Arts of the City Victorious

"Arts of the City Victorious" is the first book-length study of the art and architecture of the Fatimids, the Ismaili Shi'i dynasty that ruled in North Africa and Egypt from 909 to 1171. The Fatimids are most famous for founding the city of al-Qahira (whence the name Cairo) in 969, and their art – particularly textiles and lustre ceramics, but also metalwork and carved rock-crystal, ivory and woodwork – has been admired for nearly a millennium. Initially brought home to Europe by merchants and Crusaders and then preserved as relics and reliquaries in church treasuries, Fatimid art is still prized today by collectors and curators for its strongly figural imagery, and its elegant and inventive use of Arabic calligraphy, particularly the angular "Kufic" script. Surviving examples of Fatimid art and architecture are supplemented by an unusual wealth of medieval sources that provide written evidence for the rich visual culture shared among the Muslim, Christian and Jewish inhabitants of the Fatimid realm.

In this engaging and accessible study, Jonathan Bloom concentrates on securely dated and localized examples of Fatimid art and architecture. His discussions focus on significant examples and are illustrated with over 100 photographs, many in colour, while extensive notes and bibliography provide guidance for further reading and research. As a comprehensive treatment of all the arts of a single, major dynasty, this book offers something of interest to all scholars and admirers of Islamic art and architecture.