H-Islamart Read a Free Sample of 'The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria' by Stephennie Mulder

Discussion published by Emma Rees on Friday, March 28, 2014

Read a free sample from chapter 2

Introducing the first illustrated, architectural history of the ‘Alid shrines, increasingly endangered by the conflict in Syria

The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria by Stephennie Mulder

Part of the Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Art, edited by Robert Hillenbrand

The ‘Alids (descendants of the Prophet ) are among the most revered figures in , beloved by virtually all , regardless of sectarian affiliation. Beautifully illustrated with 120 colour images, this study argues that despite the common identification of shrines as ‘Shi’i’ spaces, they have in fact always been unique places of pragmatic intersectarian exchange and shared piety, even - and perhaps especially - during periods of sectarian conflict.

Using a rich variety of previously unexplored sources, including textual, archaeological, architectural, and epigraphic evidence, Stephennie Mulder shows how these shrines created a unifying Muslim ‘holy land’ in medieval Syria, and proposes a fresh conceptual approach to thinking about landscape in Islamic art. In doing so, she argues against a common paradigm of medieval sectarian conflict, complicates the notion of Sunni Revival, and provides new evidence for the negotiated complexity of sectarian interactions in the period.

Key Features

Beautifully illustrated with over 120 colour images The first study of Syrian ‘Alid shrines as critical sites of Islamic pious practice in some of Islam’s most important cities Uses architecture to present a more nuanced understanding of the history of sectarianism Utilises an unusually wide range of source materials including medieval textual sources, spatial and architectural analysis, archaeological investigation, epigraphy, and GPS survey

Stephennie Mulder is Assistant Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin.

Find out more by reading your free sample from chapter 2

Available now I 9780253008855 I Hardback I Edinburgh University Press

Citation: Emma Rees. Read a Free Sample of 'The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria' by Stephennie Mulder. H-Islamart. 03-30-2014. https://networks.h-net.org/node/7636/discussions/18720/read-free-sample-shrines-alids-medieval-syria-stephennie-mulder Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1