The Alhambra

by Oleg Grabar

GRABAR, O,: THE ALHAMBRA, , 1978, 230 p, figuras,Encuadernacion original, Nuevo,

Genres: Nonfiction, Spain, Architecture

196 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

أوليغ غرابار (Oleg Grabar) (من مواليد 3 نوفمبر 1929 في ستراسبورغ فرنسا، مؤرخ وعالم آثار، تخصص في مجال الفنون والعمارة الإسلامية. حصل على الدكتوراه من جامعة برنستون عام 1955. كان عضو في هيئة التدريس في جامعة ميتشيغان، في 1954-69، قبل أن يحصل على تعيين أستاذ في جامعة هارفارد. في عام 1980 أصبح أستاذ عمارة وفن إسلامي في جامعة هارفارد، وبقي حتى عام 1990 عندما انضم إلى معهد الدراسات العليا. أستاذ فخري منذ عام 1998.

Oleg Grabar (November 3, 1929 – January 8, 2011) was a French-born art historian and archeologist, who spent most of his career in the United States, as a leading figure in the field of Islamic art and architecture.

Reviews

[m akmal azmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oleg Grabar explores the level of uniqueness of the Alhambra by comparing it to similar like palaces in the past and the few written documents related to it. It is actually one of the first written critical analysis of it towards a wider field of Islamic art & architecture. I appreciate the caveat as to suggest that any new hypothesis, although backed with some evidence, is only threaded on the surface as to not portray them as facts without solid evidence. There is a debate as to how earlier studies are mostly of the surface value of the aesthetics, thus this book comes as a fresh perspective when it was written. If you are looking an early substantial study on the deeper meaning of the architecture of Alhambra, this is a good start.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grabar is pretty engaging, and this has great figures and a nice bibliography. Introductory in the sense that it immediately suggests to the reader ten other books to go check out.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prepping for the next trip to Spain. The Alhambra is in Granada—the last Islamic city. It was surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492 and freed funds which they awarded to Columbus.