Fit for an Umayyad Prince: An Eighth-Century Map or the Earliest Mimetic Painting of the Moon?
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: THE UNESCO WORLD Heritage site of Qusayr 'Amra is one of the most famous places for early Islamic art (Figure 2.1). This lavishly illustrated bathhouse, dated firmly to the period of 723–743, contains a treasure trove of mural images that have been described as capturing "a men's locker-room view of the world." With the possible exception of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, another Umayyad construction, more has been written on Qusayr 'Amra than on any other early Islamic art historical site. But unlike its flashy rival in Jerusalem, Qusayr 'Amra emerges out of the sands of the Syro-Arabian desert (Badiyat ash-Sham) like a hidden set of burnished pearls. Tucked away in the depression of Jordan's Wadi Butum, the valley of the Terebinth Pistachio trees that extends to the oasis of Azraq, it lies about 100 km east of Amman in an area known for its Umayyad desert castles.