A History of the World in 100 Objects by MacGregor Neil

A History of the World in 100 Objects by MacGregor Neil

Author:MacGregor, Neil [MacGregor, Neil]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780141966830
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 2011-10-26T16:00:00+00:00


He made in it great pictures of gold and silver, and a great basin, whose surfacing outside and inside was plates of silver, and he put on it a tree of gold in which birds twittered and whistled … there was made for him a great throne of gold, on which were two depictions of great lions, and the steps to it had depictions of lions and eagles and other things. The walls of the palace were covered inside and outside with mosaics and gilded marble.

This was building mania with a purpose: this city of palaces and barracks was intended to dazzle visitors, to be the unforgettable centre of the huge Islamic empire.

Hidden away in a warren of small rooms in the caliph’s palace were the harem quarters with wall-paintings showing scenes of enjoyment and entertainment, and it’s here that our portrait fragments were found. They show us the faces of the caliph’s slaves and servants, the women and possibly the boys of his intimate world and of his pleasures. The women housed in these rooms were slaves, but slaves who enjoyed considerable privileges. Dr Amira Bennison, who teaches Islamic studies at the University of Cambridge, comments on the portraits that have survived:



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