An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said

The Old City of Ghadames in Libya, which is today a major tourist attraction, has some old dwellings that contain intricate and meaningful ornamental art. This thesis seeks to investigate these artistic works and decipher their symbolic meanings. This is because, to the modem generation, even of art...

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Main Author:	Ben Said, Samira Nuri
Format:	Thesis
Language:	English
Published:	2014
Online Access:	http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/16489/ http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/16489/1/ABS_SAMIRA%20NURI%20BEN%20SAID%20TDRA%20VOL%205%20IGS_14.pdf

id	uitm-16489
recordtype	eprints
spelling	uitm-164892018-10-02T07:44:01Z http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/16489/ An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said Ben Said, Samira Nuri The Old City of Ghadames in Libya, which is today a major tourist attraction, has some old dwellings that contain intricate and meaningful ornamental art. This thesis seeks to investigate these artistic works and decipher their symbolic meanings. This is because, to the modem generation, even of artists and craftsmen, these meanings are lost and these generations-old artefacts are viewed merely as beautiful visual art. This research seeks to solve this problem and the main objectives are (a) to analyse the roots of the selected traditional decorative motifs in the built environment in Ghadames old city of Libya; (b) to uncover the symbolic meanings of these decorative elements found in the architecture in Ghadames old city; and (c) to provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of traditional decorative elements, and symbols found in selected buildings in Ghadames old city in Libya. Towards this end, the researcher investigated a wide range of such art in various countries of the region to determine the history and influence of early colonial presence by various countries that has left this creative artistic legacy in the Old City of Ghadames. Within the framework of the study, the historical background of Ghadames’s art motifs in architecture and the decorative units are related to various factors including the natural environment and socio-cultural background. The focus is on seven private dwellings from the 16th through 20th centuries. The ornamental art is analyzed and discussed in the context of their historical time and today’s meaning and usage and includes motifs such as the eight-point star, solar motifs, Tree of Life, triangles, jagged lines, rosette or Flower of Life, among many others. The researcher’s investigation of such ornamental art in other countries of the region reveals the many similarities in art, culture and history and presents a vast panoramic view of the wealth of historical endeavors that have impacted the lives and lifestyles of Libyans as well as the peoples of the regional countries who have been similarly touched by their past. This study provides a glimpse of the many religious beliefs and cultural superstitions of not only the people of Ghadames but also of much of the Arab world and allows for better understanding of their socio-cultural commonalities. 2014 Thesis NonPeerReviewed text en http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/16489/1/ABS_SAMIRA%20NURI%20BEN%20SAID%20TDRA%20VOL%205%20IGS_14.pdf Ben Said, Samira Nuri (2014) An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said. PhD thesis, Universiti Teknologi MARA.
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	Universiti Teknologi MARA
building	UiTM Institutional Repository
collection	Online Access
language	English
description	The Old City of Ghadames in Libya, which is today a major tourist attraction, has some old dwellings that contain intricate and meaningful ornamental art. This thesis seeks to investigate these artistic works and decipher their symbolic meanings. This is because, to the modem generation, even of artists and craftsmen, these meanings are lost and these generations-old artefacts are viewed merely as beautiful visual art. This research seeks to solve this problem and the main objectives are (a) to analyse the roots of the selected traditional decorative motifs in the built environment in Ghadames old city of Libya; (b) to uncover the symbolic meanings of these decorative elements found in the architecture in Ghadames old city; and (c) to provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of traditional decorative elements, and symbols found in selected buildings in Ghadames old city in Libya. Towards this end, the researcher investigated a wide range of such art in various countries of the region to determine the history and influence of early colonial presence by various countries that has left this creative artistic legacy in the Old City of Ghadames. Within the framework of the study, the historical background of Ghadames’s art motifs in architecture and the decorative units are related to various factors including the natural environment and socio-cultural background. The focus is on seven private dwellings from the 16th through 20th centuries. The ornamental art is analyzed and discussed in the context of their historical time and today’s meaning and usage and includes motifs such as the eight-point star, solar motifs, Tree of Life, triangles, jagged lines, rosette or Flower of Life, among many others. The researcher’s investigation of such ornamental art in other countries of the region reveals the many similarities in art, culture and history and presents a vast panoramic view of the wealth of historical endeavors that have impacted the lives and lifestyles of Libyans as well as the peoples of the regional countries who have been similarly touched by their past. This study provides a glimpse of the many religious beliefs and cultural superstitions of not only the people of Ghadames but also of much of the Arab world and allows for better understanding of their socio-cultural commonalities.
format	Thesis
author	Ben Said, Samira Nuri
spellingShingle	Ben Said, Samira Nuri An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said
author_facet	Ben Said, Samira Nuri
author_sort	Ben Said, Samira Nuri
title	An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said
title_short	An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said
title_full	An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said
title_fullStr	An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said
title_full_unstemmed	An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said
title_sort	analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in ghadames old city / samira nuri ben said
publishDate	2014
url	http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/16489/ http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/16489/1/ABS_SAMIRA%20NURI%20BEN%20SAID%20TDRA%20VOL%205%20IGS_14.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T22:56:11Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T22:56:11Z
_version_	1777417869555924992

An analysis of the evolutions of the decorative elements: case study the seven dwellings in Ghadames old city / Samira Nuri Ben Said

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