Damascus: Hidden Treasures of the Old City

by Brigid Keenan, Tim Beddow (Photographer)

Damascus, reputed to be the world's oldest continually inhabited city, has enjoyed a history of immense grandeur, enormous political and mercantile power, and great cultural and artistic achievement. In addition to some of Islam's most magnificent architecture, such as the Umayyad Mosque, the city boasts a heritage of fairy-tale palaces and sumptuous private houses. Sadly, many of them are in urgent need of restoration. Brigid Keenan and Tim Beddow have set out to record these priceless architectural gems and to reveal them to the world at large. They were given unprecedented access to the inner, "hidden" city, which has resulted in a book that will be of immense importance to all concerned with the heritage of architecture in the Islamic world. The text first sets the historical scene, describing the growth and fortunes of Damascus through the ages. It continues with an account of its architecture and way of life, and concludes with descriptions of individual houses and of the people who built and lived in them. The superb photographs include facades, courtyards, alleyways, and fountains, and the breathtaking interiors that often lie behind the unassuming walls of the old town, with exquisite details in stone, wood, paint, marble, plaster, glass, and mother-of-pearl. The whole forms a convincing and elegiac plea for the preservation of the heart of this historic ancient capital. 214 illustrations, 171 in color.

Genres: Middle East, Art

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Brigid Keenan was born in 1939.

Her involvement in fashion began when she joined the Daily Express women's page staff at the start of her career in 1959. Two years later she moved to the Sunday Times where she was responsible for their Young Fashion pages. In 1966 she left the paper to become Assistant Editor of Nova magazine and from there she went to The Observer as Woman's Editor. After a year's break, during which she lived with her husband (a development economist) in Ethiopia, she returned to the Sunday Times as fashion and Beauty Editor. In 1977 she moved to Brussels where she now lives with her husband and two small daughters.

She is a founding board member of the Palestine Festival of Literature.

Reviews

[Rhode PVD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My God. After you see this beautiful book, you will want to run to the airport and rescue one of these houses for yourself. It's the stuff dreams are made of.