ARC477 Art and Architecture of the Umayyads

[2–0, 2 cr.]

This course offers an in-depth investigation of the material heritage of the Umayyad dynasty in Syria in the 17th and 18th centuries. Monuments and artefacts will be examined in terms of their purpose and meaning, and will be interpreted in the context of cultural history. Particular attention will be afforded to the issue of the formation of Islamic art and the discernment of what can be regarded as “Islamic” in the visual art forms of Islam. This will involve exploring cross-cultural dialogues in the Levant in the 1st Century of Islam, and the attempt to blend the elements from West and East in the framework of the new faith.

Prerequisite: ARC376 Introduction to Islamic Architecture.