Indian Islamic Architecture

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Indian Islamic Architecture Indian Islamic Architecture J. Burton-Page and G. Michell - 9789047423652 Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 02:20:20PM via free access Handbook of Oriental Studies Handbuch der Orientalistik Section Two India Edited by J. Bronkhorst VOLUME 20 J. Burton-Page and G. Michell - 9789047423652 Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 02:20:20PM via free access Indian Islamic Architecture Forms and Typologies, Sites and Monuments By John Burton-Page† Edited by George Michell LEIDEN • BOSTON 2008 J. Burton-Page and G. Michell - 9789047423652 Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 02:20:20PM via free access This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the prevailing CC-BY-NC License at the time of publication, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched (KU). KU is a collaborative initiative designed to make high quality content Open Access for the public good. More information about the initiative and links to the Open Access version can be found at www.knowledgeunlatched.org. On the cover: Multan, tomb of Rukn-i Ulam, mid 14th century (courtesy George Michell) This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A C.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISSN 0169-9377 ISBN 978 90 04 16339 3 Copyright 2008 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the pub- lisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands J. Burton-Page and G. Michell - 9789047423652 Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 02:20:20PM via free access CONTENTS Editorial Note and Acknowledgements ...................................... vii John Burton-Page: An Introduction, George Michell ............... ix John Burton-Page: Bibliography ................................................. xvii Introduction Sultanate Architecture ................................................................ 3 Mughal Architecture ................................................................... 27 Inscriptions .................................................................................. 35 PORTFOLIO OF PHOTOGRAPHS Forms and Typologies Mosques ...................................................................................... 43 Minbars ....................................................................................... 47 Minarets ...................................................................................... 49 Idgahs .......................................................................................... 54 Tombs .......................................................................................... 55 Water Monuments ...................................................................... 61 Step-Wells .................................................................................... 65 Canals ......................................................................................... 66 Towers ......................................................................................... 67 Chhatris ....................................................................................... 74 Sites and Monuments Ahmadabad ................................................................................. 79 Bharoch ....................................................................................... 98 Bidar ............................................................................................ 99 Bihar ............................................................................................ 104 Bijapur ......................................................................................... 106 J. Burton-Page and G. Michell - 9789047423652 Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 02:20:20PM via free access vi contents Champaner ................................................................................. 111 Chanderi ..................................................................................... 112 Daulatabad .................................................................................. 113 Delhi ............................................................................................ 116 Dhar ............................................................................................ 133 Etawa .......................................................................................... 134 Gawilgarh .................................................................................... 136 Gulbarga ..................................................................................... 138 Hampi ......................................................................................... 140 Hansi ........................................................................................... 142 Hyderabad .................................................................................. 145 Jalor ............................................................................................. 148 Jaunpur ........................................................................................ 149 Kalpi ........................................................................................... 153 Kalyani ........................................................................................ 154 Kanauj ........................................................................................ 154 Kandahar .................................................................................... 156 Mahur ......................................................................................... 157 Maner .......................................................................................... 158 Mathura ...................................................................................... 160 Meerut ......................................................................................... 161 Mudgal ........................................................................................ 163 Nagaur ........................................................................................ 165 Naldurg ....................................................................................... 166 Narnala ....................................................................................... 168 Narnaul ....................................................................................... 169 Thalner ....................................................................................... 170 Documentation Glossary of Indian Architectural Terms .................................... 179 Abbreviations of Journals and Monographic Series ................. 183 Bibliography ................................................................................ 185 Index of Sites .............................................................................. 193 J. Burton-Page and G. Michell - 9789047423652 Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 02:20:20PM via free access EDITORIAL NOTE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS With two exceptions, all the articles of John Burton-Page in this volume are reproduced from the 2nd Edition of Encyclopaedia of Islam (EI; volume and page numbers indicated for each entry). The spellings have been slightly amended to accord with common Indian usage, especially for place names. Hijra and Christian Era dates, and diacritical marks for names and terms, have been retained as in the original entries. Most of Burton-Page’s contributions to EI were supplied with biblio- graphies of varying lengths, but there was inevitably considerable overlap. A composite bibliography has been compiled for this volume, covering all regions and sites, to which the editor has added a few recent works of importance (indicated by an asterisk), published after Burton-Page authored his articles. A list of abbreviations is appended. Architectural terms used in the various entries are explained in a glossary. Only a few of Burton-Page’s the articles were illustrated in EI, but the editor decided to include here a selection of black and white photographs. Most of these come from the archives of the American Institute of Indian Studies in Delhi. Other photographs were supplied by a number of individuals who are credited in the photographic list. Unfortunately it was not possible to add maps and architectural plans, elevations and details for the various sites, but the availability of such data may be traced to the relevant bibliographic entries. The editor is grateful to Marg Publications in Mumbai for permission to reproduce Burton-Page’s article on Ahmadabad, and also for allowing reproduction of photographs of two monuments in Kashmir. Throughout his work on the volume the editor has been much encouraged by Piers Burton-Page, eldest son of John Burton-Page. At Brills, Patricia Radder has overseen
Recommended publications
  • The Sasanian Tradition in ʽabbāsid Art: Squinch Fragmentation As The
    The Sasanian Tradition in ʽAbbāsid Art: squinch fragmentation as The structural origin of the muqarnas La tradición sasánida en el arte ʿabbāssí: la fragmentación de la trompa de esquina como origen estructural de la decoración de muqarnas A tradição sassânida na arte abássida: a fragmentação do arco de canto como origem estrutural da decoração das Muqarnas Alicia CARRILLO1 Abstract: Islamic architecture presents a three-dimensional decoration system known as muqarnas. An original system created in the Near East between the second/eighth and the fourth/tenth centuries due to the fragmentation of the squinche, but it was in the fourth/eleventh century when it turned into a basic element, not only all along the Islamic territory but also in the Islamic vocabulary. However, the origin and shape of muqarnas has not been thoroughly considered by Historiography. This research tries to prove the importance of Sasanian Art in the aesthetics creation of muqarnas. Keywords: Islamic architecture – Tripartite squinches – Muqarnas –Sasanian – Middle Ages – ʽAbbāsid Caliphate. Resumen: La arquitectura islámica presenta un mecanismo de decoración tridimensional conocido como decoración de muqarnas. Un sistema novedoso creado en el Próximo Oriente entre los siglos II/VIII y IV/X a partir de la fragmentación de la trompa de esquina, y que en el siglo XI se extendió por toda la geografía del Islam para formar parte del vocabulario del arte islámico. A pesar de su importancia y amplio desarrollo, la historiografía no se ha detenido especialmente en el origen formal de la decoración de muqarnas y por ello, este estudio pone de manifiesto la influencia del arte sasánida en su concepción estética durante el Califato ʿabbāssí.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigating the Patterns of Islamic Architecture in Architecture Design of Third Millennium Mosques
    European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences 2014; www.european-science.com Vol.3, No.4 Special Issue on Architecture, Urbanism, and Civil Engineering ISSN 1805-3602 Investigating the Patterns of Islamic Architecture in Architecture Design of Third Millennium Mosques Parvin Farazmand1*, Hassan Satari Sarbangholi2 1Young Researchers and Elite Club, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran; 2Architecture Group of Azad-e-Eslami University, Tabriz Branch *Email: [email protected] Abstract Islamic architecture, which is based on the Islamic school, has been shaped by the total awareness of architects’ of techniques of architecture and adherence to the principles of geometry and inspired by religious beliefs. Principles of geometry and religious beliefs caused certain patterns to take shape in Islamic architecture that were used in designing buildings including mosques. With the advancements in technology, architecture entered a new stage considering the form of construction and the buildings. Islamic architecture and mosque, which is the primary symbol of Islamic architecture, are not different and consequently went through changes in forms and patterns. In this paper, the purpose is to express the place of patterns of Islamic Architecture in the mosques of the third millennium. The method used is descriptive-analytic and the mosques of the third millennium are the statistical population and ten of them are the statistical sample. The tools used are the library studies and the data has been analyzed using chars obtained from Excel. The result indicated that in the architecture of the mosques of the third millennium, the patterns of Islamic architecture have been fixed and proposed, and yet do create different designs that would be novel.
