Book of Gifts and Rarities

ISBN 10: 0932885136 / ISBN 13: 9780932885135

Published by Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, 1996

About this Item

The manuscript is an invaluable source of information in many fields. It abounds with technical references and details in various areas of Islamic art, which renders it unique as a reference. The extensive detailed treatment, in the context of the overall material culture, provides a particularly rich source of information for those working both in the specific field of Islamic art and in that of Islamic culture as a whole.

Seller Inventory # 412191

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Book of Gifts and Rarities
• Publisher: Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University
• Publication Date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0932885136
• ISBN 13: 9780932885135
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

This work is a translation and study of a ninth- through fifteenth-century manuscript, a selection from a medieval book, Kitāb al-Hadāyā wa al-Tuḥaf (Book of Gifts and Rarities), edited by Muhammad Hamidullah. The manuscript furnishes a wealth of varied information offering insights into the period immediately preceding Islam and extending through the first four centuries of Islamic rule. The book provides valuable information on “gifts” exchanged on various occasions between Islamic rulers and their foreign counterparts. “Rarities” form a part of the gifts; some of them are marvels, others are mythical.

The manuscript is an invaluable source of information in many fields. It abounds with technical references and details in various areas of Islamic art, which renders it unique as a reference. The extensive detailed treatment, in the context of the overall material culture, provides a particularly rich source of information for those working both in the specific field of Islamic art and in that of Islamic culture as a whole.

About the Authors

Ghada Hijjawi-Qaddumi (Ghāda al Ḥijjāwī al-Qaddūmī), an independent scholar based in Kuwait, is President of the World Crafts Council, Asia Pacific Region.

Oleg Grabar was Professor Emeritus of Islamic Art and Architecture at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey.