Art & the Abbasids 750- 950 A.D.
The Abbasid dynasty takes its name from the nephew of the prophet Mohammed’s uncle- al- Abbas. Due to internal riots, especially in Iraq, and the inability of the Umayyad to maintain control amidst growing dissent, power passed to the Abbasid dynasty which would last until 1258 when the Mongols conquered Baghdad which during the Abbasid reign became the new capital of the region. With the Abbasids, the centre of power was transferred to Iraq resulting in the Muslims being brought closer to ancient Iranian traditions.[1] Because of its location near the Tigris and Euphrates, Baghdad was a more important trade centre opening up commerce to China and Africa than Damascus.[2] Eight-century Baghdad would become famous throughout the world as the home of the Arabian Nights. Perhaps the most important cultural centre of the Abbasid period is Samarra, sixty miles up the Tigris from Baghdad (above). Excavations carried out at Samarra between 1911 and 1914 by Ernst Herzfeld showed that its art went back to 6000 B.C. Apart from the ruins of the Great Mosque and a striking minaret, not much has survived at Samarra save restored wall paintings which suggest a courtly culture. Unfortunately, it is difficult to follow art in Samarra since most of its painting is lost, though what Hillenbrand calls a “new aesthetic” can be seen in the wall decoration that would have been fashionable in houses and palaces there. These are usually divided into three styles, of which two are shown today.
[1] Ettingham and Grabar, Art and Architecture of Islam, 75.
[2] Hillenbrand, Islamic Art and Architecture, 38.
Comments