The Islamic Villa in Early Medieval Iberia

"Prize: Winner of the Eleanor Tufts Award 2015, American Society for Hispanic Art Historical Studies 'This publication met and surpassed the stipulated award criteria of ""originality of conception, thoroughness of research, rigor of argument, brilliance of insight, significance of findings, and clarity of expression."" Although the book will engage and satisfy specialists in Islamic art and architecture, Anderson's clear prose makes it accessible and valuable to anyone with an interest in a host of related fields.' The 2015 Eleanor Tufts Book Award Committee '...an innovative study and an enjoyable read, conjuring a world of palaces and gardens, but providing at the same time a rigorous and serious study of the villa's function and meaning at the Umayyad court at an important moment of the dynasty's establishment and legitimation.' Mariam Rosser-Owen, Victoria and Albert Museum, UK 'Anderson's meticulous study illustrates the ways in which the country residences (munya) located in the region of Cordoba formed an integral part of the political, cultural and economic life of the Umayyad dynasty. She demonstrates how ideas of sovereignty were intimately linked to the cultivation of the land, and provides important parallels between the munya and the Umayyad country residences of eighth-century Syria. This book makes a major contribution to our understanding of the culture of the villa in the Medieval Mediterranean.' Marcus Milwright, University of Victoria 'The Islamic Villa in Early Medieval Iberia provides a detailed and pleasant addition to literature on the Iberian peninsula, while expanding villa studies to encompass ""nonWestern"" examples. It will benefit those interested in this type of architecture as well as in the life and material culture of the Muslim elite of al-Andalus. Architects, historians, and art historians, as well as scholars and students of medieval culture, will undoubtedly enjoy Anderson's book. Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review 'The greatest importance of Anderson's volume ... lies in the body of information generated by her interdisciplinary approach, wherein bringing together medieval Arabic textual sources on topics related to civic and caliphal life, agricultural production, and architecture alongside sharp art-historical analysis of objects produced contemporaneously and spatial interpretation of archaeological remains.' The American Academy of Research Historians of Medieval Spain 'In sum, this book is full of intellectual insights that are useful not only for specialists in Islamic art but also in medieval art, and it provides brilliant remarks that entail a fresh approach to architecture.' Speculum '... important and richly-illustrated ...' Al-Masaq 'Glaire Anderson provides a clear, authoritative, and excellently illustrated account of these munyas, dealing with their history and the patronage of them, as well as their architecture, decoration, gardens and relation to their landscapes, and their role in the activities of the rulers of Cordoba and their greatest subjects.' Archaeology Journal"