|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
About the author:
Walter M. Weiss, born 1961 in Vienna, Austria, read history, journalism and political science at university. Editor-in-Chief of several publications, he has travelled extensively worldwide, especially in North Africa, as well as the Middle East. He has been a freelance author since 1993, specialising in the subject of Islamic countries. His work has been published among others by GEO, Die Zeit, Merian, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Weltwoche. His published books include Crash Course Islam, Der Basar / The bazaar (1994/1998), United Arab Emirates and Oman. An illustrated historical overview, Looking for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as well as, in German, books on Syria, Morocco, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Vienna, Venice, Salzburg and other culture and travel guides. He currently lives in Vienna. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Weiss, Walter M.
The Bazaar
Markets and Merchants of the Islamic World
With photographs by Kurt-Michael Westermann
Published 1998 by Thames & Hudson/London, New York
(Second Edition, 2001)
256 pages with 345 colour illustrations, 16 maps and plans
32 x 24 cm.
ISBN 0-500-01839-1 Price: L 32.-, US-$ 50.- / 35.-
Please order this book at:
www.amazon..com |
|
|
ABOUT THE BOOK
Sumptuously illustrated, this book is a journey through the bazaars in the old Islamic cities of the Orient. It reveals a fascinating empire of the senses where often little has changed since the Middle Ages, and in which time and space, life and death, have lost none of their old meanings.
Beginning with a general outline of the histroy of trade, Walter M. Weiss examines the origins of the bazaar, its roots in the markets of ancient times and the early Islamic fortresses and caravanserais. The path of goods, carried by the trader`s indispensable companion, the camel, is traced along legendary caravan routes like the Silk, Incense and Amber Roads.
After describing the everyday workings of the bazaar, the book focuses on traditional trades and crafts, including gold and sugar trader`s markets, the workshops of lute makers, fabric painters and mosaic carvers, glass-blowers and coppersmiths. We watch Persian carpet makeres, engravers and perfumers, miniature painters and calligraphers at work and meet people whose exotic trades are now dying out: sword, dagger and fire makers, water sellers, magicians, story tellers, silk weavers and foot ironers. In the final section, more than a dozen of the finest and most important bazaars - including Marrakesh, Fez, Damascus, Aleppo, Cairo, Istanbul, Isfahan, Sanaa and Samarkand - are described in full and illustrated in Kurt-Michael Westermann`s remarkable photographs.
With its detailed maps and plans, this book is an invaluable source of information for travellers to the Islamic world as well as for anyone intrigued by the `city within a city´, one of the most mysterious and enduring facets of Islamic life.
CONTENT:
IN THE EMPIRE OF THE SENSES
Impressions from the Heart of the Medina
THE ENDLESS CARAVAN - A BRIEF HISTORY OF TRADE
The Major Routes: Incense, Amber, Silk and Gold
The Camel: God`s Greatest Gift
HOLY PLACE AND MARKET PLACE - HOW THE BAZAAR WORKS
Philosophy of Life: Rational Feeling
Society: Imams, Kadis and Market Overseers
Buildings and Layout: Mosques, Shops and Caravanserais
The Elixir of Life: The Importance and Use of Water
CRAFTSMEN AND SHOPKEEPERS - THEIR WORK AND GOODS
Carpets: From Loom to Living Room
Clothing: Chadors, Veils and Kaftans
Chechias: The Cap Makers of Tunis
Jewelry: Wealth and Protection
Perfume: Fragrances from the Thousand and One Nights
Coffee, Tobacco and Sweetmeats: Life`s Little Pleasures
Medicine and Magic: Healing through Faith
Calligraphy and Painting: Letters and Pictures
Wood: Turners and Carvers
Glass: The Last Glass-blowers
Metal: Smiths and Sword Makers
Ceramics: Potters and Tile Makers
Leather: The Tanners and Dyers of Fez
THE HEART OF THE CITY - PORTRAITS OF THE FINEST BAZAARS
Map: The World of the Bazaars
Cairo - Damascus - Aleppo - Istanbul - Sanaa - Dubai - Kairouan - Tunis - Marrakesh - Fez - Shiraz - Isfahan - Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva
EPILOGUE - THE LIGHT OF THE BAZAARS
Glossary - Chronological Table - Bibliography - Index
FOREWORD:
An encounter I had in Cairo`s City of the Dead outside made a deep impression on me. The khamsin, the notorious desert wind, had covered everything in a mantle of grey dust. The smoke from the smouldering rubbish tips stung the eyes. The air was burning hot. The alleyways between the densely populated graves and wooden shacks were deserted, littered with rubbish, utterly desolate. A young woman in a colorful threadbare galabiyya appeared, struggling along with two cans of water. As she passed, to my surprise she greeted me with a laugh - and what a laugh! She was telling me with her eyes that the grinding poverty all around us did not touch her deep inside. Daily life was not a burden for her because her strength came from elsewhere. You would never hear a laugh like that in a poor quarter of a European city.
