For more than a thousand years, the paths of the Silk Road joined the distant empires of East Asia and the Mediterranean, forming a complex web of trade, pilgrimage and intellectual exchange between China, Central Asia, Persia, Tibet, India, the Near East and Europe.Interest in the Silk Road was renewed in the nineteenth century. In 1907 Sir Aurel Stein made one of the most sensational archaeological finds of all time: at Dunhuang he discovered a cache of thousands of manuscripts dating from the fifth to the eleventh centuries in several different languages. Most such documents have ended up in institutions like the British Museum, the Bibliothèque Nationale and other national libraries in India, China and Japan.In keeping with the diversity of the Dunhuang discoveries, this book consists of examples of manuscripts in Chinese, Khotanese, Bactrian, Gandhari, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Syriac, Hebrew and Arabic. The material provides a sense of the fruitful exchanges as well as bitter struggles in these regions over the centuries.

Manuscripts of the Silk Road (Sam Fogg)

Arts & Photography

Kwiatkowski, Will

Fendall, Ramsey

History & Criticism

Paul Holberton Publishing

The great Persian poet Firdausi's epic Shahnama, or 'Books of Kings', written at the turn of the eleventh century CE, is a seamless tapestry of historical and legendary material prominently featuring battles and individual struggles with fierce demons and enemy champions. The first known illustrations of the poem date to the early fourteenth century CE. The splendidly illustrated and illuminated late sixteenth-century Eckstein Shahnama (so called from a distinguished previous owner, Bernard Eckstein) is one of an important group of so-called 'truncated' Shahnamas which end Firdausi's narrative with Alexander the Great. These manuscripts were long regarded as Persian, but new research suggests that, though the text is Persian and the style of the painting is apparently Persian, they were actually produced in imitation of Persian examples by Turkish workshops. This richly illustrated study confirms the Ottoman origin of this and other manuscripts in the group and demonstrates the Eckstein Shahnama in particular to be a representative example of Ottoman manuscript painting and to have had itself a significant influence on later production.

The Eckstein Shahnama: An Ottoman Book of Kings

Ink and Gold is a catalogue of over forty pieces of Islamic calligraphy and illumination, covering a period of some 1200 years and representing the calligraphic traditions of an area stretching from Morocco to Central Asia. Pride of place has been given to the Qur'an as the most widely copied text in the Islamic world and as the inspiration for many of the masterpieces of Islamic calligraphy. The catalogue also includes examples of royal decrees, calligraphic albums and Persian poetry, showing the huge diversity of calligraphic traditions in the Islamic world. Ink and Gold has been produced to accompany an exhibition at the Museum fur Islamische Kunst, Berlin.

Ink And Gold: Islamic Calligraphy (Sam Fogg)

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Paul Holberton Pub

A lushly illustrated survey of exquisitely crafted weapons and armor from the Islamic world, which display extraordinary artistry and opulence From its origins in the 7th century, armor and weaponry were central to Islamic culture not only as a means of conquest and the spread of faith, but also as symbols of status, wealth, and power. More than 120 exceptional examples from the renowned collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art are presented in detail to demonstrate the remarkable craftsmanship and beauty of Islamic arms and armor. These diverse objects, which have never been catalogued or published in detail, span ten centuries and represent nearly every Islamic culture, from Spain to the Caucasus. Among these masterpieces are rare early works, such as the oldest documented Islamic sword, and fine examples of decorated helmets and body armor from late-15th-century Iran and Anatolia. Also included are lavish gem-studded weapons from royal courts in the Ottoman world and India. Each piece is handsomely photographed, with a detailed discussion of its technical, historical, and artistic importance. Made by master artisans in conjunction with leading designers, goldsmiths, and jewelers, these stunning objects demonstrate how utilitarian military equipment could be transformed into striking and extravagant works of art.

Islamic Arms and Armor: in The Metropolitan Museum of Art

ALEXANDER, DAVID

Pyhrr, Stuart W.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

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