The art and architecture of Islamic Cairo /

Yeomans has written this book to help "redress the cultural balance by recognizing and celebrating Egypt's ignored and neglected Islamic art and architecture" by studying Old Cairo. The city has more than 600 monuments dating from the 9th to the 19th centuries. The first mosque was built in Fustat, but little remains; Cairo itself was founded in 969 BCE. Yeomans surveys the Egyptian dynasties of the Tulunids, Fatimids, Ayyubids, Mamluks, and Ottomans. The skyline of Cairo emphasizes the splendid remains of religious structures and complexes, domestic architecture, military foundations, etc., although many of them were destroyed or rebuilt. Many monuments are undergoing continuing conservation in Old Cairo. The author has chosen about 40 buildings and 50 applied arts to support his study. The accompanying texts contain detailed descriptions and are discussed in chronological order. Earlier Egyptian civilizations and influences from other Islamic cultures left their traces on the arts. Included are a glossary and chronology of the various rulers. Helpful maps guide the reader. More photographs would have been helpful. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers. C. Kane formerly, New York School of Interior Design