Since that unforgettable meeting in the early eighties I have made some thirty trips to Islamic countries and seen their finest mosques, palaces and landscapes. But - and I am aware when I write this of the inherent contradictions in the conventional romanticized image of the `spiritual´ Orient - whereever I go I am charmed by the cheerful realism of the people and their unshakeable trust in God. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said: `There are main road people and footpath people. The main road people bore me. I am bored on the asphalt road between the milestones. These people have set their sights on a particular goal: profit, success. Along the path there are hazel bushes instead of milestones and you can amble along and crack the hazelnuts. You are there for the sake of being there.´ In the bazaars there are no milestones.
The mass media tend to oversimplify; they see everything in black and white. In their search for `bogeymen´ they have found plenty of material in the Arab world in recent years. As so often since the time of the Crusades, East and West see each other, in different ways, as a threat. But in both East and West it is the aggressive propagandists and not the quiet thinkers who attract attention, and so in the collective imagination of the West every Muslim becomes a feared and unpredictable fanatic.
Fortunately for us all, a new generation of orientalists and Islamic experts is now emerging, replacing the tired old clichés with fresh ideas. Surprisingly, however, only a few writers have looked at the phenomenon of the bazaar (and even then from a purely academic point of view). Until now, it has been difficult to find a book that gave the interested layman a clear and coherent picture of all the aspects of this traditional and unique achievement of Islamic culture.
In this book we - author and photographer - had two objectives. Firstly, we have tried to explain and communicate - to show that a bazaar is much more than just a picturesque maze of workshops and shops in which tourists pick up souvenirs and get lost. It is a city within a city, with its own economy and way of life and a spiritual background from which western society has a great deal to learn, especially now when it is having to redefine concepts like work, time and solidarity.
Secondly, we have tried to take stock of the situation. However untouched many of the bazaars might seem at first sight, their traditional features - old buildings and trades, customs and values and aestetic perceptions - are increasingly threatened by western technology and industry.
As a sheikh from Tangier remarked when Europeans, having just occupied his home town, introduced electric lights: `If these people prayed five times a day, they would not worry about such childish things.´
REVIEWS:
"Vocative portraits of Middle Eastern centers through their labyrinthine traditional markets... Readers will find little here about the riven Islamic world of reality but much that is of undoubted fascination-lore, extraordinary pictures of everyday life, detailed maps of mazy souks that are a unique urban design form now giving way to more modern methods of retailing."
Wall Street Journal
"The Islamic bazaars, as veteran editor and traveler Weiss reveals, is more than a collection of flea market stalls. And his book, though illustrated with glorious photographs by Kurt-Michael Westermann is more than a decoration for the coffee table. Here, peripatetic readers and couch potatoes alike will discover the true romance of this area, learning about trade routes, the religious life, camels, and craftspeople, as well as 15 bazaars, ranging from Aleppo in Syria to Samarkand in Uzbekistan."
Booklist
"With its knowledgeable text, the excellent photos, the detailed maps and plans, this book is an invaluable source of information for both armchair travellers and anyone planning a trip in the Islamic world."
Ingram
"A truly spectacular tour through more than a dozen of the finest and most important bazaars."
Philadelphia Inquirer
"Walter M. Weiss`s investigation of the markets and merchants of the ancient Islamic cities of the Orient... This is a book for anybody, who has visited the bazaars of Marrakesh, Fez, Cairo, Istanbul or a dozen others and been overwhelmed by them. In learning how the markets came into being along the camel routes, how the spices arrived and the traditional crafts developed, the Westener is offered the most human possible introduction to Islam, its society and philosophy of life."
Daily Mail, London
"I checked this out of the library, and when I get back from Syria and Lebanon, am going to buy it. An entirely different perspective from anything I`ve ever seen. Even if it does omit anything about the ongoing conflicts of the region, we already know all of that. This tells us and shows us something we don`t know. When I`m walking through the bazaars in Damascus and Aleppo, I will be carrying this book in my head and seeing everything differently because of it."
(Robyn from Los Angeles, CA, USA; amazon)
"I have traveled extensively in the Middle East and North Africa, and my favorite places are the suqs, or bazaars of each city. I have actually visited half of the bazaars featured in this book, and therefore I can attest to the accuracy of the information provided. This book captures the variety, texture, and atmosphere of the bazaar. The only aspects missing are the sounds and the aromas. Of special interest and value are the maps of each bazaar, for wandering through a suq can be an overpowering experience. Nowhere else have I come upon this type of information. The photos are well done, showing both the people and their surroundings accurately, but beautifully. This book makes me want to pay a return visit to a bazaar soon."
(a reader from San Mateo, California; amazon)
|
|
|
|
 |
Weiss, Walter M.
MOROCCO
In the Labyrinth of Dreams and Bazaars
published 2006 by Haus Publishing / London (Armchair Traveller)
Translated by Stefan Tobler
224 pages with one fold-out map
ISBN 1-904950-78-7
Price: L 14,99, Euro 22,10
Please order this book at:
www.amazon.com |
|
|
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Morocco has been influenced by an incredible variety of peoples. Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Berbers, Muslims, Jews, and most of Europe`s colonisers have played a part. Modern Moroccan society is no less rich and varied. In this book, Walter M. Weiss travels the breadth and depth of these social and geographical contrasts. He visits the settings of modern legends, such as Tangier and Casablanca, as well as the two medieval centres Fès and Meknès, and sees earthen kasbahs and Marrakech`s bazaar. On the way, he meets acrobats, Sufi musicians, pilgrims, craftsmen, beatniks, rabbis and Berber farmers, among many others.
CONTENT:
- The Gateway to Africa
- Coexistence in Morocco
- Paradise in this world and the next
- Hippy town and hotbed of resistance
- First interruption: ca va?
- Only look! In the maze of paths in the Fès el-Bali bazaar
- From the hammam to a full stomach, via hell
- The healing powers of the dead
- Second Interruption: travel as a political choice
- Trip to the edge of time
- Moulay Ismail`s legacy
- Inside the bastion of power
- Living and praying in the white house
- Seaside snapshots
- Among acrobats, storytellers and poets
- An oasis of luxury and fashions
- Barren lands and iron dogmas
- In Hollywood`s holy land
- 52 days to Timbuktu
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Weiss, Walter M.
ISLAM
An illustrated historical overview
published by Barron`s / Crash Course Series
(Third Edition, 2002)
ISBN 0-7641-1335-6 Price: US-$ 13,95
192 pages, 250 full colour illustr. (picture editor: Walter M. Weiss)
Please order this book at:
www.amazon.com |
|
|
ABOUT THE BOOK:
- The history of Islam, from the revelation of the Koran to the present, from the Prophet Muhammad
- to the Ayatollah Khomeini, and from Saladin to Anwar el-Sadat.
- Explains the fundamental principles of Muslim belief, including justice, ethics, and mysticism, ideas
- about Allâh and prayer, Imâns, qâdî, muftî, human rights, and the role of women.
- Offers insight into everyday life, customs, festivals, art, philosophy, scholarly achievements,
- madrasahs, and mosques, past and present, ranging from the Maghreb to Arabia, from southeast
- Asia and Africa to the diaspora in Europe and the United States.
- Includes a listing of Islamic museums around the world, a chronology, a bibliography, and an extensiv
- glossary.
- An introduction to the world of Islam, with the clarity of an encyclopedia, the readibility of a novel,
- and the appeal of a picture book.
PREFACE:
To portray a religion as complex as Islam definitively within the span of two hundred pages is not only a challenge, but to some extent also an impossibility. Islam today has far more than a billon adherents - about one-fifth of the world`s population - and the prescribed brevity of this volume necessitates rigorous selectivity, leading to an inevitable neglect of important aspects. As a result, this work makes no claim to being a comprehensive study. Instead, it offers a readable introduction to the world of Islam and a practical survey of a religious movement whose influence on world affairs has been steadily increasing in recent years - a religion which, especially since the fall of Communism, has often been misunderstood and designated as a new ideological threat by the post-Enlightenment, liberal West.
From its beginnings, the history of Islam has been inextricably intertwined with Arabian culture and history. Whether as warlike crusaders or peaceable tradesmen, Arabs carried their new religion to the shores of the Atlantic and the China Sea and into the inner recesses of Africa and Asia. In the course of this expansion, Islam was naturally enough adopted by many non-Arab peoples, sometimes by choice, sometimes by coercion. Accordingly, this book addresses both the common principles of the Islamic faith as well as the numerous regional forms that arose in response to various cultural contacts through the ages.
Unity and diversity - by means of systematic adherence to these two only seemingly contradictory phenomena that characterize Islam, this book traces the large patterns in the historical development of Islam and the political developments intimately connected to them. Parallel to this chronological depiction, we will also deal in depth with the roots of the religion (the Koran, the sharîah, the prophetic tradition, etc.) as well as the most important aspects of daily life, such as the rituals marking the progress of the year and the stages of human life. In addition, such controversial and much-debated issues as the status of women and the pervasive trend to re-Islamization will be addressed.
At root, this volume embodies the author`s deep-seated desire to counter the simplifications and prejudices to which Western media too often falls victim. In addition, this work hopes to mediate between the religious and spiritual worlds of East and West, between two realms that have again and again been polarized into far too antithetical categories during the course of almost 1.400 years of common history, even into the present day. Walter M. Weiss
CONTENT:
The Beginnings of Islam
- A Geopolitical Overview
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- The Youth and Calling of the Prophet
- After the Hijrah: From Preacher to Politician
- Political Triumph
- The Age of the „Rightly Guided“ Caliphs
- The Koran
Tenets of the Faith
- Allâh, Angels, and Paradise
- Significance of the Prophets
- The Five Pillars
- The Shahâdah
- Prayer (salâh)
- Alms Tax (zakâh)
- Fastin (sawm)
- Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj)
- Tradition and Islamic Law
Islamic Life
- Ethics and Laws
- Profit and Interest
- Food, Colors, Clothing
- The Vexed Question of the Veil
- The Status of Women
- "Those who must be protected" (ahl adh-dhimma)
- The Calendar
- Celebrations Through the Year
- Rituals and Ceremonies in the
- Course of Life
- The Mosque
The Shîah Tradition
- Origin of the Schism
- Salvation and Martyrdom
- Twelver, Fiver and Sevener Shîism
- Assassins, Druzes, Alavites, Khârijites
- Islamic Ranks and Titles
The Early Kingdoms
- The Second Great Wave of Conquests
- Second and Third Civil Wars
- The Golden Age of the Abbasids
- Erosion and Decline of the Empire
- Political Fragmentation
- Al-Andalus and the Great Berber Realm
- Arabic Names
The Flowering of Arabic-Islamic Culture
- Philosophy and Science
- Literature and Music
- Fine Arts
The Traditional Arabian City
- Social Organization and Status
- Contrasts in Property and Wealth
- Dependence on the Central Power
- Spheres of Life
- The Institution of the Bazaar
- The Crusades
The Mongol and Ottoman Eras
- The Seljûks and Their Successors
- Jenghiz Khân, Hülägü, and Timur
- The Mamlûks in Egypt
- The Rise of the Ottomans
- The Flowering of the Realm
- The Decline of the Ottomans
- Iran: The Safavids
- India: The Moghuls
- Sufis and Mystics
The Islamic World in Flux
- Egypt - Napoleon and the British Occupation
- The Exotic Charms of the Orient
- Egypts Modernizes under Muhammad Ali
- Therapy for the "Sick Man on the Bosporus"
- The First World War in the Near East
- The Maghreb States
- Central Asia and the
- Caucasus
- Pakistan and Bangladesh
- Border Regions of Asia and Africa
- Wahhâbis and the Saudi State
- The Sanûsi and
- Ahmadi
Recent Decades
- Pan-Arabism: The Baath and Nasser
- The Politics of Oil
- Re-Islamization and Fundamentalism
- Current Developments and Critical Points
- The Arab-Israeli Conflict
Glossar - Chronology - Museums and Collections of Islamic Art - Bibliography - Note on Phonetic
Transcriptions and Pronunciation
|
|
|
|
 |
The United Arab Emirates and Oman
Two Pearls of Arabia
Text by Walter M. Weiss
Photographs by Kurt-Michael Westermann
Published 1999 by Motivate Publishing, Dubai
204 pages with approx. 250 colour illustrations and a map
32 x 24 cm
ISBN 1-86063-032 4
Please order this book at:
www.amazon.com |
|
|
|
ABOUT THE BOOK:
"The United Arab Emirates and Oman" presents a timeless insight into a fascinating region - one which has only recently been discovered as a worthwhile travel destination. Stunning photographs and an engaging narrative depict sweeping landscapes, ultra-modern cities and a people who are rooted in their traditions but also open to progress and waiting to welcome visitors to their countries. These images will provide both residents and visitors alike with a lasting record of two extraordinary lands.
Skyscrapers and Bedouin tents, luxury cars side by side with camels... Nowhere else in the world can such marked contrasts in culture be found as within this region between the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. A closer look reveals that carefully preserved traditions and unlimited trust in modern technology can combine to create a society which is a model of political stability and tolerance, with high standards of administration, organisation and health care.
Only the spectacular and varied landspace surpasses this fascinating cultural spectacle. Not only are there the legendary frankincense trees, the pearl banks and the oil reserves, but also a wild and rugged mountain range with palm-fringed wadis, endless desert dunes, countless pristine sandy beaches, a sea which is a paradise for divers, and - in the south of Oman - a lushly fertile strip of land with a subtropical monsoon climate.
"The United Arab Emirates and Oman" takes the reader on a journey from the oilfields and cityscapes of Abu Dhabi to the vibrant trade centre of Dubai; from the smaller emirates in the north-east to the sand dunes of the hinterland; from subtropical Dhofar in southern Oman, to the bizarre fjords of the Musandam Peninsula in the far north.
It is concluded by interviews with representatives from different sectors of the population and professions, whilst the glossary provides descriptions of the regions, places and cultural sites worthy of a visit. A map, a historical timeline and a list of further reading suggestions make the book a practical tool for planning a journey within these "Two Pearls of Arabia".
CONTENT:
Dubai:
THE GOLDMINE IN THE DESERT SANDS
Abu Dhabi and the smaller Emirates:
A TINY COUNTRY BUT AN OIL GIANT
Muscat and the coastal plain:
IN THE HOMELAND OF SINDBAD AND THE SULTANS
Sur, Sharquiyah and the Hajar mountains:
OF DAGGERS, DHOWS AND DATES
Dhofar and Musandam:
THROUGH ARABIA`S TROPICS AND FJORDS
THE EMIRATES AND OMAN FROM WITHIN:
People talking about their lives
Glossary of Places - Chronological Table - Bibliography
|
|
|
|
 |
Weiss, Walter M.
Looking for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
A Travel Companion Through Salzburg, Prague and Vienna
published by C. Brandstaetter/Vienna
ISBN 3-85447-686-8 Price: Euro 20,13
175 pages, 162 full colour & 66 black-and white illustr.
