Abbasid Architectural Stucco Decoration from Excavations at the Friday Mosque of Isfahan cover image
Published:30/06/2025Language:EnglishPages:140, Illustrated throughout in black & white and colour.BAR Number: S3222Series: BAR International Series

Abbasid Architectural Stucco Decoration from Excavations at the Friday Mosque of Isfahan

Written by Andrea Luigi Corsi

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Print Book
ISBN: 9781407363196
BAR: S3222
$60.00
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ISBN: 9781407363202
BAR: S3222E
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Description

The book addresses a complete corpus of Islamic stucco, analysed within its archaeological stratigraphic context. The finds mostly pertain to the two Abbasid phases of the Friday Mosque of Isfahan (767 and 840–41 CE), excavated in the 1970s by the Italian Archaeological Mission in Iran directed by Umberto Scerrato. The corpus includes some panels in situ (from the miḥrāb and qiblī wall) and around 500 diagnostic fragments. The stratigraphic data and the analytical study of the techniques and compositions of the stuccoes made it possible to identify different production phases pertaining to the two Abbasid phases of the mosque. The book proposes a reconstruction of the stucco decoration of the qiblī wall of the first mosque (767 CE), a kind of architectonic backdrop divided into at least two horizontal registers, which constitutes one of the earliest visual renderings of the decorative programme of a mosque.

About the Author

Andrea Luigi Corsi is Adjunct Professor of Islamic Archaeology at Sapienza University of Rome and Research Associate at the Department of History of Art of the University of York.

Reviews

‘This is a much-needed addition to the literature on the earliest phases of decoration of this most significant monument and will be an important publication.’ Dr Richard McClary, University of York

‘The data presented in the manuscript is both new and significant, offering a valuable contribution to the study of early Islamic archaeology and architecture. By integrating material evidence with architectural interpretation, this book addresses a significant gap in the literature and will serve as a key reference for future research on early Islamic stucco decoration.’ Simone Struth, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

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