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An author and artist who
has continually stripped away the mystique of architectural structures that have
long fascinated modern people, David Macaulay here reveals the methods and
materials used to design and construct a mosque in late-sixteenth- century
Turkey. Through the fictional story and Macaulay"s distinctive full-color
illustrations, readers will learn not only how such monumental structures were
built but also how they functioned in relation to the society they served. As
always, Macaulay has given a great deal of attention to the relationship between
pictures and text, creating another brilliant celebration of an architectural
wonder.
"The building complex in
this story is fictional, as are its patrons and architect. The individual
structures, however, are modeled directly on existing examples built between
1540 and 1580 in and around Istanbul, Turkey, by Sinan, the most famous
architect of the Ottoman Empire....It seems to me that the best examples of
religious architecture are among mankind's proudest accomplishments. When
working in the service of some higher entity, we humans seem capable of
surpassing our reach and perhaps even our expectations. Driven by faith, but
guided ultimately by common sense, these constructions reveal a remarkable level
of ingenuity, ambition, and craftsmanship rarely found in secular architecture."
-David Macaulay
* Awards:
2004 Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
* ISBN:
0618240349
* Author: David Macaulay
* Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books; (October 27, 2003)
* Format: Hardcover, 96 pages
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