| Cities and Saints: Sufism and the Transformation of Urban Space in Medieval Anatolia Contributor(s): Wolper, Ethel Sara (Author) |
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ISBN: 0271022566 ISBN-13: 9780271022567 Publisher: Penn State University Press OUR PRICE: $116.77 Product Type: Hardcover Published: December 2003 Annotation: In recent years, Sufism has become all but synonymous with the mystic poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi (d. 1273) and the ritual "whirling" of dervishes from Turkey. This branch of Islam does, however, have a long, complex history, and spiritual retreat was only one aspect of its significance. In medieval Anatolia, Cities and Saints contends, Sufis made alliances that gave dervish lodges powers so vast that they were able to alter the layout of cities and serve as the means of forging new social bonds. Through close examination of the design and function of medieval Sufi buildings in several Anatolian cities, Ethel Sara Wolper shows that dervish lodges became sites where a new ruling elite promoted the cult of Sufi saints. Wolper's discussion, enriched by the use of a wide range of primary sources, goes on to chart the role Sufis and their patrons played in the establishment of a new urban order anchored in dervish lodges built near city gates, markets, and along major thoroughfares. Highly original, Cities and Saints unites architectural history with the study of urban space and the spread of Islam. It will be an important reference for students of community formation in the Middle East as well as historians of art, architecture, and religion. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Islam - Sufi - Architecture | History - General - Architecture | Buildings - Religious |
| Dewey: 726.909 |
| LCCN: 2003004686 |
| Series: Buildings, Landscapes, and Societies |
| Physical Information: 0.69" H x 9.26" W x 10.24" (2.01 lbs) 152 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) - Cultural Region - Turkey - Religious Orientation - Islamic |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In recent years, Sufism has become all but synonymous with the mystic poetry of Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (d. 1273) and the ritual whirling of dervishes from Turkey. This branch of Islam does, however, have a long, complex history, and spiritual retreat was only one aspect of its significance. In medieval Anatolia, Cities and Saints contends, Sufis made alliances that gave dervish lodges powers so vast that they were able to alter the layout of cities and serve as the means of forging new social bonds. Through close examination of the design and function of medieval Sufi buildings in several Anatolian cities, Ethel Sara Wolper shows that dervish lodges became sites where a new ruling elite promoted the cult of Sufi saints. Wolper's discussion, enriched by the use of a wide range of primary sources, goes on to chart the role Sufis and their patrons played in the establishment of a new urban order anchored in dervish lodges built near city gates, markets, and along major thoroughfares. Highly original, Cities and Saints unites architectural history with the study of urban space and the spread of Islam. It will be an important reference for students of community formation in the Middle East as well as historians of art, architecture, and religion. |
Contributor Bio(s): Wolper, Ethel Sara: - Ethel Sara Wolper is Assistant Professor at the University of New Hampshire. |