Islamic Art in Cairo: From the Seventh to the Eighteenth Centuries

by E. Prisse d’Avennes

In 1827, a brilliant young French engineer and draftsman arrived in Alexandria at the start of a long and fruitful love affair with Egypt and its art, both ancient and contemporary. Emile Prisse d’Avennes (1807–79) spent a total of nineteen years in Egypt, traveling throughout the country to collect the stunning images that he later published in Paris in two collections, Atlas de l’histoire de l’art egyptien and L’ Art arabe. It is the illustrations from the latter that make up this volume. Prisse’s masterly renderings of Cairo’s mosques and their decorations more than retain their impact today: they still have the power to amaze and delight, while at the same time carrying valuable historical and artistic information for specialists studying Islamic art and architecture. As Professor George Scanlon says in his Introduction to the volume: “For those passionate about the Islamic legacy of Egypt―may they admire and stand grateful.”

Genres: Egypt, Art

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Hatem Ramadan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference with high quality detailed illustrations
very useful for me as an artist trying to know how the place he lives in looked like
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الكتاب مرجع عظيم جداً و الرسم اللي فيه متقن جداً و الرسومات فيها تفاصيل كتيرة و دقيقة جداً
الكتاب فادني كرسام كان نفسي اعرف شكل الحضارة بتاعتنا *الغير فرعونية* كانت عاملة ازاي

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it! Great reference for Islamic Art in Cairo.
Beautiful details captured, from architecture to prints.

[Sudheer Marisetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of some of the most exquisite art and Islamic geometric patterns. It has very high-quality pictures. It is a good companion to take with you if you plan to visit Islamic Cairo. This book confirms that Cairo may have some of the best Islamic architecture, and no other Islamic city comes close to it, not even Istanbul.