The Arab Contribution to Islamic Art: From the Seventh to the Fifteenth Centuries Ali, Wijdan

Islamic civilization represents one of the richest and most prolific phases in the cultural history of humanity. Yet it did not generate serious and widespread interest in the West until the beginning of the twentieth century, when art historians and archaeologists began to analyze and evaluate it from their own point of view and according to their own esthetics. This book attempts to appraise the early periods of Islamic art within its own cultural framework and according to Islamic esthetics. It places the development of Islamic art during the early periods within its historical context and social and political environment. It emphasizes the role the Arabs played in the way they molded their culture with that of the conquered peoples and brought about Islamic civilization.

Wijdan Ali is a painter and art historian. Her most recent publications are Modern Art in Jordan, What is Islamic Art?, and Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity.