Review
"Although George’s book is not the first study of the building, nor likely to be the last, his book achieves a synthesis of earlier literature that is unprecedented in scope. Richly illustrated and handsomely produced, it is testament to the author’s creativity and resourcefulness, which have resulted in a landmark study." ― Burlington Magazine
“Illuminating.” ― Apollo
"Visually sumptuous, meticulously-researched . . . George’s argument is itself palimpsestic in its layered and complex weaving together of a range of sources of dazzling variety, from eighth-century poetic panegyrics written in praise of the mosque, documentary sources like the Sana‘a palimpsest of the Qur’an, early Islamic administrative papyri from Aphrodito in Egypt, to later medieval chronicles." ― Hyperallergic
"This book is not only a thorough historical investigation of a magnificent Islamic building but also a joyous, delightful journey through the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus." ― Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians
"The book is sumptuously illustrated, enjoyable to read, and not too expensive for the high-quality art history book it is. It enters among the must-haves for scholars and libraries devoted to late antiquity, early Islam, art history, and Islamic studies."
-- Mattia Guidetti, University of Bologna ― Journal of Islamic Studies
“This is an important study that brings many fresh insights to a building that has already generated much scholarship. George is sensitive to the need to resolve discontinuities between primary textual accounts and the physical record of the standing structures and excavated material. This book will be read by specialists, but will also gain a wider readership among researchers engaged with similar problems in other regions and historical periods.” -- Marcus Milwright, University of Victoria, Canada
“For the first time we have a book which does full justice to the Umayyad mosque in Damascus. George has used text, archaeology and perhaps most revealingly, old photographs to produce a rich scholarly, readable and exciting account of the mosque. This book marks a major advance in our understanding of the building.” -- Hugh Kennedy, London University
“George provides a vivid picture of the Umayyad mosque as it was designed and erected at the very beginning of the eighth century. This book is a scientific and aesthetic tour de force and will become an indispensable reference for historians and architecture lovers.” -- Mathieu Tillier, Université Paris-Sorbonne
"This book is not only a thorough historical investigation of a magnificent Islamic building but also a joyous, delightful journey through the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus. Such a journey is especially longed for by all those who have visited the mosque in the past and who wish to be able to experience it again, in a free and peaceful Syria."
― Susana Calvo Capilla, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians
About the Author
Alain George is the I.M. Pei Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at the University of Oxford. He is the author of The Rise of Islamic Calligraphy and coeditor of Power, Patronage, and Memory in Early Islam.
Melanie Gibson is senior editor of the Gingko Library Art Series.
