Description:
The first illustrated, architectural history of the 'Alid shrines, increasingly endangered by the conflict in Syria
The 'Alids (descendants of the Prophet Muhammad) are among the most revered figures in Islam, beloved by virtually all Muslims, regardless of sectarian affiliation. 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.
Brief description: Stephennie Mulder is Assistant Professor in Islamic Art and Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin.
Review Quotes: '[Stephennie Mulder] should be thanked for sharing the fruits of such a challenging project, one that only those scholars with the necessary versatility, perseverance and passion can carry through to the end. The Shrines of the ʿAlids in Medieval Syria forces us to recognize the historical value of the ʿAlid shrines in Syria at this moment in time when such recognition is needed more urgently than ever before.'--Kazuo Morimoto, The University of Tokyo "Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies"