New to this edition is a chapter ranging from c. 1700 to c. 1900, a period very often neglected in books on this subject. Hillenbrand explores how recent centuries, far from being a dark age, saw extraordinary artistic ferment and creativity across the Islamic world. Throughout, full-colour illustrations of masterpieces of Islamic art and architecture – from Moorish Spain to modern Iran – show the far-reaching stylistic developments as well as the recurrent preoccupations that have shaped the arts of Islam since the seventh century.