Andalusi Architecture: Shapes, Meaning and Influences (Vol. 2)

A special issue of Arts (ISSN 2076-0752).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 11325

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of History of Art, Archeology and Music, Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, Córdoba University, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: Muqarnas decoration; Western/Eastern Islamic art from the beginning to 15th century; Andalusi art; Sharq al-Andalus; Mardanishi art
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am grateful for the opportunity to guest edit, for the second time, this Special Issue of Arts devoted to “Andalusi Architecture: Shapes, Meaning and Influences” (Vol. 2), the goal of which is to gather knowledge regarding Andalusi art and inspire readers to learn more about it. Indeed, the importance of Andalusi art in its developmental stage and in the evolution of Hispanic architecture is undeniable. At present, a large group of monuments and archaeological remains continue to remind us of that great period of history in the Iberian Peninsula (from the 8th to the 15th century). Accordingly, and in consequence, a few years ago, Arts published a Special Issue titled “Andalusi Architecture: Shapes, Meaning and Influences” to highlight the importance of Andalusi art in the scientific community, and numerous prominent international specialists participated. The importance of this publication lies in the dissemination of artistic elements of Andalusian art, not only during the 8th and 15th centuries, but also in later centuries as a reminder of their influence.

In this sense, it is fundamental to continue with the study of new perspectives and theoretical–practical concepts on Andalusian architecture in general. It is important to analyze and assess the relations of al-Andalus with other geographical entities, including Christian ones—this will be reflected in its artistic enrichment but also in creating its own identity. For this reason, new theoretical approaches, archaeological findings, and historiographical reviews deserve their own space, and it is because of this that this new Arts volume has been proposed, with a fundamental idea: to value Andalusian architecture and its repercussions today.

Dr. Alicia Carrillo
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Andalusi architecture
  • Cordoba’s Mosque
  • Caliphate art
  • Nasrid art
  • Almohad architecture
  • Mardanisi art
  • Mudejar art
  • Madīnat al-Zahrā
  • Architectural ornament

