An Islamic City Reconsidered: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Samarra by Chase F. Robinson ed.  This book represents the first sustained attempt to understand Islamic urbanism and court life from an interdisciplinary approach. Samarra, the last great example of early Islamic city building in Iraq, was the capital of the Abbasid caliphate and the centre of court culture during the second half of the ninth century. Although archaeologists and art historians have worked on the site extensively, the bounty of numismatic, literary, and historical evidence has hardly been tapped. Since much of this evidence overlaps, Samarra offers unique insights into the character of city building, administration, military history, court life (ritual, court poetry), and imperial ideology throughout this period. This book is in very good condition, although there are a few dust marks in places. There is a label mark on the back cover which has been removed. There is no dust jacket as issued.