CONTENT
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
CHAPTER ONE
Historical Introduction Heinz Gaube
Before Islam. – The early Islamic period. – The middle Islamic Period.
– Yaariba and Al Bu Said rule.
CHAPTER TWO
Islamic Art Lorenz Korn
Introduction. – Islamic art in different regions. – Islamic Art through the ages. – Early Islam and Umayyads (1st-2nd/7-8th century). The Abbasid imperial period (2nd-4th/7-l0th century). Regional centres of artistic production (5-9th/11-15th century).-Art under the Timurids and the early modern empires (9-12th/15-18th century).-Analyzing and understanding Islamic art.
CHAPTER THREE
Settlements Heinz Gaube
Introduction. – Settlements on the coast. – Settlement clusters without wall. – Settlement clusters with a wall / settlements with a wall. –Mountain settlements.
CHAPTER FOUR
Religious Architecture Lorenz Korn
Introduction. – Mosques. – Traditional mosques. – Contemporary mosque architecture. Memorial buildings.
CHAPTER FIVE
Omani Quranic Manuscripts Abdulrahman al-Salimi and Faysal al-Hafiyan
Introduction. – Early manuscripts. – Inks. – Types of script. –Decoration. – Binding.
CHAPTER SIX
Fortifications and Palaces Lorenz Korn
Introduction. – Single tower fortifications. – Walled enclosures of the plains. – The large forts. – The palace of Jabrin.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Residential Buildings Heinz Gaube
General observations. – Regional examples: The northern coastal region. – Mountain settlements. – Settlements in the Dakhiliya. –Settlements in the Sharqiya. – Settlements in Dhofar.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Carved-Stucco Mihrabs of Oman. Form, Style and Influence Ruba Kanaan Historical references and contemporary survey.
– Stylistic analysis of the sixteenth-century carved stucco mihrabs in Oman. – A Sixteenthcentury synthesis: The mihrabs of al-Humaimi and the Mashmal group. -Stylistic influences: Some preliminary observations. –Conclusion: A distinctive Omani style.
CHAPTER NINE
Islamic Pottery in Oman Seth M. N. Priestman
Introduction. – Archaeological research in Oman. – The first centuries of Islam. – The Samarra horizon. Post-Abbasid innovations. – Late Islamic transformation. -Conclusion.
CHAPTER TEN
Woodwork Heinz Gaube
Introduction. – Types of wooden objects. – Types of decoration.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Metalwork Heinz Gaube
Introduction. – Techniques of production. – Types of objects. – Types of decoration.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Art of Arms in Oman Birgit Mershen
Traditional weaponry – past and present. – Weaponry in Oman’s archaeological and rock art record. – Types of arms no longer used in Oman. – Icons of Omani armory. – Omani saif