Please order this book at:
www.bookservice.at
www.amazon.com |
|
|
A Companion that follows the "greatest musical genius", and approaches Mozart "bio- and topographically": A comprehensive guide to the places where he lived, stayed and worked, in Salzburg, Vienna and Prague, that also covers his extensive travels.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Contemporary of the Enlightened and Joseph II., musician of the Prince Archbishops and Emperors, recipient of heavenly inspiration and a noble kick in the pants, Freemason, rude clown and traveller. A Cosmopolitan journeying between European Capitals, at home in three cities: Salzburg, his birthplace; Vienna, his home; and Prague, where his music was adored. Beyond all biographical and musical speculation Mozart can be found - to mention just a few stations - between Getreidegasse 9, the Cathedral and Tanzmeisterhaus in his less favoured Salzburg; between Milchgasse, Trattnerhof and Rauhensteingasse (the more famous of the Viennese addresses), and the Bertramka and the Estates Theatre in Prague.
This Companion enables the reader to discover Mozart in a different light, tracing the steps of his life with the help of a detailed chronological table, detailed city maps, comprehensive supplements concerning the three cities and numerous pictures. The reader is guided through his biography, following and seeing, at a discretional distance of over two hundred years, how he lived, what instruments he played, which orchestra pits he stood in, where he played the fool with his friends and where he was alone with his compositions. There is no way of getting any closer to him, other than listening to his music.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sur l`auteur:
Walter M. Weiss, né à Vienne en 1961, a fait des études d`histoire, de journalisme et de politique. Rédacteur en chef de plusieurs revues, il a effectué de multiples voyages pour celles-ci et publié divers guideset ouvrages sur les pays islamiques dont il s`est fait une spécialité. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Souks et Bazars d`Orient
De Fès à Samarkand
Texte: Walter M. Weiss
Photographies: Kurt-Michael Westermann
Traduit de l`allemand par Denis-Armand Canal
Publiè 1996 par Arthaud / Flammarion
256 pages avec 345 photos en couleur et 16 cartes
32 x 24 cm
ISBN 2-7003-1077-2 FF 380.-
(pour le moment - épuisé) |
|
|
SUR LE LIVRE:
À un moment où l`attention de l`Occident se tourne vers le monde islamique avec un intérêt croissant mêlé d`effroi irraisonné, cet ouvrage nous invite à un voyage dans les bazars des vieilles métropoles islamiques, foyers de commerce et de foi dont la communauté musulmane a toujours tiré sa force vitale. On y découvrira un fascinant royaume des sens, où le temps, l`espace, le présent et la mort ont gardé leur signification ancienne, où le Moyen Âge vit encore à bien des égards. Pour autant, ce livre ne dissimule pas les dangers auxquels cette culture urbaine est exposée du fait de l`irruption brutale d`une modernité souvent agressive. Après un regard d`ensemble sur l`histoire du commerce oriental, on y retrace les origines du bazar en explorant les marchés de l`Antiquité, les caravansérails et les comptoirs fortifiés des débuts de l`Islam. Le lecteur suivra la route des caravanes qui apportaient la soie, l`encens, l`ambre et les épices au pas mesuré de l`inséparable compagnon du marchand: le chameau.
Ce livre veut aussi montrer que le bazar n`est pas simplement un lacis de ruelles pittoresques, mais une institution extrêmement complexe et enrichie par les siècles, une "ville dans la ville" où l`on trouve tout: commerce de gros et de détail, bien sûr, mais aussi institutions financières, ateliers et manufactures, fontaines et bains publics, tavernes et hôpitaux, auberges, écoles coraniques et mosquées. On y explique aussi les particularités architecturales, les rituels de la prière, du marchandage et de fêtes.
Un chapitre central est réservé aux commerces et aux artisanats traditionnels. Le lecteur visitera le marché aux chameaux, aux bijoux, au sucre; les ateliers des luthiers, des tisserands, des mosaistes, des souffleurs de verre et des forgerons de cuivre. Enfin il rencontrera des représentants de métiers presque disparus de notre Occident, fabriquants d`épées et de poignards, fourbisseurs, porteurs d`eau, magiciens, conteurs, soyeux, cardeurs et foulons...
