ABSTRACT
The primary reasons of The Transformation of Islamic Art matters is that it stands as an effective working model for how to subject transformations in art to historical scrutiny. Yasser Tabbaa begins his book by outlining the political, religious, and cultural changes that occurred in the early medieval Islamic world, then proceeds to explain how these changes shaped contemporaneous developments in Islamic art and architecture. He explains, "discusses the transformation undergone by Islamic architecture and ornament during the medieval period and investigates the cultural processes by which meaning was produced within the resulting new forms". Tabbaa argues that the mutual benefits of this political and artistic alignment accelerated the spread of the newly created forms across the Islamic world and projected an image of Sunni unity. He interprets medieval Islamic art and architecture as a necessary expression and application of Islamic theological and political dogma endured during a time of intense conflict and sectarianism.
