The ornamented facade of the Imayyad 'desert palace' Mshatta is an icon of Islamic art. The facade was once part of a 'desert palace' that was built around the mid-8th century AD in the area of present day Jordan. In the early 20th century it came to Berlin as a gift of the Ottoman sultan. Today it has its place in the Museum fur Islamische Kunst in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin, and is one the major monumental exhibits on the Museum Island.
This book traces the history of Mshatta from the times of its discovery by Western travellers around 1840 to its installation in Berlin, to its destruction during the Second World War, and subsequent reconstruction. Beginning with the archaeological significance of Mshatta, this books examines its reception and impact as an object of modern historiography and museology. A central aspect considered throughout is the intercultural relationship between the object's origin and its European history. Hence, the history of Mshatta in Berlin is also a case study for art historical and/or museal concepts and constructs that inform the perception on non-European Art and culture.