    [Show full text]
  • Cfreptiles & Amphibians
    WWW.IRCF.ORG TABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES &IRCF AMPHIBIANS REPTILES • VOL &15, AMPHIBIANS NO 4 • DEC 2008 • 189 27(2):288–292 • AUG 2020 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE ARTICLES . Chasing BullsnakesAmphibians (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: of the Melghat, On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 . The Shared History of TreeboasMaharashtra, (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: India A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198 RESEARCH ARTICLES Hayat A. Qureshi and Gajanan A. Wagh . Biodiversity Research Laboratory,The Texas Horned Department Lizard in of Central Zoology, and ShriWestern Shivaji Texas Science ....................... College, Emily Amravati, Henry, Jason Maharashtra–444603, Brewer, Krista Mougey, India and Gad (gaj [email protected]) 204 . The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida .............................................Brian J. Camposano,Photographs Kenneth L. Krysko, by the Kevin authors. M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212 CONSERVATION ALERT . World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 . More Than Mammals .....................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Colonial Indian Architecture:A Historical Overview
    Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Colonial Indian Architecture:A Historical Overview Debobrat Doley Research Scholar, Dept of History Dibrugarh University Abstract: The British era is a part of the subcontinent’s long history and their influence is and will be seen on many societal, cultural and structural aspects. India as a nation has always been warmly and enthusiastically acceptable of other cultures and ideas and this is also another reason why many changes and features during the colonial rule have not been discarded or shunned away on the pretense of false pride or nationalism. As with the Mughals, under European colonial rule, architecture became an emblem of power, designed to endorse the occupying power. Numerous European countries invaded India and created architectural styles reflective of their ancestral and adopted homes. The European colonizers created architecture that symbolized their mission of conquest, dedicated to the state or religion. The British, French, Dutch and the Portuguese were the main European powers that colonized parts of India.So the paper therefore aims to highlight the growth and development Colonial Indian Architecture with historical perspective. Keywords: Architecture, British, Colony, European, Modernism, India etc. INTRODUCTION: India has a long history of being ruled by different empires, however, the British rule stands out for more than one reason. The British governed over the subcontinent for more than three hundred years. Their rule eventually ended with the Indian Independence in 1947, but the impact that the British Raj left over the country is in many ways still hard to shake off.
    [Show full text]
  • Total Number of Cases Published in Journal-
    TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES PUBLISHED IN JOURNAL-453. THE TRADE MARKS JOURNAL. (No. 578, March 1, 1999) Application Advertised Before Registration. (Accepted on or before 28th February, unless otherwise stated) CLASS-1. BLOCK Advertised Before Acceptance Under Section 15(1) (Proviso). Registration of this Trade Mark shall give no right to the exclusive use of Numeral “21” and other descriptive matter appearing on the label. 105066. Brake fluid, Ghulam Abbas Hashmi and Zahid Abbas Hashmi, Pakistani Nationals, Partners, Nawab Sons Corporation, Multan Road, Lahore, Manufacturers, dated 12th December, 1989, Agent, Shahs Registration Law Chamber, GPO Box No.1119, Room No.11-G, Saleemi Chamber, Edward Road Lahore-54000. BLOCK Advertised before acceptance, Section 15(1) (Proviso). Registration of this Trade Mark shall give no right to the exclusive use of Word “LITH DEVELOPER” and Letters “CI”. 116813. Lith developers (photographic developers); chemical products used in industry, science and photography, Mohammad Akram, Mohammad Aslam, Mohammad Ammar Hussain and Nazir Hussain, Pakistani Nationals, Partners, CHEMPHIL INTERNATIONAL, 9/C, F-1, Al- Faisal Plaza, Main Commercial Zone, Allama Iqbal Town, P.O. Box 9157, Lahore, Manufacturers and Merchants, dated 25th August, 1992, Agent, Shahs Registration Law Chamber, GPO Box No.1119, Room No.11-G, Saleemi Chamber, Edward Road Lahore-54000. PARAFLOW Advertised before acceptance, Section 15(1) (Proviso). 132095. Chemicals used in industry, science and photography, as well as in agriculture, horticulture and
    [Show full text]
  • Tribes and Empire on the Margins of Nineteenth-Century Iran
    publications on the near east publications on the near east Poetry’s Voice, Society’s Song: Ottoman Lyric The Transformation of Islamic Art during Poetry by Walter G. Andrews the Sunni Revival by Yasser Tabbaa The Remaking of Istanbul: Portrait of an Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of Ottoman City in the Nineteenth Century a Medieval Persian City by John Limbert by Zeynep Çelik The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi‘i Symbols The Tragedy of Sohráb and Rostám from and Rituals in Modern Iran the Persian National Epic, the Shahname by Kamran Scot Aghaie of Abol-Qasem Ferdowsi, translated by Ottoman Lyric Poetry: An Anthology, Jerome W. Clinton Expanded Edition, edited and translated The Jews in Modern Egypt, 1914–1952 by Walter G. Andrews, Najaat Black, and by Gudrun Krämer Mehmet Kalpaklı Izmir and the Levantine World, 1550–1650 Party Building in the Modern Middle East: by Daniel Goffman The Origins of Competitive and Coercive Rule by Michele Penner Angrist Medieval Agriculture and Islamic Science: The Almanac of a Yemeni Sultan Everyday Life and Consumer Culture by Daniel Martin Varisco in Eighteenth-Century Damascus by James Grehan Rethinking Modernity and National Identity in Turkey, edited by Sibel Bozdog˘an and The City’s Pleasures: Istanbul in the Eigh- Res¸at Kasaba teenth Century by Shirine Hamadeh Slavery and Abolition in the Ottoman Middle Reading Orientalism: Said and the Unsaid East by Ehud R. Toledano by Daniel Martin Varisco Britons in the Ottoman Empire, 1642–1660 The Merchant Houses of Mocha: Trade by Daniel Goffman and Architecture in an Indian Ocean Port by Nancy Um Popular Preaching and Religious Authority in the Medieval Islamic Near East Tribes and Empire on the Margins of Nine- by Jonathan P.
    [Show full text]
  • Celebrating Thirty Years of Muqarnas
    Muqarnas An Annual on the Visual Cultures of the Islamic World Celebrating Thirty Years of Muqarnas Editor Gülru Necipoğlu Managing Editor Karen A. Leal volume 30 Sponsored by The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts LEIDEN • BOSTON 2013 © 2013 Koninklijke Brill NV ISBN 978 90 04 25576 0 CONTENTS Gülru Necİpoğlu, Reflections on Thirty Years of Muqarnas . 1 Benedict Cuddon, A Field Pioneered by Amateurs: The Collecting and Display of Islamic Art in Early Twentieth-Century Boston . 13 Silvia Armando, Ugo Monneret de Villard (1881–1954) and the Establishment of Islamic Art Studies in Italy . 35 Ayşİn Yoltar-Yildirim, Raqqa: The Forgotten Excavation of an Islamic Site in Syria by the Ottoman Imperial Museum in t he Early Twentieth Century . 73 D. Fairchild Ruggles, At the Margins of Architectural and Landscape History: The Rajputs of South Asia . 95 Jennifer Pruitt, Method in Madness: Recontextualizing the Destruction of Churches in the Fatimid Era . 119 Peter Christensen, “As if she were Jerusalem”: Placemaking in Sephardic Salonica . 141 David J. Roxburgh, In Pursuit of Shadows: Al-Hariri’s Maqāmāt . 171 Abolala Soudavar, The Patronage of the Vizier Mirza Salman . 213 Lâle Uluç, An Iskandarnāma of Nizami Produced for Ibrahim Sultan . 235 NOTES AND SOURCES Serpİl Bağci, Presenting Vaṣṣāl Kalender’s Works: The Prefaces of Three Ottoman Albums . 255 Gülru Necİpoğlu, “Virtual Archaeology” in Light of a New Document on the Topkapı Palace’s Waterworks and Earliest Buildings, circa 1509 . 315 Ebba Koch, The Wooden Audience Halls of Shah Jahan: Sources and Reconstruction .
