Robert Byron was born in an eccentric Victoria middle-class Wilshire family in 1905. Though the family was not rich, his parents managed to send him to Eton and Marton College in Oxford, where he obtained a third-class degree in History in 1926. Robert Byron's personality was already well developed in his late boyhood or early … Continue reading Robert Byron: a short life, a big personality
The Friday Mosque of Varamin
'From a distance, it resembles a ruined abbey' The Friday Mosque of Varamin is the last monument Byron includes in his account under the 10th October 1933. Byron starts his brief description of the monument comparing it with the Tintern Abbey, in Wales. The only difference, according to Byron, the fact that the mosque 'has … Continue reading The Friday Mosque of Varamin
The Mosque al-Nuri in Mosul: what was lost
It is a pity that you get the chance to talk about certain monuments only after that they are destroyed. Until yesterday, the general public did not know anything about the Mosque of Nur al-Din, and its minaret. ISIS has destroyed, once again, Middle Eastern heritage: the destruction of the Mosque of Nur al-Din has been … Continue reading The Mosque al-Nuri in Mosul: what was lost
Gunbad-i ‘Ala al-Din
‘This one [...] was tenanted by an opium fiend who looked up from cooking his lunch to tell us that it was his home and 3000 years old.’ On the 10th of October 1933, Byron records in his travel journal three monuments: two tomb towers, and one mosque. The first tomb tower he mentions is … Continue reading Gunbad-i ‘Ala al-Din
Tughril Tower
'a fluted grave-tower [...] whose lower part is Seljuk' In his entry, dated October 10th 1933, Byron briefly mentions two funerary towers: the first, the Tughril Tower in Rayy, the second, a tomb tower in Varamin. The Tughril Tower, located in Rayy, is indeed a monumental construction built around 1140. It is weird Byron does … Continue reading Tughril Tower
Gunbad-i ‘Alaviyyan
"This at last wipes the taste of the Alhambra and the Taj Mahal out of one's mouth, where Mohammedan art is concerned. I came to Persia to get rid of that taste." The very first monument that Byron describes after arriving in Persia, is the Gunbad-i ‘Alaviyyan. The visit is recorded in his journal on … Continue reading Gunbad-i ‘Alaviyyan
The Monuments on the Road to Oxiana
Robert Byron's The Road to Oxiana is certainly one of the best-known and most-read travelogues: 'perhaps the best travel book of the 20th century', it's book no. 40 in the list of the 100 best nonfiction books of The Guardian. The book is a marvelous and addictive account of the 10-month-long journey of Robert Byron across the … Continue reading The Monuments on the Road to Oxiana
A brief note on the last auctions – Islamic Art Week, Spring 2017, London
The Islamic Art Week that the Bonhams, Sotheby's and Christie's organize twice every year in London is a fixed appointment for me. This year, as always, I followed the auctions and checked what happened in one of the most important events of Islamic art market in the year. And now, I just want to share … Continue reading A brief note on the last auctions – Islamic Art Week, Spring 2017, London
A backward interpretation of the çintamani – one symbol, two origins
Twice a year I follow the auctions of the Islamic Art Week in London: I note down in my agenda the auction dates, browse the online catalogs, take notes on the lots on sale, save on Pinterest my favorites, and I check the final results. I do all this not because I am a collector, … Continue reading A backward interpretation of the çintamani – one symbol, two origins
“The Theory of Islamic Art”, by I. M. Hanash
I. M. Hanash, The Theory of Islamic Art, Aesthetic Concept and Epistemic Structure, The International Institute of Islamic Thought, London - Washington 2017. When dealing with Islamic art, it is good, from time to time, to step back, and look at the bigger picture. Going from the particular - the object studied - to the general - what … Continue reading “The Theory of Islamic Art”, by I. M. Hanash
