November 10, 2012 “The Three Mosques,” Keynote address at the Vermont Humanities Council Fall Conference, Sacred Spaces, Sacred Places: Religious Architecture and Sites, Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa, Stowe, Vermont
October 5, 2012 “Fabled Cities of the East,” Keynote talk, The International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments (IASTE), 2012 Conference, The Myth of Tradition, University of Oregon, Portland, OR
September 7, 2012 “Reconciling the Concept of Civil Rights with the Islamist Discourse,” in the seminar Roads to a Free Syria, Hudson Institute, Washington DC
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25245810
July 19, 2012 “The Ka‘ba: A Primordial Locus of Memory,” the 33rd Congress of the Comité International d’Histoire de l’Art (CIHA), Nürnberg, Germany
May 10, 2012 “The Historical background of the Syrian Revolution,” The Syrian Struggle for Democracy, MIT Amnesty Chapter, MIT
December 21, 2011 “Whence Islamic Architecture,” in the Symposium, Shaping the Future of Architecture and Urbanism in Islamic Societies, Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, Program of Urban Design and Architecture of Islamic Societies, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
December 20, 2011 “Cairo: From the Premier Islamic Capital to the Modern Metropolis,” Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, Program of Urban Design and Architecture of Islamic Societies, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
November 12, 2011 “In Defense of the Arab Citizen,” Keynote address, Harvard Arab Weekend, Harvard University
November 3, 2011 “Cairo: The Old Metropolis and the Elixir of Modernity,” Fall 2011 Graduate Student Dinner, History Department, Simmons College, Boston, MA
October 27, 2011 “What is Islamic Architecture Anyway?” Warnock Lecture, Department of Art History, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
October 19, 2011 “The Story of Islamic Architecture,” The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
September 15, 2011 “Cairo: The Dialectic of History and Modernity,” Learning From… Lecture Series, The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), Montreal, Canada, http://www.cca.qc.ca/en/education-events/1524-learning-from-cairo-nasser-rabbat
May 29, 2011 “Architecture in Syria: An Index of Mediterranean Cultures,” in the Symposium, Syria: History and Culture, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
March 5, 2011 “Cairo’s Liberation Square,” In the Symposium, The Life of Cities: Parallel Narratives of The Urban, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEdk5xfmbvw
February 19, 2011 “Orientalist Painting and Nostalgia of an Imaginary Past,” (in Arabic), Muscat Festival 2011, Muscat, Oman
January 21, 2011 “Architecture Between Religion and Politics,” Keynote Address and Brendan Gill Lecture in the conference, Middle Ground/Middle East: Religious Sites in Urban Contexts, Yale University, School of Architecture, New Haven, CT
January 5, 2011 “Our Image in Orientalist Painting: Objective Realism or Cultural Chauvinism?” in Tarim Lecture Series, Asad Library, Damascus, Syria
October 19, 2010 “Modernism, Islamism, and the Question of Identity in the Architecture of the Arab World,” Middle East Initiative Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
April 30, 2010 “The Glamour Factor in the Cities of the Arabian Gulf,”
List Art Center, Brown University
April 22, 2010 “Syria: The Forgotten Heir of Antiquity,” Library of Congress, Washington, DC
April 9, 2010 “Modernism, Islamism, and the Question of Identity in the Architecture of the Arab World,” School of Architecture, The University of Miami
March 27, 2010 ‘Politicizing the Religious: Or How the Umayyads Co-opted Classical Iconography,“ Continuity and change: Religious identities in the Levant from Alexander to Muhammad, Conference, the Danish Institute, Damascus, Syria
March 23, 2010 "How Mamluk Architecture Co-opted the Streets of Cairo," Bayard Dodge Distinguished Visiting Professor Lecture, American University in Cairo
March 21, 2010 "Arabic Culture and the Problem of Modernity," (in Arabic), Bayard Dodge Distinguished Visiting Professor Lecture, American University in Cairo
January 16, 2010 “Islamic Art at a Crossraod?,” Plenary Lecture, “Layers of Islamic Art and the Museum Context” Conference, Pergamonmuseum, Berlin
December 9, 2009 “Culture and Glamour in the Arabian Gulf Architecture: The Twain Shall Meet” in the Symposium “Abu Dabi: une capitale en construction,” Louvre Museum, Paris, France
December 3, 2009 “The Architect: A Brief Cultural History,” SMArchS Colloquium, Department of Architecture, MIT
November 12, 2009 “Orientalist Art & Representational Realism,” (in Arabic) The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, Cambridge
November 5, 2009 “Staging the City: How Mamluk Architecture Coopted the Streets of Cairo,” The Aga Khan Program at Harvard University, Cambridge
