The Manuscript Tradition of the Islamic West : : Maghribi Round Scripts and Andalusi Identity / / Umberto Bongianino.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE Architecture and Design 2022
• VerfasserIn: Bongianino, Umberto,
• Place / Publishing House: Edinburgh : : Edinburgh University Press, , [2022]; ©2022
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Series: Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Art : ESIA
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (528 p.) :; 15 B/W illustrations 135 colour illustrations

Explores the aesthetic dimensions, cultural significance and ideological power of Maghribī manuscriptsExposes the richness and sophistication of Maghribī manuscript culture, including parchment- and papermaking, calligraphy, illumination, bookbinding and chancery practicesApproaches social and cultural history through the study of manuscripts as artefactsDemonstrates that calligraphy and scribal practices were a key element in the construction of political and identity discoursesIncludes a catalogue of 252 dated manuscripts in Maghribī round scripts (including Qurʾāns and chancery documents), the majority of which are unpublished Features 135 colour imagesThis book traces the history of manuscript production in the Islamic West between the 10th and the 12th centuries. It interrogates the material evidence that survives from this period, paying special attention to the origin and development of Maghribī round scripts, the distinctive form of Arabic writing employed in al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia) and Northwest Africa.More than 200 dated manuscripts written in Maghribī round scripts – many of which have not previously been published and are of great historical significance – are presented and discussed. This leads to a reconstruction of the activity of Maghribī calligraphers, copyists, notaries and secretaries, creating a better understanding of the development of their practices.Using a blend of art historical methods, palaeographic analyses and a thorough scrutiny of Arabic sources, the author paints a comprehensive and lively picture of Maghribī manuscript culture, from its beginnings under the Umayyads of Cordova until the heyday of the Almohad caliphate. He lifts the veil on a glorious, yet neglected season in the history of Arabic calligraphy, shedding new light on a tradition that was crucial for the creation of the Andalusī identity and its spread throughout the medieval Mediterranean.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Acknowledgements -- Note on Transliteration and Translation -- Abbreviations -- Series Editor’s Foreword -- INTRODUCTION. A Book about Books -- CHAPTER ONE Maghribi Round Scripts: A New Definition -- CHAPTER TWO MaghribÈ Round Scripts in the Third/Ninth and Fourth/Tenth Centuries -- CHAPTER THREE MaghribÈ Round Scripts in the Fifth/Eleventh Century -- CHAPTER FOUR MaghribÈ Round Scripts in the Sixth/Twelfth Century -- CHAPTER FIVE Beyond Books: Quranic Manuscripts and Chancery Documents -- CONCLUSION Inscribed Identities -- APPENDICES -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index