At the core of Ghazwan Yaghi’s Imperial Ideology and Architecture: Damascus under the Mamlūk Sultans (1260–1516 ce) is an architectural study of an important fifteenth-century building complex in Damascus. Located in the neighbourhood known as Qabr ʿĀtika, south-west of the walled city along the historical Darb al-Sulṭānī street, the complex includes a mosque, minaret, mausoleum, bathhouse, and public fountain – all sponsored by Ghars al-Dīn Khalīl al-Tawrīzī. To scholars of Islamic art, the Tawrīzī complex is perhaps best known for the lavish ceramic revetment of its interior, tiles from which are represented in museum collections worldwide. Because some of these tiles bear a signature, they hold a place of renown in the canon of Islamic art history, where they serve as indices for unattributed ceramic material and provide evidence of artisanal mobility. In most such discussions, however, the original architectural context of the tiles is treated secondarily, if at all.

Yaghi’s study ameliorates this state of affairs. With two maps, two site plans, a comprehensive set of over 14 exquisite architectural renderings, and 27 photographs (most of which capture views of the buildings not published elsewhere and not readily accessible online), the figures alone would have contributed considerably towards that end. Yaghi’s investigation pieces together the history of the Tawrīzī complex from written sources and close visual analysis of its well-preserved remains to create a more complete picture of the buildings, their decoration, and their relationship to each other than has hitherto been available. Comparative references help situate all this within the broader frameworks of the city’s building history, the Mamluk architecture of Cairo, and Islamic architecture more generally. Appendices provide a transcription and translation of the lengthy inscription within the mosque containing passages about the endowment benefitting the institution. Part of the discussion in chapter two contextualizes this information within the system of religious endowment (waqf), explores the specific arrangements made in the case of the Tawrīzī complex relative to general practice, and collates information gleaned from the inscription with that provided in historical written sources.

In spite of this wealth of material, however, the book in hand is not presented as the long-overdue monographic study of a major monument in what is generally considered the second-most prominent city of the Mamluk realm after Cairo. Rather, as the title and subtitle signal, Yaghi’s stated goal is “to examine the relationship between imperial ideology and architecture under the rule of the Mamlūk sultans, and to shed further light on the role of pious endowments … in facilitating the legalization of the imperial Mamlūk ideology and guaranteeing its survival” (p. 4). Notwithstanding these broad aims, it is a slim volume consisting of two chapters with a short introduction and even shorter conclusion, which the author sums up with the rather uncontroversial claim that “architecture in Damascus during the Mamluk era bore substantial influence from the political ideologies and religious orientations of the ruling sultans” (p. 97) and the somewhat more arguable statement that “architecture in the Mamluk era served as the primary expression of the imperial ideology that the Mamluk Sultanate’s elite embraced” (p. 98). The Tawrīzī complex is deployed here solely “as a useful case study” (p. 5). Paradoxically, however, the book is at its strongest when discussing the Tawrīzī complex architecture (chapter 1) and analysing the endowment mechanisms that supported it (sections 1 and 2 of chapter 2), but at its weakest when generalizing about “imperial ideology” under the Mamluks (introduction, section 3 of chapter 2, and conclusion). When engaged in the latter endeavour, the discussion tends to become more declarative than demonstrative, too often veering into tautologies and truisms. The author’s interpretation of the term “imperial ideology” as it relates to the Mamluks and their architecture in Damascus remains hazy, although a footnote in the introduction provides an oddly protracted definition of the word “ideology” (p. 1, note 2). It may be a point of style, but Yaghi’s editors should have advised against the enumeration of his arguments (pp. 38-42 and pp. 89–96), which comes off as wooden. They could also have served him better in the footnotes, bibliography, and Figure captions, where numerous inconsistencies and sentence fragments distract the reader.

Importantly, however, these flaws do not detract from the overall value of the publication, which lies in its contribution towards synthesizing and contextualizing the architecture of the Tawrīzī complex. Yaghi’s research highlights the exceptionality of this monument in almost every respect – its planning process, its layout, its architectural ornamentation, and its epigraphic treatment. A future publication might build on this compelling outline to generate a splendid, in-depth monographic study of the complex. Indeed, the author acknowledges that the monument represents a “special case … worthy of further investigation and study” (p. 30). One might delve further into historical and documentary sources in search of additional biographical information about the elusive patron and his background, connections, and career. It should be possible to discuss the acquisition and history of the building sites further. The urban context could be developed. Such a monograph could include an up-to-date state-of-the-research summary of the tiles. Notable features, such as the painted ceiling of the main portico (Fig. 22) and the original stucco and coloured glass windows of the prayer hall (p. 48) deserve deeper research. Further comparative analysis (and images of comparanda) might be included. A detailed investigation of the architectural afterlife of the structures, including renovations and conservation efforts, would flesh out and clarify the building history of the complex (and might include research into how and when the tiles were removed and collected). These are just a few of the directions that suggest themselves. Yaghi has produced a significant and tantalizing study that demonstrates the viability of an expanded version. In the meantime, Imperial Ideology and Architecture: Damascus under the Mamlūk Sultans (1260–1516 ce) represents a substantive contribution to the architectural history of Damascus.