Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Abstract
This article examines how the study of medieval Islamic architecture is currently
being practiced. It explores the multiple implications of the much greater volume of
scholarship devoted to Western architecture, which extend from library provision to
job opportunities, from richer resources to a greater theoretical sophistication. It
discusses the specific problems encountered by those who study Islamic architecture,
for example the paucity of documents, the range of languages required, the near-
monopoly of this subject (until recently) by Western scholars operating outside their
cultural comfort zone, or the unfamiliar privileging of epigraphy and vegetal or
geometric ornament rather than sculpture or painting. It highlights the glut of
unpublished material available. Finally, it outlines the types of research that most
urgently need doing in a context of mass tourism and rampant urban development;
and the pleasures and rewards, notably the scope for original work, which the study
of Islamic architecture brings in its train.
Bio
Keywords
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
SAHGB Publications Limited is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to
Architectural History.
http://www.jstor.org