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

40 pages, 23838 KiB  
Article
Andalusi Defensive Architecture through Martín de Ximena Jurado’s Drawings (Mid-17th Century)
by Luis José García-Pulido
Arts 2023, 12(5), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12050205 - 20 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1675
Abstract
The antiquarian Martín de Ximena Jurado was a pioneer in the historical cartography of the old Kingdom of Jaén (Andalusia, Spain), where he tried to represent emblematic areas with their military defences with his particular graphic language. Not surprisingly, this territory has a [...] Read more.
The antiquarian Martín de Ximena Jurado was a pioneer in the historical cartography of the old Kingdom of Jaén (Andalusia, Spain), where he tried to represent emblematic areas with their military defences with his particular graphic language. Not surprisingly, this territory has a high concentration of medieval fortifications. The data and drawings that he made of castles, towers, and defensive enclosures show a special interest in the militarisation of sites and places. He went beyond a simple toponymic study aimed only at finding a correspondence between the ancient name and the location of a settlement based on the evidence provided by coins and inscriptions. The medieval fortifications that he mapped were not drawn in ruins as one would expect they would be in the mid-17th century, but with their most characteristic construction elements. This fact gives it great relevance, as it represents the idealised hypothesis of the state of these constructions at the time of the Castilian conquest in the decades following the Almohad debacle in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Andalusi Architecture: Shapes, Meaning and Influences (Vol. 2))
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36 pages, 16306 KiB  
Article
The Alcázar of Córdoba: The Seat of Islamic Power in Al-Andalus
by Alberto León-Muñoz
Arts 2023, 12(5), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12050202 - 18 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1316
Abstract
In this paper, we show a synthesis of the recovered information in the most recent archaeological interventions of the occupied space by the architectural complex where the Omayyad seat of power and the following leaders of Córdoba were installed. As the most relevant [...] Read more.
In this paper, we show a synthesis of the recovered information in the most recent archaeological interventions of the occupied space by the architectural complex where the Omayyad seat of power and the following leaders of Córdoba were installed. As the most relevant aspects, we show the persistent continuity of the reoccupation and appropriation of the precedent buildings, the tight correlation with the Aljama Mosque, and the architectonic entity of the documented structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Andalusi Architecture: Shapes, Meaning and Influences (Vol. 2))
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51 pages, 49334 KiB  
Article
The Wolf King’s Leisure Estate: An Andalusi Agricultural and Palatine Project (Murcia, 12th Century)
by Julio Navarro-Palazón and Pedro Jiménez-Castillo
Arts 2023, 12(4), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12040162 - 21 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2561
Abstract
The Castillejo de Monteagudo, which has been well known since excavations began in 1924, is a palatial residence built on a promontory. However, the fact that it was part of an extensive agricultural estate, known as Ḥiṣn al-Faraj, which included dry-farming, orchards, gardens, [...] Read more.
The Castillejo de Monteagudo, which has been well known since excavations began in 1924, is a palatial residence built on a promontory. However, the fact that it was part of an extensive agricultural estate, known as Ḥiṣn al-Faraj, which included dry-farming, orchards, gardens, woodland, hunting areas, and marshes, as well as important hydraulic infrastructures, has not been sufficiently emphasised to date. Archaeological research on the irrigated plain during 2018 and 2019 has brought to light part of the palatine area, which was organised around a large garden presided by a residential complex with a porticoed pavilion and a pool at the centre. All known buildings date to the reign of Emir Ibn Mardanīš (1147–1171), although the possibility that the estate was created earlier cannot be ruled out. It was destroyed twice by the Almohads (1165 and 1171) and reused by the Castilian King Alfonso X, perhaps after being restored by Ibn Hūd al-Mutawakkil (1228–1238). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Andalusi Architecture: Shapes, Meaning and Influences (Vol. 2))
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33 pages, 14430 KiB  
Article
Domestic Architecture and Urban Expansion: Central Courtyard Elementary Houses in the arrabales of Córdoba (10th Century)
by Laura Aparicio Sánchez and Pedro Jiménez Castillo
Arts 2023, 12(2), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12020079 - 13 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1888
Abstract
In the 10th century, the arrabales of Córdoba underwent a process of rapid growth, triggered by the growing political authority of the capital of the western caliphate. This involved the urbanisation of erstwhile agricultural areas, with new streets and public buildings such as [...] Read more.
In the 10th century, the arrabales of Córdoba underwent a process of rapid growth, triggered by the growing political authority of the capital of the western caliphate. This involved the urbanisation of erstwhile agricultural areas, with new streets and public buildings such as baths, mosques, and funduqs, as well as whole blocks of houses. Domestic blocks generally took the shape of lines of houses that were similar in plan. Among domestic models, which invariably revolved around a courtyard, the most basic type—rectangular in plan, with a central courtyard and a bay on either side—was also the most numerous. This work examines the characteristics and expansions of these buildings, in order to better understand the process that led to the crystallisation of Andalusi urban fabrics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Andalusi Architecture: Shapes, Meaning and Influences (Vol. 2))
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20 pages, 9755 KiB  
Article
A Skin to Live in: Geometric Parietal Paintings in the Residential Architecture of al-Andalus
by Rafael Blanco-Guzmán
Arts 2023, 12(2), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12020051 - 08 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1399
Abstract
Andalusi residential architecture is often described through planimetry or its internal constructive materiality. However, the real architectural vision of those who inhabited or visited Andalusi palaces or houses was completed by an important decorative epidermis that covered the structural materials and gave these [...] Read more.
Andalusi residential architecture is often described through planimetry or its internal constructive materiality. However, the real architectural vision of those who inhabited or visited Andalusi palaces or houses was completed by an important decorative epidermis that covered the structural materials and gave these Islamic buildings their final visual impact. Traditionally, the three-dimensional stone and plaster ornamentation has been the most analysed; the pictorial decoration that widely covered plinths has rarely been studied as a whole, despite the numerous remnants documented in recent decades. In this work, we propose a holistic and synthetic approach to this decorative architectural element, from its technical elaboration to its role in the three-dimensionality of Andalusi residential spaces. We also address its influences and its aesthetic evolution over the centuries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Andalusi Architecture: Shapes, Meaning and Influences (Vol. 2))
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39 pages, 10899 KiB  
Article
Seville, a Cultured and Influential Court: The Palace of Ibn ‘Abbād
by Ignacio González Cavero
Arts 2023, 12(2), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12020044 - 24 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1410
Abstract
The palace of Ibn ‘Abbād has long been the subject of study by numerous specialists, amongst whom its possible location has been considered to be the current site of the Reales Alcázares of Seville (Royal Palace and Fortress of Seville). The results derived [...] Read more.
The palace of Ibn ‘Abbād has long been the subject of study by numerous specialists, amongst whom its possible location has been considered to be the current site of the Reales Alcázares of Seville (Royal Palace and Fortress of Seville). The results derived from the archaeological interventions carried out in several sectors of this palatine complex have led us to undertake a review of all those studies that have dealt with this issue, to which we must add the rigorous analysis of the documentary sources to which we have access. In this sense, we intend to show the importance that this palace had between the 11th and 13th centuries, as well as its relationship with the rest of the official and residential spaces that make up the Alcazar of Seville. This made it necessary to return to the initial discussion regarding its location and to answer some questions that remain open to this day. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Andalusi Architecture: Shapes, Meaning and Influences (Vol. 2))
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