    [Show full text]
  • The Fractal Shapes in Islamic Design & Its Effects on the Occupiers of The
    مجلة العمارة والفنون والعلوم اﻻنسانية – عدد خاص اكتوبر 2020 The Fractal shapes in Islamic design & its effects on the occupiers of the interior environment (case study: El Sultan Hassan mosque in Cairo) Assist. Prof. Dr. Doaa Ismail Ismail Attia Assistant Professor of Interior Design and Furniture, Faculty of Applied Art, Benha University, Benha, Egypt. [email protected] Abstract: The Islamic civilization are distinct for using the art of geometry in their creative designs. In the early Islamic period, designs used simple forms like square shape, gradually more geometrical transformations are applied such as; shapes subtraction, addition, subdivisions, branching and rotation. The aim of this study is to show that the fractal geometrical shape, with the feature “self-similarity, infinite number of iterations for shapes with reducing scale, in finite region ”is one of the most influential elements in the Islamic design and consequently has its beneficial effects on the occupiers of Islamic interior environment. This study analyzed the existence of fractal shapes in the Islamic design with finite number of iterations since the old centuries through analyzing El Sultan Hassan mosque in Cairo, Egypt (1356-1362) as a case study. The fractal shapes are used in the Islamic design of the walls, ceiling, doors, domes and floors. The study also suggested a new contemporary Islamic golden and non-golden fractal shapes with large number of iterations to be generated by using the computer technology that can be used in the interior design. The Islamic fractal design acts as a strong stimulus to the brain generating strong emotions in very short time.
    [Show full text]
  • Welcome to Ahmadiyyat, the True Islam− Ð Õ Êáîyj»A Æ Ê Ì Êåày Æ J»Aì Êé¼»A Ániê Æ Ê
    Welcome to Ahmadiyyat, The True Islam− Ð Õ êÁÎYj»A æ ê ì êÅÀY æ j»Aì êɼ»A ÁnIê æ ê In the name of Allah,− the Gracious, the Merciful WELCOME TO AHMADIYYAT, THE TRUE ISLAM TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword: Sahibzada± − ± − M. M. Ahmad,± Amir− Jama‘at,− USA 11 Introduction ............................................................................. 13 System of Transliteration ............................................................ 15 Publisher's Note ......................................................................... 17 1 The Purpose of Man's Life ..................................... 19 Means of Attaining Purpose of Life ........................... 24 Significance of Religion ............................................ 28 The Continuity of Religion ........................................ 29 The Apex of Religious Development ......................... 31 Unity of Religions ..................................................... 31 2 Islam− and a Muslim ................................................. 32 Unification of Humanity Through Islam− ................... 44 Ahmadi± − Muslims ....................................................... 50 1 Welcome to Ahmadiyyat, The True Islam− 3 The Islamic− Beliefs (The Articles of Faith) ......... 52 Unity of Allah− ............................................................ 54 The Islamic− Concept of God Almighty ...................... 55 God's Attributes (Divine Names) ........................ 61 Angels ........................................................................ 64 The Islamic−
    [Show full text]
  • Creating an Islamic Sense of Place: Building Conversion and the American Mosque
    Creating an islamic sense of place: Building conversion and the american mosque Garrett N. Fugate University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas ABSTRACT: As an anomaly within the religious and ethnic landscapes of the United States, the American mosque serves as an intriguing focus from which to understand the construction of sacred spaces and religious identities. In this study, buildings converted into mosques were hypothesized to have a “vernacular intuitiveness” of the essential place attributes of the faith of Islam. These converted places of worship are common in Muslim communities in the United States, yet understudied. This study investigated eight of these mosques in Kansas and Missouri, relying on primary data gathered through site observations and interviews. Comparing and contrasting data from each mosque lead to an understanding towards intuitive and necessary