As an art historian specialised in Islamic art, and particularly in the art of al-Andalus, I think that this collection of books are of great interest and value.

The importance of script and calligraphy in Islamic culture is overwhelming, as it is its influence in most of its art productions. It is essential as a source of information in any study or research devised to deepen the knowledge of Islamic art and archaeology. The way these books are conceived and presented make them a first class source of information for students and scholars dedicated to the study of Islamic culture. Besides its systematic and detailed study of the inscriptions, the quality and selection of its illustrations combine to create a most interesting contribution.

Where the influence of Islamic art and culture goes beyond Islam itself, as it is the case of Spain, publications of this sort are extremely valuable to understand better such historical processes. Most of our knowledge, not only artistic but historical too, about al-Andalus and its influence have been provided by inscriptions from our monuments and by texts related to them. Moreover, the interaction between different religious and cultural communities, as was the case in Medieval Spain, is a multifaceted phenomenon in which writings did have a clear protagonist role. It is something that can only be understood using and studying all the possible sources, and books like these provide very rich and valuable information; they are in themselves a projection of the aesthetical beauty of Islamic art.

—Antonio E. Momplet is Professor of Medieval Art at Complutense University of Madrid (Spain)