September 25, 2009 “In Search of a Triumphant Image: The Formative Period in Mamluk Art,” Arts of the Mamluks Conference, SOAS, University of London
September 15, 2009 “Doing Urban History in the Fifteenth Century: al-Maqrizi and his Book on Cairo,” Sahin Seminar Series, MIT
June 12, 2009 “Building the Utopian Capitalist City in the Gulf?” Round-table discussion "Reconsidering Dubai. New Perspectives for Cities in the Middle East?" Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, Aga Khan University, London
June 11, 2009 “The Bicephalic Eagle: A Symbol of Sultan? IISMM (l'Institut d'études de l'Islam et des sociétés du monde musulman, École des hautes etudes en sciences socials (EHESS), Paris
June 5, 2009 “Power and the City: Or How Mamluk Architecture Coopted the Streets of Cairo,” Louvre Museum, Paris
June 4, 2009 “History, the City, and Power: Maqrizi and his Book on the Khitat of Egypt,” IISMM (l'Institut d'études de l'Islam et des sociétés du monde musulman, École des hautes etudes en sciences socials (EHESS), Paris
May 28, 2009 “Shifting Identities: A History of Contemporary Arab Architecture,” Auditorium of the Louvre Museum, Paris
April 20, 2009 “Aluminum Domes, Concrete Arches, and Steel Mushrabiyyas: Architecture in the Arab World and the Predicament of Identity,” 2009 Street Hall Lecture, The Department of the History of Art, Yale University
March 28, 2009 “Maqrizi and the Fatimids,” at the People of the Prophet's House: Art, Architecture and Shi'ism in the Islamic World conference, Co-sponsored by the British Museum and the Institute of Ismaili Studies, the British Museum, London
March 24, 2009 “Some Remarks on the Arabo-Islamic City,” Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Qatar University
January 29, 2009 “Arab History, Culture, and Art,” an introduction to the members of the Boston Children’s Chorus, Boston
December 28, 2008 “Iron Mushrabiyyas, Red Marble, and Concrete Buddhas:The Palaces of Cairo’s Belle-Époque,” American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Cairo
November 24, 2008 “The Experimental Quality of Early Mamluk Art,” Beyond Boundaries-Islamic Art Across Cultures Conference, The Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar
November 6, 2008 “Introduction to the Aga Khan Program in Islamic Architecture,” SMArchS Faculty Colloquium, Department of Architecture, MIT
May 27, 2008 "People and Conservation in Cairo: A Wonderful Example to Learn From," (in Arabic) Conservation Group Meeting, American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Cairo
May 7, 2008 “The Double-Headed Eagle: A symbol of the Sultan?” Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
April 29, 2008 “Architecture in Syria: A Unique Index of Cultural Cross-Fertilization,” (in Arabic) Al-Assad Library, Damascus, Syria
April 7, 2008 “Modernizing Cairo: An Architectural Vision” (in Arabic) Department of Architecture, Fine Arts Faculty, Helwan University, Cairo
April 2, 2008 “Was al-Maqrizi’s Khitat the first Khaldunian History?” Seminar, Bo?aziçi Museum, Bo?aziçi University, Istanbul
April 1, 2008 “The Prison-House of Identity: A Critique of Contemporary Islamic Architecture,” the 2008 Aptullah Kuran Memorial Lecture, Bo?aziçi University, Istanbul
March 12 2008 “Orientalist Art and the Mirage of Realism and Objectivity,” (in Arabic) Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Conference Center, Alexandria
January 21, 2008 “Design Without Representation: Reflections on an Observation by ‘Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi (1162-1231) on Building in Egypt,” Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), Cairo
January 15, 2008 “The Romantic Quest: A Short History of Islamic Architecture,” Shaikh Ebrahim Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research, Manama, Bahrain
January 9, 2008 “History as Identity: A Critique of Modern Islamic Architecture,” American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Cairo
December 13, 2007 “Les salles du trône Mameloukes,” Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale (IFAO), Cairo
September 12, 2007 “History as Identity in Modern Islamic Architecture” Boston Society of Architects (BSA) Lecture Series, Boston Public Library, Boston
September 10, 2007 “The Quixotic Quest: A Brief Historiography of Islamic Architecture,” Department of Art History, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
July 19, 2007 “The Double-Headed Eagle: a Symbol of Sultan?” Gesellschaft der Freunde Islamischer Kunst und Kultur, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich
July 7, 2007 “The Bicephalic Eagle: a Symbol of Sultan?” Colloquium of the Ernst Herzfeld-Gesellschaft zur Erforschung der islamischen Kunst und Archäologie, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna
June 12, 2007 “History as Identity in Contemporary Islamic Architecture,” Inaugural Lecture, Allianz-Gastprofessor für Islamstudien, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich
May 27, 2007 “The Prison House of the Orient: A History of Contemporary Architecture in the Islamic World,” Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HA
March 1, 2007 “The Mars Sign: The Evolution of Cairo from a Palace-City to a Modern Metropolis” Program in Middle Eastern Studies, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
January 31, 2007 “Islamic Architecture and the Veil of Orientalism,” Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ), Doha, Qatar
January 25, 2007 “Islamic Architecture: History, Meaning, and Contemporary Relevance,” A Discussion with recent architecture graduates at the American Cultural Center, Damascus
December 18, 2006 “Nationalism, Modernism, and Heritage in 20th century Mosque Architecture” Department of Architecture, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangaldesh
December 17, 2006 “Toward an Intercultural Model for the Study of Islamic Architecture,” AKTC International Forum, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
November 10, 2006 “The Historical Morphology of Islamic Cairo: Some Observations,” at the Steering Committee meeting, Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Cairo, Egypt
November 7, 2006 “Umayyad Architecture: Spectacular Variations on Classical Themes?” in the Colloquium Late Antique and Early Islamic Archaeology in Bilad al-Sham, organized by the German Archaeological Institute, Damascus, Syria
October 7, 2006 “Islamic Architecture and the Intercultural Method.” In the conference, Sharing Architecture Cultures Across the Maghreb and India, Universidade de Évora, Department of Architecture, Centro de História de Arte, Portugal
May 13, 2006 “What Does one See from a Minaret,” roundtable discussion organized by Spaces for Peace, RISD Auditorium, Providence, RI
May 5, 2006 “Modern Arabic Architecture and the Veil of Orientalism,” in the symposium “Les orientalismes en architecture à l'épreuve des saviors,” Institut National de l’Histoire de l’Art, Paris
April 15, 2006 “Competing Architectural Identities in Modern Cairo,” Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI. Sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, Grand Valley Chapter.
March 27, 2006 “Contemporary Arabic Architecture and the Stranglehold of Identity,” (in Arabic), Department of Architecture, University of Cairo.
March 24, 2006 «The Meaning of Sultan: A Clue From the Double-Headed Eagle Figure,” in the symposium Exercising Power In The Age of the Sultanates" Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Cairo
March 17, 2006 “The Legacy of Orientalism in Contemporary Islamic Art,” Keynote lecture, Graduate Colloquium on Islamic Contemporary Art, The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
January 7, 2006 "Leaving the Quixotic Dilemma: The Problem of Identity in Contemporary Arabic Architecture," (in Arabic), The Order of Syrian Engineers and Architects, Damascus, Syria. Also presented on January 4, 2006 at the Diwan al-Mi‘mar, Darat al-Funun, Amman, Jordan, and on December 27, 2005 at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
September 2, 2005 "Toward an Intercultural Historiography of Islamic Architecture" SAH 2d International Conference "Changing Boundaries: Architectural History in Transition," at the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art (INHA), Paris
May 25, 2005 "The Dead Cities in Syria and the Question of Heritage" (In Arabic), Engineers and Architects Order of Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria
April 22, 2005 Keynote Lecture, "The Urban Character of Mamluk Architecture in Cairo: The Example of al-Darb al-Ahmar," ARCE (American Research Center in Egypt) 2005 Annual Meeting, Cambridge, MA
April 15, 2005 "Writing History in Mamluk Cairo," Middle Eastern Center Lecture Series, the University of Chicago, Chicago, Il
April 13, 2005 Moderator of the "New Histories" Session in the Symposium Aleppo: New Perspectives on the Old City, Sponsored by the Aga Khan Program at the GSD
April 9, 2005 Moderator of the Arts Session in the "Jerusalem 2050 Visionaries Conference," hosted by The Center for International Studies and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT
March 26-27, 2005 Participant, IFAO-ARCE second round table, " Excercizing Power in the Age of the Sultanates, " Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Cairo
March 21-22, 2005 External Examiner of six Architectural Doctorate Dissertations at the Politecnico de Bari, Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Ingegneria Civile e dell'Architettura, Bari, Italy
February 17, 2005, "Architecture in Syria From Classical Antiquity to Islamic Classicism," Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education, Concord-Carlisle High School, Concord MA
February 4, 2005 "Toward a Critical Historiography of Islamic Architecture," Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, AKU-ISMC, London