elements to the creation of an Islamic sense of place. This was in large part defined by the accommodation of Islamic ritual and the fundamentals of faith. Differences between the mosques revealed diverse communities arriving at varying answers to these fundamentals as well as to conceptions of gender and the role of ethnic identity. Designing mosques in the American context must include an understanding of Muslim-Americans’ collective soul-searching and the intuitive ways identities are asserted through architecture. KEYWORDS: sacred space; building conversion; Muslim-American identity; Islam in America INTRODUCTION This study sought to uncover the ways Muslims adapt existing buildings into religious spaces in the American context. The focus of this study was important for several reasons. Firstly, converted spaces are pervasive within Muslim-American communities. A study on American mosques found that only 26% of mosques were originally built as mosques (Bagby, et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Secondary Indian Culture and Heritage
    Culture: An Introduction MODULE - I Understanding Culture Notes 1 CULTURE: AN INTRODUCTION he English word ‘Culture’ is derived from the Latin term ‘cult or cultus’ meaning tilling, or cultivating or refining and worship. In sum it means cultivating and refining Ta thing to such an extent that its end product evokes our admiration and respect. This is practically the same as ‘Sanskriti’ of the Sanskrit language. The term ‘Sanskriti’ has been derived from the root ‘Kri (to do) of Sanskrit language. Three words came from this root ‘Kri; prakriti’ (basic matter or condition), ‘Sanskriti’ (refined matter or condition) and ‘vikriti’ (modified or decayed matter or condition) when ‘prakriti’ or a raw material is refined it becomes ‘Sanskriti’ and when broken or damaged it becomes ‘vikriti’. OBJECTIVES After studying this lesson you will be able to: understand the concept and meaning of culture; establish the relationship between culture and civilization; Establish the link between culture and heritage; discuss the role and impact of culture in human life. 1.1 CONCEPT OF CULTURE Culture is a way of life. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the language you speak in and the God you worship all are aspects of culture. In very simple terms, we can say that culture is the embodiment of the way in which we think and do things. It is also the things Indian Culture and Heritage Secondary Course 1 MODULE - I Culture: An Introduction Understanding Culture that we have inherited as members of society. All the achievements of human beings as members of social groups can be called culture.
    [Show full text]
  • Copyright by Mohammad Raisur Rahman 2008
    Copyright by Mohammad Raisur Rahman 2008 The Dissertation Committee for Mohammad Raisur Rahman certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Islam, Modernity, and Educated Muslims: A History of Qasbahs in Colonial India Committee: _____________________________________ Gail Minault, Supervisor _____________________________________ Cynthia M. Talbot _____________________________________ Denise A. Spellberg _____________________________________ Michael H. Fisher _____________________________________ Syed Akbar Hyder Islam, Modernity, and Educated Muslims: A History of Qasbahs in Colonial India by Mohammad Raisur Rahman, B.A. Honors; M.A.; M.Phil. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin August 2008 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to the fond memories of my parents, Najma Bano and Azizur Rahman, and to Kulsum Acknowledgements Many people have assisted me in the completion of this project. This work could not have taken its current shape in the absence of their contributions. I thank them all. First and foremost, I owe my greatest debt of gratitude to my advisor Gail Minault for her guidance and assistance. I am grateful for her useful comments, sharp criticisms, and invaluable suggestions on the earlier drafts, and for her constant encouragement, support, and generous time throughout my doctoral work. I must add that it was her path breaking scholarship in South Asian Islam that inspired me to come to Austin, Texas all the way from New Delhi, India. While it brought me an opportunity to work under her supervision, I benefited myself further at the prospect of working with some of the finest scholars and excellent human beings I have ever known.
    [Show full text]