De Wereld van de Islam

By Carel J. du Ry van Beest Holle, Amsterdam and Brussels, 1970 (Dutch).

Published by Elsevier in a well illustrated series (1) of artbooks this book's title translates as 'the world of islam.' It contains 275 illustrations, most of which are in colour, from European and some American collections. And it was translated from Dutch in many other languages. The register does not mention Saudi Arabia, Jeddah or even the Hejaz. There is mention of Medina and on page 18 one image of Mecca ('Mekka' in Dutch): an anonymous photograph in colour of people standing in prayer around 'de Kaäba.' The photograph is said to be from the J. du Ry archives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands (2). The book has a content list on the last page, which is like this (in Dutch):

- Inleiding

- Omayyaden

- De Abbasieden

- Nieuwe dynastieën en oude invloeden

- De Toeloeniden

- De Boedjieden

- Samanieden

- Ghaznavieden

- Het emiraat van Côrdoba of de Omayyaden in Spanje

- De Fatiemieden

- De Seldjoeken in Iran

- De Seldjoeken in Turkije

- De Ayyoebieden en enkele lokale dynastieën

- De Mameloeken

- De Ottomaanse Turken

- De Mongolen in Perzië: Ilkhanen en Timoeriden

- De kunst in Perzië tijdens de Safawieden

- India

The cover of the book pictures a 700 to 800 years old Persian bowl in the 'Museum Teheran,' which presumably is the same as now the National Museum of Iran.

On another note the author can also be tracked as giving an inaugural lecture: Wandering in Western Culture at Cape Town University in 1976. Before that professor Charles du Ry was director of the Cape Town Gallery in 1973-1976, now named the Iziko South African National Gallery.   

Notes:

(1) Kunst in Beeld.

(2) Probably author's archive. He was the director of the Rotterdam Historical Museum in the 1960s. Pictures of him can be viewed on the website of the Rotterdam Municipal Archives: 'The director of the Historical Museum, C.J. van Ry van Beest Holle in front of the Schielandhuis.'

September 8, 2017.