Overview

This book consists of fifty case studies and offers an innovative approach to the study of Medieval Islamic history, concentrating on the analysis of physical objects from the seventh to the eighteenth centuries and across most of the regions that make up the pre-Modern Islamic world. These include a wide range of objects from portable items like coins, vessels and books to major constructions, including mosques, tombs, castles, dams, and canal systems. The central argument is that the interdisciplinary study of physical objects provides invaluable perspectives that can deepen or challenge the evidence in the written record. Object-based study can also shed light on the lives of social groups who are seldom discussed in Islamic texts written before the modern period. To demonstrate these points, each case study focusses on a single object or small group of related objects. The case studies combine close analysis of the material and visual characteristics with a discussion of the wider context in which such objects were commissioned, made, used, adapted and exchanged. The book is intended as an introduction to the historical study of Islamic objects, employing perspectives from the fields of art history, archaeology, numismatics, ethnography, and epigraphy. Written with a minimum of technical language and supported by a critical introduction, an extensive glossary, a timeline and guide for further reading, the book is aimed at students and general readers who are interested in the political, economic, social, cultural, religious and intellectual histories of the Islamic world.

Full Product Details

Author:   Marcus Milwright
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.740kg
ISBN:  

9781032537016

ISBN 10:   1032537019
Pages:   354
Publication Date:   27 October 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Section 1: The Formative Phase, c. 650–800 Chapter 1: A Bifolium from a Hijazi Qurʾan Chapter 2: The Shahada Solidus Chapter 3: The ʿUmari Mosque in Busra Chapter 4: The Mosaic Floor of the Church of St Stephen, Umm al-Rasas Chapter 5: An Inscription from Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi Section 2: Expanded Horizons, c. 800–1000 Chapter 6: A Tin-Glazed Bowl painted with Cobalt Chapter 7: The Palace of Balkuwara, Samarra Chapter 8: A Folio from the Tashkent Qurʾan Chapter 9: The Maqsura of the Congregational Mosque of Qayrawan Chapter 10: The Leyre Casket Section 3: Political and Cultural Diversity, c. 1000–1400 Chapter 11: Reused Marble Capitals on the Minaret in Seville Chapter 12: The Façade of al-Aqmar Mosque, Cairo Chapter 13: An Inlaid Brass Jug from Mosul Chapter 14: Wall Painting in the Abu Saʿid Mausoleum, near Mihna Chapter 15: The Qutb al-Din Mosque, Delhi Section 4: Realignments, c. 1400–1800 Chapter 16: A Tombstone from Aceh, Sumatra Chapter 17: The Emin Minaret, Turfan Chapter 18: A Deccani Steel ʿAlam Chapter 19: An Ottoman Topographic View of İnebahtı (Nafpaktos), Greece Chapter 20: Clay Tobacco Pipes from a Workshop in Cairo Section 5: The Rural Environment Chapter 21: Caliph Muʿawiya’s Dam at Taʾif Chapter 22: The Aflaj of Wadi al-Jizzi, Oman Chapter 23: Kuh-Qalʿih of Tun Chapter 24: A Handmade Ceramic Jug from southern Jordan Chapter 25: A Sugar Refinery at Chichaoua, Morocco Section 6: Manufacturing and the Economy Chapter 26: An early Islamic Glass Weight Chapter 27: A Decorated Albarello Chapter 28: An illustrated Page from the Mantiq al-Wahsh Chapter 29: Indian Block-Printed Cotton Textiles Chapter 30: A Carpet from Late Mamluk Egypt Section 7: The Movement of Goods and People Chapter 31: Samanid Dirhams buried at Storr Rock, Orkney Chapter 32: The Caravanserai of Ribat-i Mahi Chapter 33: An Iranian Gold Seal Ring Chapter 34: A Slave Market from the Maqamat of al-Hariri Chapter 35: The Hajj Fort at Qatrana Section 8: Faith in Practice Chapter 36: A Mosque in Shanga Chapter 37: A Rock-Cut Panel from the Viar (Dash Kassan) Complex Chapter 38: The Tomb of Mubarak Khan in the Makli Necropolis, Thatta Chapter 39: A Stucco Mihrab at Zuzan Chapter 40: A Talismanic shirt Section 9: The Scholarly Elite Chapter 41: The Mausoleum of Imam Shafiʿi, Cairo Chapter 42: A Safavid Lacquer Pen Box Chapter 43: A Page from a Notebook written by al-Maqrizi Chapter 44: A Fourteenth-century Drawing of a Water Clock Chapter 45: A Battle Scene from Rashid al-Din’s Jamiʿ al-Tawarikh Section 10: Alternative Perspectives and Marginalised Voices Chapter 46: A Paper Amulet from Egypt Chapter 47: The Hospital of Arghun al-Kamili, Aleppo Chapter 48: A Mughal Portrait of Inayat Khan Chapter 49: A Painting of Shah ʿAbbas and his Page Chapter 50: A Shadow Puppet from Ottoman Damascus

Reviews

“Encounters: Medieval Islamic History in 50 Objects offers an insightful and richly illustrated introduction to the history and material cultures of the medieval Muslim world. In a very accessible manner, the book discusses a wide array of intriguing objects—from household utensils, through books, coins and other precious objects, to imperial and religious architecture. It makes that history almost tangible.” Dr Jelle Bruning, University Lecturer at the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies “This thoughtful, erudite collection of essays brings fresh perspectives to a diverse range of medieval Islamic objects and buildings. Rigorously researched and lucidly written, the book’s chapters contextualise Islamic material culture in accessible and engaging ways. Compelling reading for students and scholars eager to broaden and deepen their knowledge of this fascinating period of Islamic history.” Cailah Jackson, KRC Research Associate

Author Information

Marcus Milwright is a British Academy Global Professor in the Department of History of Art, University of York (UK) and Professor of Islamic art at the University of Victoria (Canada). His research interests include the arts and archaeology of the Islamic world, traditional crafts practices, cross-cultural interaction in the Medieval period, and the history of medicine. Publications include A Story of Islamic Art (2023), The Queen of Sheba’s Gift: A History of the True Balsam of Matarea (2022) and The Dome of the Rock and its Umayyad Mosaic Inscriptions (2016).

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