SOMMAIRE:
AU ROYAUME DES SENS
Impressions au coeur de la médinah
L`ÉTERNELLE CARAVANE - PETITE HISTOIRE DU COMMERCE
Les grandes routes: les pistes de l`encens, de l`ambre, de la soie et de l`or
Le chameau: le plus grand cadeau d`Allah
SANCTUAIRE ET MARCHÉ - LE FONCTIONNEMENT DU BAZAR
Le plaisir de vivre: la raison du coeur
La sociéte: imams, cadis et inspecteurs du marché
Espaces spécialisés: mosquées, boutiques et caravansérails
L`élixir de vie: l`eau et ses usages
ARTISANS ET MARCHANDS - LES TRAVAUX ET LES JOURS
Les tapis: du métier au salon
Les vêtements: du tchador au kaften
Les fabricants de chéchias de Tunis
Les bijoux: des trésors qui protègent
Les parfums des Mille et une nuits
Café, tabac et douceurs: les plaisirs du quotidien
Médecine et magie: la guérison par la foi
Calligraphie et peinture: des lettres et des images
Bois: tourneurs et ébénistes
Le verre: les derniers maîtres-souffleurs
Les métaux: forgerons et chaudronniers
La céramique: potiers et fabricants de carreaux
Le cuir: tanneurs et teinturiers de Fès
LES HAUTS LIEUX DE LA VIE - PORTRAIT DES PLUS BEAUX BAZARS
Carte d`ensemble: le monde des bazars
Le Caire - Damas - Alep - Istamboul - Sanaa - Doubai - Kairouan - Tunis - Marrakech - Fès - Chiraz - Isfahan - Samarkand, Boukhara et Khiva
POSTFACE: La Lumière des Bazars
Crédits - Glossaire - Chronologie - Bibliographie - Index
PRÉFACE:
Ma première rencontre avec l`Orient s`est faite au début des années quatre-vingts, au Caire. C`était en dehors de la ville, dans la nécropole. Le khamsin, le terrible vent du désert, avait enveloppé le monde d`un manteau de poussière grise. La fumée des ordures qui se consumaient non loin de là piquait les yeux. L`air était brûlant. Les ruelles zigzaguant entre les tombes et les cabanes de planches, serrées les unes contre les autres, étaient vides, d`une infinie tristesse.
Alors surgit une jeune femme, drapée dans un voile de ghalabiyeh aussi multicolore que râpé; elle portait deux bidons d`eau. Lorsque nos pas se croisèrent, elle me surprit par un salut rieur. Quel rire c`était! "Toute cette pauvreté affligeante que tu vois là", me disaient ses yeux, "ne saurait m`affecter. Le quotidien ne m`accable pas, parce que je puise ma force à d`autres sources." Un tel rire dans un quartier pauvre de la vieille Europe? Impensable.
Depuis, j`ai fait quelque trente voyage dans les pays de l`islam; j`ai vu leurs mosquées, leurs palais et leurs paysages grandioses. Pourtant, ce qui mà le plus étonné - et je sais quelles contradictions renferme le cliché romantique usé de l`Orient "spirituel" - c`est la gaieté et le sens du présent qui animent les peuples de ces contrées. Leur foi inébranlable en Dieu, aussi. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry a écrit: "Il y a des gens de l`autoroute et des gens du sentier. Les gens de l`autoroute m`ennuient. Je m`ennuie sur l`asphalte, entre les bornes kilométrique. Ces gens-là visent quelque chose de précis: un gain, un succès. Mais le long des sentiers, à la place des bornes kilométriques, il y a des buissons de noisetiers. Et l`on y flâne pour croquer des noisettes. On est là pour être là." Dans les ruelles des bazars, il n`y a pas de borne kilométriques.
Les moyens de communication de masse tendent souvent à implifier, à schmématiser. Dans leur recherche de boucs émissaires, ils ont retrouvé depuis quelques années les terres arabes. Comme à plusieurs reprises depuis le temps des Croisades, l`Orient est percu en Occident - et, d`une autre manière, réciproquement - comme une menace. Dans le vacarme des opinions, les propagandistes seuls se font entendre; les penseurs silencieux ne rencontrent guère d`attention. Dans l`inconscient collectif de l`Occident, peu s`en faut ainsi que chaque musulman ne passe pour un fanatique imprévisible.
