The Story of Islamic Architecture
 Richard Yeomans
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 2001 New York University Press
  ISBN: 081479694X
Amazon's Value Price is: $65.00

With an introduction to The Mosque, The Ministry, the Sectarianism, The Five Pillars of Islam, Sacred Scripture, The Sharia & Sufism, this large book of maps & a multitude of bright photographs traces the spread & cultural influences of the Muslim Faith from its origins through Medieval times. Here we discover that mosques are far more than mere houses of worship occasionally visited.

Dr. Yeomans explains in his Preface: “This book is...the outcome of teaching, rather than of research, bringing together the notes & observations which have been the substance of my painting.”

The Story of Islamic Architecture considers the genesis of Islam's monuments of the Umayyad Caliphate, when the first Muslims of wealth were politicians & merchants, in that melting pot we now call the Middle East where three religions built upon each other over centuries of surges in populations, wars & economics.

Then further afield, in Tunisia we glimpse the exquisitely simple lines of the Aghlabid cisterns & the ribat at Susa & the riwaqs of the Great Mosque in Qairawan. The minaret, dome & archway are in their infancy, plain & simple yet with an appealing grace. The geometric ornamentation we've come to associate with Islamic art is also in its early lyrical form, offering an uncluttered meditation for the eyes & mind.

Interweaving history with detailed descriptions, Richard Yeomans studies the flowering of Islamic architecture in burgeoning Muslim regions from the Great Mosque of Damascus & the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem; to the minaret of the Great Mosque at Samarra in Iraq & those of the mosque of al-Azhar in Cairo. From the Great Mosque in Cordoba, Spain to the Kutubiya Mosque of Marrakesh. From Syria to Turkey, Persia to Central Asia, & ending at the farthes point east in Jaipur's Palace of the Winds, in India.

Remember that the Taj Mahal is a Muslim monument & in this book we see it from a distinctly different perspective than that of the world-weary tourist.

200 photographs, plans & elevations & a comprehensive glossary of architectural terms, make this an ideal introduction to an architectural form distinguished by its magnificent colors & unique decorative ingenuity.

“It is the aim of this book to...explain the architecture within a historical framework and, where appropriate, to relate it to the wider religious, social and cutlural context...it is a fascinating story, and compared to western architecture it is a remarkably coherent one, noted for its continuity, breadth and diversity.”

A reverential encyclopedia of a spiritual path that has broadened my appreciation for color & light, geometry & serenity.

I am unable to determine if this man's effort represents the Muslim way of looking at life, I can say, however, that I've learnt much about what stirs the Muslim sense of the sublime, the majestic & the beautiful.

A prime example of one man's pursuit of his bliss. A joy of a book!

Dr. Richard Yeomans is Coordinator for Art & Design at the Institute of Education, University of Warwick, United Kingdom. The architecture of the Middle East has been the subject of his paintings & drawings for over 25 years.
(07/08/01)

Rebecca