The Fatimids are famous for founding the city of al-Qahira (“the victorious,” whence the name Cairo) in 969 CE, and their art - particularly textiles and lustre ceramics, but also metalwork and carved rock-crystal, ivory and woodwork - has been admired for nearly a millennium.
Initially brought home to Europe by merchants and Crusaders and then preserved as relics and reliquaries in church treasuries, Fatimid art is still prized today by collectors and curators for its strongly figural imagery, otherwise unusual in the arts of the contemporary Islamic lands, and its elegant and inventive use of Arabic calligraphy, particularly the angular “Kufic” script from which leaves and tendrils grow.
Written in an engaging and accessible style, the book concentrates on securely dated and localized examples of Fatimid art and architecture. Discussions focus on key examples illustrated with 165 illustrations, mostly in colour.
Want to learn more about our cultural heritage? Get this great read! Contact [email protected] for further details.
