Historians of Islamic Art Third Biennial Symposium: Looking Widely, Looking Closely
Recorded October 18–20, 2012
Part Twenty-Five f Twenty-Six
Bernard O'Kane, Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture, American University in Cairo, discusses the minbars of the Jami‘ al-‘Amri at Qus (550/1155-6) and the Jami‘ Nuri at
Hama (559/1163-4), which were built within a decade of each other. The first is in Egypt, the
product of a Fatimid patron, the second in Syria, commissioned by a Zangid patron. Each
deserves a closer look, not only for their intrinsic artistic qualities, which are even more
impressive than they have been given credit for, but also for what they reveal of trends in
ornamentation at the time.
