This lecture focuses ont: defensive architecture in the Islamic world and its key elements and importance; the features and characteristics of military architecture in different countries of the Islamic world; and their historical background and importance through rehabilitation projects including the citadels of Aleppo in Syria, Herat in Afghanistan and Bahla in Oman.

This lecture focuses on: the aesthetic qualities of Islamic architectural expression, and the factors that shaped their course and development; variations in their evolution throughout the different regions of the Islamic world; the impact of these qualities on spatial perception; the differences, similarities and peculiarities of regional paradigms in comparison to high end Islamic architecture, through two mosques as case studies: Quwwat al-Islam in India and Masjid al-’Ali in Oman.

This lecture focuses on: planning, design and implementation of contemporary urban provisions within historic settings as a necessary pathway towards their sensitive transition into the future; urban regeneration programmes as tools for integrated heritage preservation, infrastructural and socio-economic development. These are illustrated through examples from different geographical and cultural contexts, with the aim of offering a comparative understanding of intervention strategies and their impact in both ‘high’ and ‘peripheral’ Islamic traditional settings; examples of urban regeneration and infrastructural development, through the presentation of the Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge, Iran (AKAA), and the Misfat al-Abriyin Adaptive Reuse, Oman (ArCHIAM). Citation ArCHIAM. “Lecture 10: Adaptive Reuse and Infrastructure.” Part ten of 10 presentations developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2018.

This lecture focuses on: the importance of building a resilient community through collaborative rehabilitation efforts; participatory design methods and strategies applied to restoration and adaptive reuse initiatives; the necessity of addressing community needs and anticipating future aspirations, particularly in vernacular contexts of the Islamic world; a community rehabilitation project, the Earthen Architecture Programme in Mali, as well as an initiative for the establishment of a community cooperative in Misfat al-Abriyin, Oman.

The first lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson covers the early Ummayad Dynasty and the Dome of the Rock. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “The Dome of the Rock.” Lesson 1/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The fourth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson looks comparatively at the Mosque of Córdoba in relation to near contemporary prototypes in terms of morphology (building components: domes, arcades, different kinds of roofing), plan, construction techniques, and decoration. Second, this lesson will discuss Al-Hakam II’s refurbishment from 962 to 969 and the ways that they assert an ideology of Umayyad victory. Third, the palace at Madinat al-Zahra was built 3 miles outside of Córdoba as the new administrative and royal seat of the Umayyad caliph. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “Architecture of Exile The Umayyads of Spain.” Lesson 4/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The sixth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson covers the Abbasid Dynasty and architecture in Baghdad, Samarra and the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “Architecture of Empire The Abbasids.” Lesson 6/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The tenth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson explores cultural connections and interactions between the two new frontiers of Islam, namely Anatolia and India, through the newly emerging architectural styles, forms and decorative programs in both regions. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “The Seljuks and New Frontiers in Anatolia and India.” Lesson 10/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The eleventh lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson will explore how new kinds of cities and palaces developed under the Mongols to reflect forms of cultural and artistic adaptations and assimilations. These adaptations were driven by Mongol lifestyle which was nomadic, and the sedentary territories over which they ruled. What were the effects of adapting to aspects of sedentary culture? How did this relate to changes in artistic and architectural practices? How do we define permanent and portable architecture? How do these differences relate to nomadic and sedentary lifestyles? Another part of what we will focus on today involves the very close connections that are established between Qubilai Khan, the Great Khan of China and Mongolia, and the lands of Greater Iran ruled over by the Ilkhanid dynasty founded by Hülegü, Qubilai Khan’s brother. How does urban planning in contemporary China compare and contrast with Iran? Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “Between Portable and Permanent Architecture.” Lesson 11/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The twelfth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson explores a dialogue between soft and hard architecture, between an architecture that is portable, ephemeral and essentially nomadic in nature, and its intersection with sedentary forms of architecture that were mostly permanent and fixed. What exchanges occurred between temporary and permanent architecture? How do ceramic tiles reflect the impact of portable architecture? In Timurid Samarqand, we will explore a slightly different process of assimilation than that of the Ilkhanid projects, which primarily functioned as translation from the nomadic to sedentary. Rather, we will investigate how Timur and the nomadic tribes of Central Asia, who were already deeply familiar with the traditions of sedentary Islam, accumulated and redirected diverse cultural and aesthetic traditions. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “Timurid Cities in Iran and Central Asia.” Lesson 12/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The fifteenth and sixteenth lessons in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. Th lessons explores the ways in which the Mamluks inscribed their political power and presence on the urban landscape of Cairo. How did they transform the monumental topography of Cairo? On which parts of the city was Mamluk patronage activity focused? We will learn about architectural innovations in Cairo through one main case study, the construction of the Sultan Hasan complex. How did the waqf system become a tool for the Mamluk elite to display their piety to the public and also to protect their wealth. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “The Madrasa-Mosque Complex of Sultan Hasan and the Mamluk System of Charitable Endowments.” Lesson 15-16/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The fifth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson covers the Abbasid Dynasty and the cities of Baghdad and Samarra. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “New Abbasid Cities Baghdad and Samarra .” Lesson 5/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

Research and Teaching Materials This series of presentations (narrated and unnarrated) presents a comparative picture of urban and architectural form across the vast geographical region commonly referred to as the Islamic World. Examples from both the so-called ‘high’ and ‘peripheral’ Islamic traditions are presented in the lectures, aiming at providing a thorough understanding of both the distinctiveness and diversity of outlying cultures and their established architectural practices.

The ninth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson addresses the artistic and architectural developments from 1050 to 1250 will be discussed with a major focus on the mosque and hospital complex in Divriği, north central Anatolia. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “The Mosque and Hospital Complex of Divrigi.” Lesson 9/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.