Iraqi Medieval architecture and decor pictures ?

2782 Views 8 Replies 3 Participants Last post by elusive, Oct 18, 2010

KangalIrandaal

Discussion Starter · Oct 16, 2010 (Edited)

Hello people : )

I've been lurking around the forums for a while, but this is my first post here ... and it's a request

I do illustration for a living and I have been given a story to illustrate, that happens to be set in Medieval Iraq . (Arabian nights kind of tale, with a wise beggar and a sultan, this kind of stuff )

I would like to make it not extremly accurate (it's a tales book, supposed to be fun, not a documentary ) but not ridiculously off track if you see what I mean .
Trouble is my knowledge of how it actually looked is shamefully down to zero. No problem, I see it as a good opportinty to learn and do something about it, instead of copying Disney or using Maghreb as a reference (I know better, being european ) to do my job and forget about it.

Except I don''t want to. I have to draw a Sultan palace interior, a rich man exterior scene with a rich merchand house, and some characters with their outfits.

I obvioulsy started by looking widely over the internet for pictures, which I used to think would come easely. I'm used to do my documentation work alone, and I managed to so far ....
But to my biggest surprise, it's not. :dunno:
Ottoman empire is too vague. I might not use the right words in my searches because all I get are fake nowadays hotel types of stuff or tiny bad quality photos that can't help me....

So here I am, asking to the wise lights of Skycrapers : )
Anyone to provide a link , some words, anything ?

ps : I've seen those threads :
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1153779
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1201187

Awesome discoveries btw, but not what I'm looking for, even tho it DOES help a lot to set the mood !

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BigDreamer

· #2 · Oct 17, 2010

^^ Hi KangalIrandaal, welcome to the forum

Have you had a look at the new Meseum of Iraq website: you might find some insperation there

go to this website, and select "Islamic Era", It has some stuff about medieval baghdad. Not too much stuff tho unfortunately .. but maybe it will help you ..
http://www.virtualmuseumiraq.cnr.it/homeENG.htm

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elusive

· #3 · Oct 17, 2010 (Edited)

searching 1001 nights in google gives such images of sultans, hope it helps:

i suggest you look at some history books or websites for "the round city" which is pretty much medieval baghdad:

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KangalIrandaal

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 17, 2010

Thanks a lot for your answers to my SOS guys !!

The virtual museum doesn't help for a general view of how it looked but will help nicely when I'll go to details . Thank you !
I had come accross this other museum focused on Baghdad, which does have some insights :
http://www.baghdadmuseum.org/posters/qBaghdad_p3.html

As for the 1001 nights google search which is what I started with ,
it indeed does give you some pictures.
Thing is I'm totally incapable of making the difference between Islamic era Turkey , Irak, Iran , etc. I'm helplessly challenged

For what I understood, Turkey influence has been big at some times, and my
worry was to take a Turkish sultan for an Iraki one, or to match an early middle age building to a late middle age costume, this kind of sillyness.
People around here would not see the difference (like me ) and would enjoy the tale the same way.

But I didn't want to end up like they did in LOST series, having a French women with a strong slovene accent when she speaks her very own mother tongue or Hungary featuring as being Italy in an Indian movie. :lol:

Also I have no clue what a rich merchant kind of house would look like.

So Elusive I indeed felt on those pics and some others of the same kind , and my worry was that the red top on the turban would be Turkish .
You would say it isn't ?

Would those references suit then ? :

This for a sultan ( or the one with the red top that elusive did provide ):

This for a rich merchant house : (I would not keep those towers, as I take them for minarets ? See how badly challenged I am ...

)

Altho I'd love to use one of those extremly pretty balconies somewhere :yes:

As for the orientalist european painters, they seemed to have focused on Turkey and Egypt : / .... Maybe it's not that a big deal, I could use them as a reference as at the time they were close enough culturaly ?

Maybe I should just draw an imaginary dreamy Baghdad...

Thanks a lot again for your kindness and insights : )
:hug:

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elusive

· #5 · Oct 17, 2010

i think the red top is a turkish sultan so lose that...just have the last image i provided with feathers...

as with the merchant house, keep the minarets since the abassid palace in baghdad has some:

concentrate on large domes, tiles, archways, fountains etc...
what are you publishing this for?

hope that helps

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KangalIrandaal

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 17, 2010

Thanks A LOT Elusive !! That's exactly the answers I was looking for .
Thanks a ton really !!

To answer your question, it's a command work for a publishing house, that's s what I do.
It's for a children ( 5/7 years old) book, featuring 2 dozens of tales inspired from various countries traditions from the 5 continents.
The dream, smile, travel, open one's mind before falling asleep with a 3-4 pages story reading kind of book : )

Thanks a ton again !! It did help a lot : )

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elusive

· #7 · Oct 17, 2010

KangalIrandaal said:
Thanks A LOT Elusive !! That's exactly the answers I was looking for .
Thanks a ton really !!

To answer your question, it's a command work for a publishing house, that's s what I do.
It's for a children ( 5/7 years old) book, featuring 2 dozens of tales inspired from various countries traditions from the 5 continents.
The dream, smile, travel, open one's mind before falling asleep with a 3-4 pages story reading kind of book : )

Thanks a ton again !! It did help a lot : )

no worries, well let us know the name of the book when its published so we can see your work!

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KangalIrandaal

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 17, 2010 (Edited)

I will send you a message when it's out ! : ) But you have to know it won't be out before a few months from now...

Thanks : )

I just thought I 'd post these links, to orientalist paintings, but they mostly forcus on Turkey, Egypt and Maghreb, and aren't exactly middle age scenes neither... : /

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hohaley/sets/72157601919739824/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/page3/

And here a page featuring a few archeologic Iraki sites from variouseras.
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~wolf0126/photo-index.html

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elusive

· #9 · Oct 18, 2010

^^ haha thanks

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