An in-depth study of the history, ideology, culture and traditions of Islam, discussing the core beliefs, practices and sacred texts central to the religion, and an exploration of Islamic artistic and architectural achievements, shown in 1000 photographs and paintings. ,

A stunning visual study of one of the world's great and diverse religions.

In the contemporary world the Islamic community is represented by around 1.4 billion people or twenty-five percent of the global population, from a wide range of ethnic, national linguistic, theological, political and socioeconomic backgrounds. This book comprehensively explores the life and work of Muhammad, the history of Islam, Islamic beliefs and doctrine, and religious practices and worship. Beautifully illustrated with more than 500 fine-art paintings, artworks, maps and photographs, and including a helpful timeline, it offers a comprehensive introduction to and overview of a complex and often misunderstood religion.

The official guide to the Museum --

This richly illustrated book allows readers to identify the elements and themes of Islamic art forms, and to examine them in works of painting and metalwork, in calligraphy and manuscripts, ceramics, glass, wood, and ivory.

Family guide, Dazzling details in folded front cover.

A guide to the architecture, calligraphy, ceramics, and other arts of Islam covers a thousand years of history and an area stretching from the Atlantic to the borders of India and China

The artistic achievements of the Islamic world chronicled over fourteen centuries.

This richly illustrated book provides an unsurpassed overview of Islamic art and architecture from the seventh to the thirteenth centuries, a time of the formation of a new artistic culture and its first, medieval, flowering in the vast area from the Atlantic to India. Inspired by Ettinghausen and Grabar’s original text, this book has been completely rewritten and updated to take into account recent information and methodological advances. The volume focuses special attention on the development of numerous regional centers of art in Spain, North Africa, Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as the western and northeastern provinces of Iran. It traces the cultural and artistic evolution of such centers in the seminal early Islamic period and examines the wealth of different ways of creating a beautiful environment. The book approaches the arts with new classifications of architecture and architectural decoration, the art of the object, and the art of the book. With many new illustrations, often in color, this volume broadens the picture of Islamic artistic production and discusses objects in a wide range of media, including textiles, ceramics, metal, and wood. The book incorporates extensive accounts of the cultural contexts of the arts and defines the originality of each period. A final chapter explores the impact of Islamic art on the creativity of non-Muslims within the Islamic realm and in areas surrounding the Muslim world.