Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Foreword
ThediffusionofArabcultureintoPolishlandsdatesbackasearly
astheMiddleAges.Arabmerchantsreachedtheborderland
ofPolandthroughRuthenia.NumerousfindsofArabcoinsinthe
areaofPolandprovethattheywerealegaltender;thus,itcannot
beruledoutthatArabmerchantswerepresentonPolish
territories.[1]
Ontheotherhand,themediaevalEuropeaninterestinArabic
philosophy,medicine,mathematics,physics,astronomy,and
alchemyresultedinnumeroustranslationsofworksby,
e.g.Averroes(Arab.IbnRušd),Avicenna(Arab.IbnSinā),from
ArabicintoLatin.TheybecameavailabletoPolishscholars,
asexemplifiedbythepreservedoldprintsoftheseworksinPolish
librarycollections.[2]
Amongtheartisticfieldspresentedinthisvolume,handicrafts
meantforinteriordecorationorbroughtassouvenirsreachedPoland
first.PilgrimscarriedvaluablepiecesofArabarttotheHolyLand.
Althoughtherearenoarchivalrecordsontheimportedproducts,
thiswasacommonhabitamongsttheEuropeanpilgrims.Inall
likelihood,manyprominentPolishpilgrimspurchasedlocalartisanal
handicraft.Importantly,duringthereignoftheFatimids(Arab.Al-
Fāṭimīyyūn),Ayyubids(Arab.Al-Ayyūbīyyūn)orMamluks(Arab.
sing.mamlūk,pl.mamālīk)intheMiddleEast,handicraftwas
developingextensively,especiallyproductsmadeofmetal,ceramic,
andbones.MonumentsofIslamicartmadeintheArabcountries,
Iran,Turkey,andIndiaduringtheMogulEmpirereachedPoland
inamyriadofways;chieflythankstotheearlydevelopedtradewith
thecountriesoftheEast.Islamicartwasalsoasourceoffascination
tothePolishnobility,asstronglyevidencedintheeraofPolish
Sarmatism,whichprovedcrucialinthedisseminationofthe
productsofIslamicart.Spoilsofwarprovidedanequallyimportant
sourceofobtainingorientalproducts.Therearemanyarchival
recordsontheoriginofmanyworksofOrientalart.Themost
