The Syncretic Traditions of Islamic Religious Architecture of Kashmir

‘An up-to-date and comprehensive survey of Kashmir’s rich tradition of Islamic architecture, connecting the region’s built environment with its political and cultural history. This book intelligently explores the dialogue — and the tensions — between aesthetic elements rooted in the valley’s medieval and pre-Muslim past, and Persianate elements subsequently brought in from outside.’ Richard M. Eaton, Professor, Department of History, University of Arizona, USA ‘Hakim Sameer Hamdani’s volume is the best available survey of the Islamic architecture of Kashmir, spanning the entirety of Muslim rule in the Valley, from its inception in the fourteenth century to the middle of the eighteenth century. It brings together a corpus of buildings, many of them little known and so far unrecorded, which are documented with exact measured drawings as well as textual references that anchor the buildings chronologically and contextually in their time. The book highlights the syncretistic distinctiveness of Kashmiri architecture expressed in its mosques, shrines and tombs, and will be an indispensable reference work for any reader interested in Islamic or Indian architecture.’ Ebba Koch, Professor, Department of Art History, University of Vienna, Austria ‘Dr Hakim Sameer Hamdani’s volume fills important gaps in the history of Kashmir’s Islamic architectural heritage, broadly defined to encompass Sufi khanaqahs, Rishi shrines, and garden complexes, as well as detailed analyses of mosque architecture. The book considers multiple historiographical perspectives on Islamic architecture in Kashmir, and it addresses the dynamic historical geographic context of architectural development of five major periods from the 14th century onwards. This combination of historical, cultural, and formal approaches supports the book’s argument for, and reflections upon, syncretic traditions of Kashmiri architecture.’ James L. Wescoat Jr., Aga Khan Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture and Geography, Department of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA