CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

 

The Courtyard House
From Cultural Reference to Universal Relevance
Edited by Nasser O. Rabbat (London: Ashgate, September 2010)
This book presents a series of viewpoints on courtyard houses from different periods and in different regions around the world; from the Harem courtyards of the Topkapi Palace and the low-cost housing settlements of Protectorate Casablanca, to contemporary design strategies for courtyard houses in the arid Gulf region. Together, the essays illuminate issues of particular relevance in architectural, art historical, and conservation discourses today.
Contents: Preface: the courtyard house between cultural reference and universal relevance, Nasser O. Rabbat; Part I Historical and Sociological Paradigms: A house divided: the harem courtyards of the Topkapi palace, Jateen Lad; Edward W. Lane's representation of the Cairene house, Asiya Chowdhury; Tradition and transformation of the Kabul courtyard house, Marcus Schadl; Migration, urban form, and the courtyard house: socio-cultural reflections on the Pathan Mohallas in Bhopal, India, Manu P. Sobti. Part II Cultural Variations and Contemporary Adaptations: Beyond the nostalgic conservation of the past: the urban courtyard house in Korea (1920–1970), Alfred B. Hwangbo; Interiorized exterior: the courtyard in Casablanca's public and company housing (1910–1960), Monique Eleb; Talking about the courtyard: post-colonial observations on the courtyard in Sri Lanka, Anoma Pieris; Adaptation strategies for Hispanic courtyard buildings, John Reynolds; The Central Asian courtyard house and its contemporary applications, Rafi Samizay; More than a pattern: the contributions of the courtyard house in the developing world, Reinhard Goethert. Part III Architects and their Courtyard Projects: 1,000 courtyards: observations on the courtyard as a recurring design element, Hashim Sarkis; The courtyard house in Kuwait today: design approaches and case studies, Waed Al-Masri; Learning from traces of past living: courtyard housing as precedent and project, Kevin Mitchell; Index.

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Mamluk History Through Architecture: Building, Culture, and Politics in Mamluk Egypt and Syria
Nasser O. Rabbat (London: I. B. Tauris, 2010)

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Al-Mudun al-Mayyita fi Suriya, Durus min Madhih wa-Ru'an li Mustaqbaliha (The Dead Cities in Syria: Lessons from its History
and Views on its Future)
Nasser O. Rabbat in Arabic (al-Aws Publishers, Damascus, 2010)
This is a deliberately polemical book that examines the history and present conditions of the so-called Dead Cities in Northern Syria, a unique group of 800+ stone-built villages dating from the second to the ninth century. The book advances two main arguments. One is historical and cultural, assessing the role of this architectural marvel in the conception of Syria’s heritage and its relationship to classicism. The other is political and practical, focusing on the proposed exploitation of the area for cultural tourism and recommending instead a multi-layered approach that respects the existing population and the integration of the ecology, culture, and history in any development plan.
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AKDN Media & Publications Catalogue
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Studies in Architecture, History & Culture:
Articles by the 2003-2004 AKPIA@MIT Visiting Post-Doctoral Fellows
This AKPIA@MIT project aims to highlight the work of the program’s visiting fellows and make it available to our wider community on the web. The papers reflect the research done during our fellows’ stays at MIT and anticipate their larger and fuller publications later on.
See AKPIA@MIT Forum On-Line Publications for more articles by Post-Doctoral Fellows among others.
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Two Squares
The Aga Khan Program at Harvard GSD. Through a series of essays by urban historians and designers the book examines the changing role of public space in the cities of Beirut and Istanbul as they undergo major urban redevelopment.
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Muqarnas
The Aga Khan Program at Harvard publishes scholarly works on the history of Islamic art and architecture. Its major publication, Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World, is a volume of essays on art and architectural history. Annual volumes of Muqarnas are periodically complemented by special research supplements.
For all relevant information please visit The Aga Khan Program at Harvard and look under publications.
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