São Paulo – From the 8th to the 29th this month, Maria Antonia University Centre, in São Paulo, is offering the course Architecture and urbanism as cultural representation in the Arab world. the classes will be taught on Wednesdays by Arab Architecture and Culture professors Lygia Rocco and Andrea Piccini, of the University of São Paulo (USP). The course is open to the general public and registrations are still being accepted.
“The features that capture my attention the most are the geometric decorative motifs, the central patios with fountains, the arches, mosques and palaces,” says Rocco about the main characteristics of Arab-Islamic architecture. The classes will address the development of architecture and urbanism within the historic and cultural context of the Arab world, from the 7th to the 14th century.
According to Rocco, this architecture developed the most between 1250 and 1470, notably in Egypt. The country is also home to most of the preserved examples of Arab-Islamic architecture. “Until this day, they have buildings dating from every phase in history,” she says. There are ancient buildings in Morocco, Tunisia, Spain and Iran as well.
Rocco notes that in the past, Arabs ruled over people from different ethnicities, and their architectural style spread to places like Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Persia (now named Iran). “Arabs and Muslims did not make up one single population,” the professor stresses, pointing out that the Arab-Islamic architectural style reached many different countries.
Service
Course “Architecture and urbanism as cultural representation in the Arab world”
Place: Maria Antonia University Centre
Address: Rua Maria Antonia, 258/294, Vila Buarque, São Paulo – São Paulo
Program
October 8th
Turkish and Mongolian populations in Central Asia: caravanserais, madrassas and mosques
October 15th
Arab architectural culture: the Mongolian period in Uzbekistan and Iran
October 22nd
Umayyad and Abassid periods, the Fertile Crescent and North Africa and migration in the early centuries
October 29th
Islam in Europe and architecture in North Africa
Classes will last from 4 pm to 6 pm
Registration: R$ 200 (20% off for students and professors; 40% for elderly persons)
Additional information:
Telephones: (+55 11) 3123-5313/5214
Email: cursosma@usp.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
