteenth - produced a culture of extraordinary depth, variety and richness. Art, social life, trade, mysticism, literature, music, science and warfare all developed uniquely Islamic forms; all are fully considered and lavishly illustrated.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; 1 edition (April 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500276242
• ISBN-13: 978-0500276242
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Islam Culture, July 9, 2005

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William Garrison Jr. (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The World of Islam: Faith, People, Culture (The Great Civilizations) (Paperback)

Same book with several different titles: "The World of Islam" published in Great Britian by Thames and Hudson Ltd, London, 1976; then "Islam and the Arab World published in NYC by Alfred Knopf Inc., 1976; and perhaps a third issue w/ISBN#0394407113; and then 1984 or so a paperback issue. Big large-size book with many photographs and articles. Edited by Bernard Lewis; Chapter texts by: Bernard Lewis, Richard Ettinghausen, Oleg Grabar, Fritz Meier, Charles Pellat, A. Shiloah, Edmund Bosworth, Emilio Garcia Gomez, Roger M. Savory, Norman Itzkowitz, S. A. A. Rizvi, & Elie Kedourie. Chapter topics:The Faith and the Faithful: the lands and peoples of Islam; (The five pillars of Islam, belief, opinion, and toleration, the rule of law, etc.); the Man-Made Setting: Islamic art and architecture Arabic script, rejection of sculpture, The Mosque: origins & Meaning, etc.); Cities and Citizens: The Growth and culture of urban Islam; The Mystic Path: The Sufi tradition; Jewellers with words: The Heritage of Islamic literature; The Dimensions of Sound: Islamic music, philosophy, theory and practice; The Scientific Enterprise, Islamic contributions to the development of science; Armies of the Prophet, Strategy, tactics and weapons in Islamic warfare; Moorish Spain: The golden age of Cordoba and Granada; Land of the Lion and the Sun: The Flowering of Iranian civilization; the Ottoman Empire: The rise and fall of Turkish domination; Muslim India: From the coming of Islam to Independence; Islam Today: Problems and prospects of the 19th and 20th centuries.