ʿAbbāsid art and architecture - Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
[Article]
Northedge, Alastair E.
Leiden
Brill
(6,616 words)
ʿAbbāsid art and architecture was the visual culture of the ʿAbbāsid caliphate at its height (132-320/750-932). The architecture was mainly a Mesopotamian tradition of unfired and fired brick but also included other techniques and styles in Iran, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, the building types developed from the requirements of an Islamic society originating in the Arabian Peninsula. Decoration began to include styles from outside the Middle East, notably Central Asia, while ceramics and other minor arts responded to the growing maritime trade with the Far