Islamic Art, Literature, and Culture

Published in 2010 by Britannica Educational Publishing
(a trademark of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.)
in association with Rosen Educational Services, LLC
29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010.

Copyright © 2010 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica,
and the Thistle logo are registered trademarks of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All
rights reserved.

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First Edition

Britannica Educational Publishing
Michael I. Levy: Executive Editor
Marilyn L. Barton: Senior Coordinator, Production Control
Steven Bosco: Director, Editorial Technologies
Lisa S. Braucher: Senior Producer and Data Editor
Yvette Charboneau: Senior Copy Editor
Kathy Nakamura: Manager, Media Acquisition
Kathleen Kuiper: Manager, Arts and Culture

Rosen Educational Services
Hope Lourie Killcoyne: Senior Editor and Project Manager
Alexandra Hanson-Harding: Editor
Nelson Sá: Art Director
Nicole Russo: Designer
Introduction by Janey Levy

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Islamic art, literature, and culture / edited by Kathleen Kuiper.—1st ed.

p. cm.—(the Islamic world)

“In association with Britannica Educational Publishing, Rosen Educational Services.”
ISBN 978-1-61530-097-6 (eBook)

1. Civilization, Islamic. 2. Islamic literature. 3. Art, Islamic. 4. Islamic countries—
Intellectual life. I. Kuiper, Kathleen.

DS36.8.I837 2010

700.88′267—dc22

2009037976

On the cover: Visitors tour the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab
Emirates, in 2008. This mosque will be the third largest in the world when it is complete. It
contains several traditional elements of Islamic architecture and design, including ornate
wall patterns, arched columns, and a domed ceiling. Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images