Age of Transition

"Building on the groundbreaking [March 14-July 8] 2012 exhibition “Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition,” which explored the transformations and continuities in the Byzantine Empire from the seventh to the ninth century, the present volume extends the exhibition catalogue’s innovative investigation of cultural interaction between Christian and Jewish communities and the world of Islam. Eleven essays by internationally distinguished scholars address such topics as the transmission of Christian imagery to the Mediterranean, icons preserved in The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine at Sinai, interaction between Jewish communities and the Muslim world, the purposeful mutilation of figurative floor mosaics in places of worship, the evolution of classical and Byzantine motifs in a new cosmology for Muslim rulers, and interconnections in the realm of music. Each essay provides compelling evidence that the era of transition from Byzantine to Islamic rule in the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa resulted in unprecedented cultural cross-fertilization and significantly affected the development of the Mediterranean world for centuries to come." -- "In 2012 the Metropolitan Museum of Art presented Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition, a groundbreaking exhibition that explored the transformations and continuities in the Byzantine Empire from the 7th to the 9th century. During this time of historic upheaval, Christian and Jewish communities encountered the world of Islam, resulting in unprecedented cross-cultural exchange. The catalogue for Byzantium and Islam received the 2014 World Book Award as the best new book on Islamic studies, presented by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Religious Guidance. This new volume expands upon the subject, bringing together eleven papers by internationally distinguished scholars delivered in symposia and Scholars' Days during the exhibition, with a new introduction by Helen C. Evans. These writings provide new information about the impact of Byzantine culture, both Christian and Jewish, during the development and early years of Islamic rule in the eastern Mediterranean and across North Africa, and reconsider traditional concepts about the origin of Islamic art."--