AWH: Merovich Projects: Southernization Virtual Museum

The Mauryan Empire was the first pan-Indian empire. It covered most of the Indian region and was founded around 321 B.C.E.

Between the 4th and 13th centuries a unique culture which owed its spiritual origins to Indian Hinduism developed on the coast of contemporary Viet Nam. This is graphically illustrated by the remains of a series of impressive tower-temples located in a dramatic site that was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence.

The ancestors of Vietnam's Cham people built one of the great empires of Southeast Asia.

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During the Tang dynasty, China stretched its territory (including the protectorate states) from the Korean peninsula in the east, to the steppes of Mongolia in the north, to present-day Afghanistan in the west, and to northern Vietnam in the south. Tang secured peace and safety on overland trade routes—the Silk Road—that reached as far as Rome. Merchants, diplomats, and pilgrims came from all over East and Central Asia. They brought with them new religions, ideas, and cultural practices that were eagerly embraced by Tang elite circles. The two capital cities of Chang’an and Luoyang were flooded with foreigners from different parts of the world.

The Song dynasty was the second great "medieval" period of China. But unlike the Tang, it coexisted uneasily with powerful rivals to the north.

Printing, paper money, porcelain, tea, restaurants, gunpowder, the compass—the number of things that Chinese of the Song Dynasty (A.D. 960-1280) gave to the world is mind-boggling.

MIA’s collection features masterpieces of Islamic art, including metalwork, ceramics, jewellery, woodwork, textiles, coins and glass.

These works come from both the secular and religious spheres, and are drawn from a range of sources, from the treasure houses of princes to the personal homes of ordinary people. Each object tells a fascinating story.

DISCOVER ISLAMIC ART
Islamic artifacts and monuments showcase a unique symbiosis of faith, skillfulness and sensitivity towards the environment. Tour the collections on MWNF’s multinational platform dedicated to the artistic legacy of Islam.

The School of Abbasid Studies (SAS) is intended to provide a forum for the discussion of the political, cultural, social, economic, religious and intellectual life of the Abbasid Caliphate from c.700 – c.1250 C.E., a time span approximately bounded by the formative period of early Islam and the invasion of the Mongols.

The aim of the School is to bring together scholars working on the Abbasid world but in disciplines which would rarely “talk” together – working towards a holistic contemplation of the Abbasid world.

The Almoravid dynasty (al-Murabitun, ca. 1062–1150), a newly emerged Islamic power in North Africa, ethnically more Berber than Arab, conquered Morocco and founded Marrakesh as its capital in 1062.

Great Zimbabwe was a medieval African city known for its large circular wall and tower. It was part of a wealthy African trading empire that controlled much of the East African coast from the 11th to the 15th centuries C.E.

Zamani Project undertakes data collection and analysis, heritage communication, and training and capacity building for experts and the public so that they have access to high-quality spatial heritage data, and can learn from, conserve, and protect heritage.

citation:
Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. “Great Zimbabwe (11th–15th Century).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/zimb/hd_zimb.htm (October 2001)

The ruins of Great Zimbabwe – the capital of the Queen of Sheba, according to an age-old legend – are a unique testimony to the Bantu civilization of the Shona between the 11th and 15th centuries. The city, which covers an area of nearly 80 ha, was an important trading centre and was renowned from the Middle Ages onwards.

The remains of two great East African ports admired by early European explorers are situated on two small islands near the coast. From the 13th to the 16th century, the merchants of Kilwa dealt in gold, silver, pearls, perfumes, Arabian crockery, Persian earthenware and Chinese porcelain; much of the trade in the Indian Ocean thus passed through their hands.

Citation:
LaGamma, Alisa. “Ethiopia’s Enduring Cultural Heritage.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ethi/hd_ethi.htm (September 2008)

Timbuktu, Mali, is the legendary city founded as a commercial center in West Africa nine hundred years ago. Dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries, the ancient manuscripts presented in this exhibition cover every aspect of human endeavor and are indicative of the high level of civilization attained by West Africans during the Middle Ages.

Africa
Africans have contributed to the world’s cultural heritagewith works of astonishing innovation.