Heureusement, une nouvelle génération d`orientalistes et d`islamologues se manifeste aujourd d`hui et s`efforce d`offrir au public une plus juste vision des choses, alors que la routine médiatique se contente le plus souvent de remâcher des clichés alarmistes. Il est d`autant plus surprenant que peu d`auteurs - et uniquement des universitaires - se soient occupés du phénomène des bazars. On ne trouve que trè peu de livres disponibles - et accessibles au profane - traitant de cette institution propre à la culture du monde islamique, sous toutes ses facettes.
Nous en arrivons ainsi au propos même de cet ouvrage: à nos yeux d`auteur et de photographe, deux raisons le justifient avant tout. Il s`agit d`abord d`expliquer t de faire découvrir, car un bazar est beaucoup plus que ce labyrinthe d`ateliers et d`échoppes dans lequel les touristes vont faire leurs emplettes avant de s`y perdre. C`est une "ville dans la ville", avec des formes de vie et de commerce spécifiques, sans compter une assise spirituelle dont la société occidentale, si étriquée, si mesquine, aurait beaucoup à apprendre en matière de travail, de temps et de solidarité.
Il s`agit ensuite de dresser un inventaire, un état des lieux. En effet, bien des bazars paraissent intacts au premier coup d`oeil, mais leurs caractéristiques les plus traditionelles - bâtiments et métiers, anciens, moeurs et valeurs, atmosphère et esthétique - sont menacées de disparition sous l`influence de l`Occident, de sa techniqueq et de ses industries.
Au temps où les Européens installaient l`électricité dans sa patrie récemment conquise, un cheikh de Tanger remarquait un jour avec une moue moqueuse: "Si ces gens-là priaient cinq fois par jour, ils oublieraient ce genre d`enfantillages." |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Vienna
Tascabili per Viaggiare
Testo: Walter M. Weiss
240 pagine
Edizione italiana a cura di:
Guido Tommasi Editore / DATANOVA - Milano, 2002
Traduzione: Marco Castellari
ISBN 3-7701-6203-X
€ 14.00
|
|
|
Informazioni dettagliate
Informazioni aggiornate e dettagliate sulla città e su cosa vedere, orari di
apertura, alberghi, ristoranti, caffè, locali di tendenza, luoghi d`incontro
e consigli per lo shopping.
Piante della città
Vienna passo per passo, zona per zona. Piante chiare dettagliate e in grande
formato facilitano l`orientamento, indicano i luoghi da non perdere e i
punti di ristoro.
Approfondimenti
Interessanti reportage e approfondimenti: così conoscerete lo scenario di
Vienna come se fosse la vostra città. Pagine tematiche su storia, arte e
cultura della capitale austriaca.
Mappa stradale
Una mappa dettagliata studiata in funzione della guida: tutti gli indirizzi
- dagli hotel ai musei - sono facili e rapidi da trovare grazie alle precise
coordinate riportate nel testo.
.
|
|
|
|
 |
Venezia
Tascabili per Viaggiare
Testo: Walter M. Weiss
240 pagine
Edizione italiana a cura di:
Guido Tommasi Editore / DATANOVA - Milano, 2002
Traduzione: Marco Castellari
ISBN 3-7701-6213-7
€ 14.00
|
|
|
Informazioni dettagliate
I luoghi da non perdere, gli orari, gli alloggi, i ristoranti, i bar, i
locali di tendenza e molti consigli per fare acquisti. Informazioni
aggiornate, commentate e verificate sul posto
Piante della città
Venezia passo per passo, sestiere per sestiere. Piante in grande formato vi
aiuteranno a scoprire ogni angolo della Città, monumenti e calli, campi e
canali
Approfondimenti
Interessani reportage e informazioni sulla vita a Venezia: per comprendere
lo spirito, le tradizioni e la storia di questa città unica al mondo e dei
suoi abitanti.
Mappa stradale
Una mappa dettagliata studiata in funzione della guida: tutti gli indirizzi,
dagli alberghi ai musei, sono facili da trovare grazie alle precise
coordinate riportate nel testo.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
