Identity and Christian-Muslim Interaction: Medieval Art of the Syrian Orthodox from the Mosul Area

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As elsewhere in the Middle East, the Mosul area witnessed a flourishing of Christian art during the thirteenth century. Discussing both art-historical and written sources, this book examines the role of art in expressing the identity of Mosul's Syrian Orthodox community, and explores the relationship between Christian and Islamic art. Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle East during the medieval period have often been seen in terms of conflict and violent opposition, a presumed dichotomy which focuses almost exclusively on theological differences and fails to take account of the social complexities of daily life. The present study challenges these simplistic views of division along religious lines, seeing the boundaries between the Christian and Muslim communities as areas of intermingling rather than separation. A detailed comparative analysis between Christian and Islamic art provides a far more nuanced picture of extensive cultural interaction, in which the Christians were fully integrated into their environment while still retaining their own exclusive religious and communal identity.