"From Isfahan to the Taj Mahal"--Jkt.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [316]) and index.

Introduction - The Magical Mystery of the Orient 1. The Renaissance 2. The Expansion in India and the Menace of the Mongols 3. The Wonders of the Timurid Art 4. The Elaboration of the Mughal Style from Babur to Akbar 5. Art and Architecture in Bukhara and at the Safavidic Courts 6. The Wonders of Isfahan 7. The Mughal Apogee 8. The Late Dynasties 9. Conclusions 10. The Most Emblematic Monuments: The Friday Mosque in Isfahan - The Quwat in Delhi - The Registan in Samarkand - The Humayun's Mausoleum in Delhi - The City of Fatehpur Sikri - Akbar's Mauseleum in Sikandra - The Imam Mosque in Isafahan - The Taj Mahal in Agra - The Madrasa of Isfahan

From the frontiers of Iran to the heart of India, architects, landscape gardeners, calligraphers, miniaturists and weavers have made their mark on the Islamic tradition. Turquoise marble cupolas; arches adorned with flowers and arabesques; motionless basins reflecting the slender minarets in the form of glittering stalactites; scintillating enamels of floral bouquets - all of these components are an integral part of the luxury, refinement and spirituality that can be defined as 'Persian style'. Islamic Art and Architecture explores and celebrates the cities of Islam, from Tabriz and Yazd to Kerman to Khiva, from Lahore to Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra. Henri Stierlin offers a key to an intimate understanding of this immense heritage in a thorough text closely allied to crisp, full-colour illustrations.