"Islamic Art and Archaeology in Palestine" ("Art et archeologie islamiques en Palestine") by Myriam Rosen-Ayalon, Left Coast Press, 224 pages, $59

"L'art islamique en Cisjordanie et a Gaza: Pelerinage, sciences, soufisme" ("Islamic art in the West Bank and in Gaza: Pilgrimage, Sciences and Sufism") by Yusuf Natsheh et al., Culture Ministry, Palestinian Authority, Edisud, 254 pages, 19.05 euros

Miriam Rosen-Ayalon, professor emeritus in Islamic art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is still an active and energetic academic. She has bestowed upon us a book, originally in French and recently translated into English, on Islamic art and archaeology in the Holy Land. Or should I say Arab art and archaeology? Although "Islamic" is distinct from "Arab," the difference is irrelevant. The author has inserted the term "Palestine" and thus everything she says is "strictly kosher" for our Palestinian friends. It could be said, with due modesty, that she did something for them that they themselves had not yet been able to do. Of course, the book's discourse revolves around structural and other archaeological finds in the entire Holy Land, without the distinctions imposed by "borders": Her survey covers both what is called "Israel" and what is called the "Palestinian Authority," without excessive philosophizing over ideological issues.

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Two years after her book originally appeared, a Palestinian initiative pleasantly surprised us. It is apparently a collaborative effort not only of art experts who are officials of PA agencies, especially those dealing with archaeology and education, but also of experts associated with the Temple Mount museum and other institutions. Some of the contributors to "L'art islamique en Cisjordanie et a Gaza" [not translated into English] are celebrated scholars and the vast majority are young. I am still unsure whether this initiative came in the wake of Rosen-Ayalon's book, or because of other pressures. The reason for my doubt is the vast difference between the two volumes in question.

The European Union has done its part for the Palestinian book by funding, supervising and consulting on this attractive, colorful and well-known series, which has already featured a book on Islamic art in Spain, and which has come out in various European languages as well as Arabic. The French publisher is Edisud, which specializes in works in the field of oriental studies. Some of them do not take a neutral stand on the Middle East. Oh well, long live freedom of speech! This time, Edisud decided to produce a lovely, cultured, neutral book. Not only does Israel appear on the book's map, the authors even advise tourists interested in seeing all the artistic treasures offered by the PA to arrive via David Ben-Gurion International Airport (if they do not wish to enter from Jordan), thank the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) for the photographs it gave them, and display the photo of a famous Islamic structure, identified definitively as dating back to the 13th century, which some Israeli agency, in collaboration with Israel's civil administration on the West Bank, has identified with a sign declaring that this is the grave of Avner, son of Ner.

Although the inappropriate label might have displeased the authors, it seems to me that it might also displease some of us Israelis. Apparently, the monitoring of this book by the EU and its partners in Europe was fastidious - to the point where they demanded "industrial peace" on the cultural front.

No politics

The obvious difference between the books is that Rosen-Ayalon speaks in detail about major Islamic structures in the Holy Land - all of the Land of Israel, or, if you wish, all of Palestine - without letting herself get dragged into politics, perish the thought. Thus, she not only surveys structures on the Temple Mount, she describes archaeological finds (ceramic and glass objects, rings, even rocks that served as milestones on ancient roads) and especially impressive structures related to Arab culture in Safed, Acre, Abu Ghosh, Beit She'an, Lod and Ramle.

In contrast, the Palestinian book focuses solely on the PA. No mention of Acre, Beit She'an or their sister communities. One possible reason is that the authors wanted to produce a guide for educated tourists interested in bibliographical and other background materials, the building plans of structures, etc. Naturally, I am very hopeful that there will be real (not virtual) tourists who will indeed decide to visit the territories under the PA's jurisdiction during the present period.

The difference between a scholarly work, which is what Rosen-Ayalon has produced, and the Palestinian book is simple. A scholarly work discusses its subject material in a scientific manner and contains summaries of research studies and material that has appeared in scientific forums. As a work of scholarship, "Islamic Art and Archaeology of Palestine" does not merely summarize the current situation, presenting a sampling of studies on the subject. The author was herself a consultant during excavations and the process of identifying the finds. That is why she includes footnotes and references, and provides us with a large bibliography. In contrast, "L'art islamique en Cisjordanie et a Gaza" is parsimonious with its notes and bibliographical references, although it does have a number of pages of them.

Furthermore, several major research studies are conspicuous by their absence in this book. Some of the authors and contributors attended the Hebrew University, although that point is camouflaged in the biographical-academic summaries at the back of the book. Since some of them worked and studied in schools in the United States and Egypt, they should at least present a fuller bibliography of works by American and Egyptian scholars. The fact that the book is a tourist guide with a modicum - actually more than that - of scholarship forces us to be more lenient in assessing it.

The Palestinian book does have certain attractive and interesting features, and I must admit that I did like it. The photographs are breathtaking and the color printing is top-notch (sometimes, however, there seems an excessive reddishness in some pictures, but I am not an expert on this point) and the survey of Islamic holy sites and Islamic religious institutions - together with their beautiful structures - is truly illuminating. Readers are also in for a surprise: The book surveys, and offers photographs of, the manufacture of woven materials and handicrafts and covers Nablus' famous soap industry.

The breakdown into the various Islamic periods, which all left their artistic mark on the Holy Land, helps Rosen-Ayalon to effectively distribute her accounts of the archaeology, jewelry, delicate artwork and other objects throughout the pages of her book. Thus, readers will not feel overwhelmed by a flood of archaeological-architectural material (which is, of course, her primary subject in this scholarly work).

The splendid history of Islamic art in the Holy Land begins with the Umayyad dynasty, which considered itself a successor to the Byzantine world that emerged from Classical civilization. The next stage is the Abbasid dynasty, whose center shifted to Iraq although the dynasty's early rulers felt very much at home in Palestine and Syria. The final stage of Islamic art in Palestine is the Ottoman period.

A book review cannot convey to the reader the style or the abstracts of the major scholarly studies that Rosen-Ayalon introduces to her readers. Nor can a review convey the colorfulness of the Palestinian book.

Even if two parties claim the same robe, there is no reason why there should be any disagreement or competition, especially that which entails any significant loss. Rosen-Ayalon's book provides me with the opportunity to call attention to the life's work of my teacher from time immemorial, a scholar with a wealth of knowledge, a gifted educator who has produced many teachers and continues to be fresh and vital. May the young Palestinians who worked on "L'art islamique en Cisjordanie" continue their fruitful work, now that they have published a delightful book that is certainly a worthy endeavor.