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Contents
- State University of New York Press
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Contents Illustrations vii Note to the Reader xi Preface xiii Introduction xvii Abbreviations xxv Chapter 1. Discursive Order 1 Cosmology: An Overview 1 Symbolism: A Critical Review 4 History and Symbolism 13 Sufism 18 Symbolism: A Sufi Perspective 25 Chapter 2. Metaphysical Order 55 Being and Presence 55 The Primordial Presence 63 The Divine Presence 67 The Human Presence 82 The Presence of the Word 95 The Geometry of Being 109 v Chapter 3. Cosmic Order 113 The Original Idea 113 Creative Breathing 115 The “Cloud” and Cosmic Forms 119 The World of Command 120 The World of Creation 124 Chapter 4. Architectural Order 149 Gazing at the Sky 149 Ordering Spaces 151 Architecture and the Sacred 162 The Kaba: The First House 179 The Mosque and the Spatiality of Prayer 193 Afterword: Architecture and Cosmic Habitat 207 Notes 211 List of Arabic Manuscripts Cited 237 Selected Bibliography 239 Index 255 vi Contents ...