This richly illustrated book provides an unsurpassed overview of Islamic art a nd architecture fr om the seventh to thirteenth centuries, a time of fo r mation of a new artistic culture a nd its first, medieval, flowering in the vast area fr om the Atlantic to India. Inspired by Ettinghausen a nd Grabar',s o r iginal text, this book has been completely rewritten a nd up da ted to take This richly illustrated book provides an unsurpassed overview of Islamic art a nd architecture fr om the seventh to thirteenth centuries, a time of fo r mation of a new artistic culture a nd its first, medieval, flowering in the vast area fr om the Atlantic to India. Inspired by Ettinghausen a nd Grabar',s o r iginal text, this book has been completely rewritten a nd up da ted to take into account recent info r mation a nd methodological advances.