Gulf panorama (1 Ergebnisse)

Hardcover. Zustand: Fine. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: Fine. 1st Edition. Gilt-titled white cloth in colour illustrated jacket 19x23cm. 83 + (3)pp with English and Arabic text and colour photos throughout. Fine with some spotting to the cloth. Rare, with 6 locations on Worldcat and Jisc (University of Wales, Library of Congress, MIT, American University, American University of Beirut, VCU Qatar). The author is unnamed, but the English translation is credited to Abdul Rahman Abulfateh. The photographer, Abdulla Mohammed Al-Khan, began his career in the 1950s, recording "the history and development of Bahrain covering almost every nook and corner of this island Kingdom". In 1970 he founded Falcon Cinefoto with cinematographer Khalifa Shaheen. He went on to establish the Bahrain House of Photography, which in addition to offering photographic, video, printing and framing services, maintains a significant archive (Ref. company website). His photos here are not captioned and individual houses not identified, and they appear to be quite loosely arranged in relation to the text. They do however present a beautiful display of exteriors, interiors, and architectural details of traditional houses in varying states of repair, providing a valuable record of fragile heritage. The text laments "the abandonment of traditional premises made of building materials which suited the environment and the climatic conditions of the region [which has] projected a counter reality to the needs of the people". It includes a discussion of the history of urbanisation in the Muslim Arab world beginning with Basrah, where Muslim warriors settled as a provisional base. It then covers in general terms various features including the corridor, courtyard, porch, portico archway, rooms, annexes, roofs, openings, ornaments and decorative features. The Arabic section also includes a bibliography. Al-Khan, Abdulla Mohammed (illustrator).…