The history and monuments of the Tahirid dynasty of the Yemen 858-923/1454-1517.

This thesis examines the rise to power and the rule of the short-hved Tahirid dynasty of the Yemen. The dynasty ruled over most of Lower Yemen at a critical juncture between the fall of the better known Rasulid dynasty in 858/1454, and the Mamluk conquest of the Yemen in 923/1517. The first part of the thesis, chapters 1-5 looks in detail at the political history, while the second part, chapters 6-8, examines other aspects of the period: the coinage and the architectural legacy. The thesis argues that the Tahirids were able to take over Lower Yemen by making themselves indispensable to the previous dynasty. Once in power, successive Tahirid suhans were faced with three major kinds of problem: challenges to their authority within the family, rebellious tribes on whom they depended for tax revenues and the ever present threat from the Zaydf imamate to the north of the country. However, the end of the dynasty was brought about as an indirect consequence of the Portuguese incursions into the Indian Ocean. This led to the Mamluk interest in and subsequent invasion of the Yemen. In the face of this challenge, the precariousness of Tahirid power and authority became apparent Defeated by the Mamluks and with no resource to fall back upon, the dynasty came to an abrupt and violent end. The principal legacy of this short-lived, indigenous Sunní Yemeni dynasty lies in its architectural monuments. These display an interesting synthesis of traditions some of which reflect the styles of their Rasulid predecessors, some the influence of India. The accompanying volume of plans and photographs illustrates aspects of the Tahirid monuments and their architectural decoration

The Art of Hajj

In the Qur’an, Muslims are instructed that at least once in their lives they must take part in the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the spiritual center of the Islamic world . Over the centuries, artists, craftspeople, and others have found innumerable ways to articulate the experience, from calligraphy to decorative tiles and textiles, even scientific instruments, maps, and metalwork. These and other media of expression are captured in this profusely illustrated book by distinguished curator Venetia Porter.https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/muslim-journeys-books/1008/thumbnail.jp

Metalwork and material culture in the Islamic world : art, craft, and text

xii, 530 p. : ill. ; 24 c

Once Upon a Problem

This article investigates the specificity of sociological materials and methods in relation to other disciplines and practices (art, literature, science and journalism) and questions the opportunities for sociological attentiveness, experimentation and failure in the context of contemporary UK professional, institutional and academic/intellectual constraints. It asks whether materials and methods are ‘sociological’ to the extent that they tell about the problems of society, or whether it is the unique relation of sociology to its materials and methods that defines sociological practice. Exploring these questions in relation to a project that was researched and written during an extended period of unpaid leave (ie outside the profession and the institution), the article also examines some of the consequences of a changed relation between sociology and experience. What would be the implications if the aim of sociology was not only to theorize and explain experience but also, sometimes, to be an ‘informed provocation’ of experience? The second part of the article considers what the concept of ‘make-believe’ might offer sociology – not in terms of what sociology is, but rather in terms of what it does with its materials and methods. Finally, the article returns to the most common material that sociologists work with – words – and asks how it is possible to stay receptive to the vitality of words as forces in the research process