ABSTRACT
Asimilarappreciationofcraftsandcraftsmenisexpressedintheeighth
treatiseofthePureBrothers(Ikhwanal-$afa')ofal-Ba~ra,writteninthe tenthcentury.Thebasis,however,isadifferentone. 5Weread:"...craft (al-§an'aal-'amali:ya)comprisesthecreationofaformthataknowledgeableartisanhasinhisthoughts,anditsrealisationinconcretematerial. Theproductisthesumofformandmatter...." 6Thegreatestofartisans, however,isGod:"Know,0brother,"thePureBrotherssay,"thattheskill
1Thefollowingpaperisintendedtoprovideanoverviewofthematerialavailable. Sourceswillbequotedintranslationwherepossible.U.MonneretdeVillardhasstudiedtheearlycraftsmenindetailinhislntmduzioneallostudiodcll'ar·cheologiaislamin1
(VeniceandRome,1966),andhasJ.>rovideclanexhaustivebibliographyforthesubject.. Forlatertimes,t.hefollowingworksarcrecommenclecl:L.A.Mayer,IslamicMetalworkersandthFirWor-ks(Geneva,1959);idem,Islamzc_4rmourersandtheirWorks(Geneva, 19G2);idrm,IslamicWoodcarversandtheirWorks(Geneva,1058);idem,IslamicArchitectsandtheirWorks(Geneva,1956);limKhaldfm,TheMuqaddimah:anIntroduction toHistoz·y,trans.F.Rosenthal(1\PwYork,19.58;BollingenSeries,XLIII),II,349.
