The Sacred Architecture of Islam is one of the most prolific traditions of building in the history of art. It is a tradition with four major strands - Arab, Iranian, Turkish and Indian. Historians of architecture have, for many decades been assiduously examining these strands, so that it is now possible to survey them all panoramically as a cultural phenomenon within the ambit of Muslim civilization. However the first three strands appear to be separated from the last by what may be called the Hindu Kush barrier. Panoramic surveys of Islamic architecture have frequently been undertaken, but by scholars who seems to be more comfortable with the Arab-Iranian-Turkish complex than with the Indian. The Indo-Muslim monuments appear to baffle them: it is as if the Hindu Kush barrier stood in their way. For these South Asian structures have a singular character conditioned by the impact of styles that had served the Buddhist stupa and the Hindu temple, styles unfamiliar to most students of Muhammadan architecture. Conversely, historians specializing in Indo-Islamic architecture, and occupied with classifying and interpreting its overwhelming array of edifices, have often lacked the opportunities ot acquaint themselves with the monuments west of the Hindu Kush.
The Sacred Architecture of Islam is the work of one who was professionally trained in the history of Indian art and architecture. He has also had the good fortune to travel over much of the Muhammadan world on both sides of the Hindu Kush, and thus has been able to appreciate the major monuments of that world at first hand, and to express that appreciation in the present work he has also been able to examine in situ the monuments of Europe and Latin America, and to study their impact on to the monuments of Eurafroasia and America have enabled him, he believes, to straddle the Hindu Kush barrier, and thus to see the sacred architecture of Islam steadily and in totality.
About the Author
Jose Pereira was born in Bombay in 1931. he received his doctorate in Ancient Indian History and Culture in 1959, and has since taught and done research in Portugal, England, India and the United States. He is Professor Emeritus of Theology at Fordham University in New York, where he taught history of Religions for over thirty years (1970-2000). He has authored 19 books and over 140 articles on theology and on architectural, cultural, philological and literary history.
Chapter 2. HISTORY
Chapter 3. IDIOMATICS
Chapter 4. AXIOMORPHICS
Chapter 5. AESTHETICS
Appendix 1. A COMPRENSIVE CLASSIFICATION OF MUSLIM SACRED STRUCTURES
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
INDEX
For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist