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The Ocean of the Soul: Men, the World and God in the Stories of Farid Al-Din Attar (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik)
Hellmut Ritter
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 9004120688 |
Book Description
The Ocean of the Soul is one of the great works of the German Orientalist Hellmut Ritter (1892-1971). It presents a comprehensive analysis of the writings of the mystical Persian poet Farīd al-Dīn `Aṭṭār who is thought to have died at an advanced age in April 1221 when the Mongols destroyed his home city of Nīshāpūr in the north-east of Iran. The book, which resulted from decades of investigation of literary and historical sources, was first published in 1955 and has since remained unsurpassed not only as the definitive study of `Aṭṭār's world of ideas but as an indispensable guide to understanding pre-modern Islamic literature in general.
Quoting at length from `Aṭṭār and other Islamic sources, Ritter sketches an extraordinarily vivid portrait of the Islamic attitude toward life, characteristic developments in pious and ascetic circles, and, in conclusion, various dominant mystical currents of thought and feeling.
Special attention is given to a wide range of views on love, love in all its manifestations, including homosexuality and the commonplace sūfī adoration of good-looking youths. Ritter's approach is throughout based onprecise philological interpretation of primary sources, several of which he has himself made available in critical editions.
Book Description
This magnificent book is the first survey of the figural arts of the Iranian world from prehistoric times to the early twentieth century ever to consider themes, rather than styles. Analyzing primarily painting -- in manuscripts and albums, on walls and on lacquered, painted pen boxes and caskets -- but also the related arts of sculpture, ceramics, and metalwork, the author finds that the underlying themes depicted on them through the ages are remarkably consistent.
Eleanor Sims demonstrates that all these arts display similar concerns: kingship and legitimacy; the righteous exercise of princely power and the defense of national territory; and the performance of rituals and the religious duties called for by the paramount cult of the day. She describes a variety of superb works of art inside and outside these categories, noting not only how they illustrate archetypal themes but also what it is about them that is unique. She also discusses the ways that Iranian art both influenced and was influenced by invaders and neighboring lands.
Boris I. Marshak discusses pre-Islamic and also Central Asian art, in particular the earliest Iranian wall paintings and their pictorial parallels in rock carvings and metalwork, and the richly painted temples and houses of Panjikent. Ernst J. Grube considers religious imagery, and provides an informative bibliography.
Customer Reviews:
wonder.......2007-07-18
this is the most wonderful story of the Persian painting, including references, both pictorial and textual, to pre-Islamic greater Persia.
The images are of great quality, listed in contextual order, from everyday life to mythology and literature.
Printing quality is great and colors are nicely reproduced.
In sum a must for anyone seeking a concise yet scholarly account of the history of Persian miniature. Chapeau bas to Mr Marshak, the author, and company.
Book Description
Despite its extraordinary richness, Islamic architecture has rarely been studied for its conceptual and symbolic significance. In the Sense of Unity, a handsomely illustrated volume and the first extended work of its kind, Nader Ardalan and Laleh Bakhtiar examine the architecture of Persia as a manifestation of Islamic tradition and demonstrate the synthesis of traditional Persian thought and form. The most fundamental principle of Sufism, the inner, esoteric dimension of Islam, is that of unity in multiplicity. This view sees in every aspect of reality a reflection of a transcendent source which is given symbolic expression through all of man's activities, most directly and importantly through his works of art. The authors of The Sense of Unity show how all the elements of the Islamic architecture of Persiafrom the simplest architectural unit to a complex urban environmentare woven around this central doctrine and thus are best understood as multiple manifestations of unity. The Sense of Unity is illustrated with photographs, drawing, charts, and tables which are an integral part of its argument and which exemplify, in abundant and striking detail, the principles discussed in the text. Presenting to the Western reader for the first time the insights of the Iranian cultural tradition, the book also offers a stimulating new way of thinking about man and his relationship to his milieu.
Book Description
Outstanding collection of 400 motifs of rich Persian tradition, ready to use in many areas of design. The motifs include floral designs, geometrics, arabesques, mythical creatures, rosettes, paisley patterns, palmettes, medallions, border and marginal decorations, scrolls, curves, and hunting scenes.
Customer Reviews:
Good inspiration for the working artist.......2007-04-01
This is a good source for artistic inspiration - I am a henna artist and most of the designs are easily adaptable into body art (for those of intermediate to advanced drawing skills). The only critiques I have are the lack of specific dates/origins of the designs and the lack of translations of arabic script. Given its nature as a general overview with hand-rendered drawings, it is a good resource to build your own artwork from, not to use as a historical reference book.
fascinating .......2006-03-17
terrific, i am enjoing every minute of looking in this wonderfull book
Good for Understanding Basic Motifs.......2005-08-29
The book is in black and white and is a rendering of motifs by Mr. Dowlatshahi. It is not a historical text or a book of pictures of Persian designs. It is his rendering of those designs. It is good for the purpose for which it was created: the use of Persian motifs in designing fabrics, textiles, etc...
great if you're going to make a persian rug.......2002-09-30
This book is perfect if your planning to make a nice rug. We bought it for henna designs. The patterns in this book are not good for mehndi. Nice designs though!
Book Description
Persian Rugs displays the vast range and quality of carpets woven in Persia from about 1850 to 1980 . It includes a discussion of rugs woven in countries or areas adjacent to Persia itself, particularly those rugs which either fell or fall into the Persian geographical or cultural orbit, Caucasian wavings, Turkish and Hereke silk rugs
Book Description
For more than three thousand years, the Persian garden has been a focus of Iran's national imagination, influencing its art, literature, and even religion. The Persian garden's inspirational role has, however, extended far beyond the land of its origin; its precepts have exerted a profound influence on garden design around the world. The Persian Garden: Echoes of Paradise chronicles the history of the Persian garden, from the magnificent sanctuaries and hunting parks of fifth-century b.c. Persepolis to the magical nightingale gardens of nineteenth-century Tehran. All were seen as a kind of earthly paradise (the English word paradise has its roots in the old Persian word pairi-daeza meaning a walled space). To an astonishing extent, that vision seems justified.
This book was meticulously researched and created over a period of six years in, Paris, Tehran and Washington by photographer, Mehdi Khansari and architect Minouch Yavari, together with the renowned Persian architect and architectural historian Reza Moghtader. It explains the philosophy behind Persian garden design and offers an authoritative account of its developmentintroducing new historical material in the process. This extraordinary story is enhanced by vivid descriptions of Persian gardens as seen through the eyes of travelers to Iran during the past five hundred years. Over 240 illustrations in full color, complement the text. They include magnificent color photographs, old plates and engravings, as well as exquisite architectural renderings and plans of the sites and the gardens. A selection of the finest Persian garden-carpets, textiles, miniature paintings, stone reliefs, painted tiles, pottery, and poetry, augment the reader's experience of an ancient art form that for centuries has sought to meld the physical and the spiritual.
Customer Reviews:
In the name of Iran.......2007-05-06
This is a great book to have, it begins to illustrate ancient Iran historical castles from Ctesiphon all the way to Safavid Dynasty of Iran and how Iranian people has been contributing to arts, agriculture and watering system of Iran which comes to point of paradise. And paradise is a Persian word.
The book also can be used for travel agency because it has countless colorful pictures about Iran.
Enjoy reading this book.
Great Book.......2005-12-29
This is a beautiful book that perfectly balances information with stunning photographs.
A place to reminice.......2000-05-23
I loved this book. And it's not because I've been to some of the places that are studied in the book. The pictures take you to the gardens that were at the heart of the great residences of kings and leaders...In a time when few get the chance to see the beauty of Iran and the culture that arose from it, this book shows a world of culture, history and color. Look, read and with your mind's eye see an old world that gave much to this new one.
Book Description
Comprehensive book on tribal and rustic floor covers in Iran. Exceptional illustrations numerous background images and maps showing the location of each group of floor covers. It explores the creativity and skill that these flatweaves embody, making them works of art.
Book Description
Every Persian carpet has a story to tell -- from the remote villages of Afghanistan and Iran, down the ancient trade routes traveled for centuries, to the bazaars of Tehran and the markets of the Western world. Carpet-making is one of this tumultuous region's few constants, an art form that transcends religious and political turmoil. Part travelogue and part exploration into the meaning and worth of these mystical artifacts, The Root of Wild Madder presents practical information about carpets while exploring the artistic, religious, and cultural complexities of these enigmatic lands.
Customer Reviews:
The seductive poetry of oriental rugs.......2007-08-09
Brian Murphy's book begins rather slowly but then picks up in interest and even excitement. It is a rich and well documented history, replete with intricacies and exciting revelations. The author allows not to be a carpet connaisseur but he is quick to learn and has evidently done a lot of research to compensate his lacks. It is also well written and quietly evocative. I have two comments to add:
The Qasqua'i (whose tribal carpets have captivated Mr. Murphy) begun their historical treck as Georgian-speaking tribes (see Suny RG, The making of the Georgian nation, 1994, p.4). The vagaries of history made them adopt, first a Turkish dialect and now, living in Iran, Farsi--another example of discordances between ethnic identity and linguistics. But the Qashqa'i carpets poetically and artistically commemorate their past and their history.
A Christian Armenian was involved in the history of madder, but he is generally labeled "Iranian," since more famous cultures always obscure the contributions of lesser known ones. His name was "Jean Althen... [an] Iranian [!] who introduced the cultivation of madder... into Southern France... [H]e was born in a village he spells "Chaouch." He lost his parents during the Afghan invasion and was taken as a slave to Kayseri in Anatolia, where he learned cotton cultivation and dyeing. In about 1736 he escaped to France, where he was received by Louis XV in Versailles...[I]n southern France... he began to cultivate Oriental madder; this proved so successful that madder soon became a main crop of the region... [I]n 1846... his efforts honored, by the erection of his statue on the rock of Notre Dame des Doms.(See http://www.iranica.com/ newsite /articles/v1f9/v1f9a005.html).
There are two interesting asides to this story.
One concerns the species of madder that he brought into France. Was it Rubia peregrina L., or R. tinctorum L.? I believe its the latter (whose root is also known as "racine d'Armenie), found more commonly in the Orient and the source of red madder.
The other is the fact that Dominican monks from Smyrna probably encouraged and helped d'Althen to escape from Kaiseri, carrying madder seeds with him, to reach France, bringing a product henceforth a monopoly of the Ottoman Empire, with Oriental punishments awaiting those caught "stealing" it.
In any event, read this book. It is an almost magical introduction to the poetry of Oriental carpets. On second thought, I'll give it four stars and a half.
Poor Book.......2007-07-19
This book is low-brow and poorly written. It could have been such a wonderful narrative, but Mr. Murphy fell so short. His knowledge of carpets is minimal, and his views on the region are myopic.
The Root of Wild Madder.......2007-01-11
Really interesting for anyone interested in Textiles. Brian Murphy, while searching for the dye source (Wind Madder) gives the reader a fascinating view into parts of the world that are now inaccessible for most of us.
His information on the guls (patterns) and how they used to link a fabric to a village then an area then a country is invaluable as this is rapidly dissapearing as modern communications and transportation blur this way of placing a pice of fabric.
The blend of travelogue journey and carpet facts works exceptionally well .......2007-01-07
Devotees of the Persian carpet have had numerous carpet buyer's guides and histories in the past, but ROOT OF WILD MADDER; CHASING THE HISTORY, MYSTERY, AND MORE OF THE PERSIAN CARPET is something different: a journey which follows the Persian carpet from remote Afghanistan and Iranian villages where they're often woven by young girls to bazaars which trade them, artists which revere them, and US carpet showrooms which display them for sale. Carpets are dyed often by the madder plant which lends them brilliant reds - but the color and dyers' traditions threaten to die back, and reporter Brian Murphy is just as determined to capture the magic, methods and allure of these carpets in his survey of the Persian carpet. The blend of travelogue journey and carpet facts works exceptionally well in THE ROOT OF WILD MADDER, lending it accessibility even to those without a consuming passion for Persian rugs.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Informative & personable - GREAT.......2006-09-29
I've been a carpet collector (primarily tribal piece) for well over 20 years; this book spoke to me as some carpets speak to me! I'm especially grateful for the quotes attributed to Hossein Payghambary of Nomad carpet shop in Isfahan. I rarely read a book more than once BUT this has drawn me to do so because of the rich text and the author's compassion for his subject. This is MUST read for anyone with a heart for carpets.
Book Description
This book contains stunning images for use as a graphic resource, or inspiration. All the illustrations are stored in high-resolution format on the enclosed free CD-ROM and are ready to use for professional quality printed media and web page design. The pictures can also be used to produce postcards, or to decorate your letters, flyers, etc. They can be imported directly from the CD into most design, image- manipulation, illustration, word-processing and e-mail programs; no installation is required. For most applications, single images can be used free of charge. Please consult the introduction to this book, or visit our website for conditions.
Book Description
Reproduced from an extremely rare and valuable portfolio, these lovely textile designs span centuries of Middle- and Far-Eastern art. From the vibrant hues of florals and winged creatures to graceful depictions of the human figure, 250 full-color motifs will add an exotic touch wherever they're used.
Customer Reviews:
Eastern Promise.......2006-08-04
Another nice Electronic Clip Art book from Dover. Packed full of vintage textile designs in full colour, the images are perfect for using in various craft projects. There are full page designs, multi-floral and stand-alone images. With 250 Royalty-Free Designs included, you will have a lot of choice without the worry of copyright issues etc.
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