AVAILABLE MAY 2012
320 pages, hardback, 300 x 240 mm, 290 colour illustrations
PRICE: £40.00
ISBN: 9781907372193
The Unesco World Heritage site of Lalibela in Ethiopia is one of the most extraordinary places in the world. It contains thirteen churches, all of them hewn or carved from the native tufa rock in imitation of buildings.The site has usually been dated to the 13th century, when legend has it it was founded by King Lalibala, ruler of a newly united kingdom a number of centuries after the fall of the sacred capital Aksum, which had converted to Christianity in the 4th century. However, nothing of its accepted or assumed history can be regarded as certain.
Lalibela and the Ethiopian kingdom remained unknown to the West during the period of the Crusades, and first came to Western notice when its ruler sent an embassy to Portugal at the beginning of the 16th century. Dissecting the fragmentary evidence – including the decorations, church furnishings, manuscripts and mural paintings – associated with the site is a daunting task, requiring a knowledge of Ethiopian culture and its languages that the authors of this book are rare in possessing.
This is the first book to consider this extraordinary site in all its many dimensions – historical and cultural, archaeological, architectural, art historical and documentary. It is, not least, a fascinating detective story!
“I am not a modernist but ... I agree with the modernists in every way except that I think their brand of modernism is not very good.” Raymond Erith looked to achieve what he called the true “economy of means”, using traditional means to create original buildings with progressive ideas behind them. More
Lucca's location has meant the city has always been able to adapt itself to the various historical cycles. Though undoubtedly affected by the spirit of each age, Lucca's culture and institutions remain deeply rooted in the traditions and character of its people. More
This book presents an overview of the restoration Venice has undergone in the last two hundred years. It is a mistake to think that Venice has been preserved in aspic. A great deal changed after the Fall of the Republic in 1797, and continues to change. Having read this book, you will never look upon Venice’s streets, houses and canals in the same way again. More
The architectural writings, recordings and films of the poet Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984) are here celebrated in this catalogue accompanying a major exhibition at Sir John Soane's Museum. Marking the centenary of Betjeman's birth, the catalogue and exhibitions will bring together rare archive material, both photographic and textual, in celebration of his life-long passion for architecture. More
The necropolis of Shah-e Zende at Samarkand represents a summit in the art of ceramic wall coverings in the Islamic world. Few studies have focused on the funerary ensemble of the Shah-e Zende and this is the first to describe these monuments in all the details of their decoration and its techniques and motifs, as well as the different types of ceramics used and their composition. Perched on a steep cliff overlooking the ancient city of Samarkand, today the ghost town of Afrasiyab, the necropolis remains largely unknown to art historians and certainly to the public. More
The lagoon in which the city of Venice rises is no more than a few thousand years old - not much older than the city itself. And it may not last another hundred, such is the damage that not only the city but also the lagoon have suffered during the twentieth century. This book succinctly examines the severe threat from human intervention and incursions on the one hand and on the other from climate change and natural erosion, and the oprions for the future. More