"Hagedorn and Wolf are German scholars specializing in art history and criticism. They aim to illustrate the beauty and diversity of Islamic art through the centuries and across the vast geography of the Islamic world. This is a daunting task, but they succeed by offering representative masterpieces in painting, calligraphy, ceramics, tapestry and carpets from some of the world's great museums and collections, such as The British Library in London and Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul. ... They present an excellent example of early Abbasid calligraphy by showing a fragment of a page from the Holy Qur'an, written and decorated in the Kufic (Iraqi) style. One of the most beautiful illustrations the authors feature is a depiction of a group of horsemen awaiting a festival procession from a copy of the Maqamat ("Assemblies") by Muhammad Al-Hariri (1053-1122) of Basra, illustrated by Yahya bin Mahmud Al-Wasiti. ... Hagedorn and Wolf open the door to one of the most beautiful aspects of Islamic civilization - their book is only an introduction, but it is an excellent start."
Saudi Gazette, Saudi Arabia,
Saudi Arabia
