Layla S. Diba

Beautiful volume full of misinformation. The author is an expert in Islamic art, but knows nothing of Turkoman art. She imposes an Islamic interpretation upon the Turkoman forms which originated prior to the Turkoman becoming Muslims. She totally denigrates the work of Dieter and Reinhold Schletzer, imposing her own interpretations for the objects shown. she states that the forms shown are Islamic, not uniquely Turkoman. Were this the case, one would expect to see these forms in many other Islamic countries. Such is not the case. The forms shown are found only among the Turkoman. She also sees Turkish influences in the art of the Turkoman. Obviously she is unaware that the Turks are descendents of the Turkomann. The result of two migrations into Anatolia from Central Asia. Rather than seeing Turkish influences in Turkoman art, one would expect to see Turkoman influences in modern Turkish art, After all, they were once the same people.… (meer)