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islamic-art

Islamic Art and Architecture

Islamic Art and Architecture represents a core RBSCL collection strength. Contemporary and rare book, periodical journal, and primary source holdings are the strongest for Egypt, but geographical coverage spans the Islamic world from Spain through North Africa and the Middle East to Iran, India, and Southeast Asia.
  1. Rare Books and Special Collections Library (RBSCL)
  2. RBSCL Collections
  3. Islamic Art and Architecture

Architecture is the emphasis of the collection, especially for Cairo and its monuments and their conservation, but decorative and applied arts like painting, ceramics, metalwork, textiles, and woodwork are also covered.

The library of pioneering Islamic art and architecture scholar K.A.C. Creswell formed the basis for these holdings, which are regularly updated. Many texts are highly illustrated with drawings, photographs (later materials), or ground plans for monuments (like the 19th-century works of  French scholar Prisse d'Avennes and Owen Jones). Works of scholarship are supplemented by histories and contemporary descriptions and travel accounts like the Description de L’Egypte and the works of David Roberts. Studies on the architecture of the ancient Mediterranean world and Near East are also available.

RBSCL’s primary resources support this area of study, with extensive photographic holdings like K.A.C. Creswell’s world renowned photograph collection (featuring 10,000 images of Islamic monuments in Egypt, but covering most of the Middle East, made and collected by Creswell in the early and mid-20th century). Notable are several thousand 19th and early 20th-century prints at RBSCL depicting architecture in Egypt and the region.

The library houses other archival collections related to Islamic Art and Architecture, including the writings, building drawings and plans, and correspondence of leading scholars in the field like Creswell, George Scanlon, and Christel Kessler. The archive for Salah Lamei’s Centre for Conservation and Preservation of Islamic Architectural Heritage (1984-2016) documents restoration activities throughout Egypt and the Middle East. Maps for cities and sites, especially Cairo, show the location of monuments. Theses completed by students in AUC's program in Islamic art and architecture are also available. 

 

For guidance, contact our specialists and see visiting and doing research.

Search our collections via the Library Catalog and Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library.