It is no secret that research on architecture in
the Islamic world suffers from the dearth of basic
information on such
elementary topics as architects' biographies,
bibliographies of publications
on architecture in the Islamic languages, and modern
architectural and
critical terminology. AKPIA@MIT is launching an experimental research
project that aims to fill these information gaps in the
study of Islamic
architecture. We would like, however, to take the long view
and to collect
all available information, edit, streamline, and classify it with the
intent of making it available to all interested
researchers. At a second
stage, we will begin considering the best ways to
synthesize and interpret
the collected information through conferences, edited publications,
and the like.
ArchNet provides us with a superb means of communication with our
primary audience. It also allows us to use its extensive membership
base as our most powerful potential informants. We are at this stage
seeking the voluntary help of the ArchNet membership in
building databases
for Islamic architecture. As a pilot project, we are beginning with
the construction of an electronic database on architects in
the Islamic
world with a special focus on the 19th and 20th century,
but we welcome
all information on architects from all previous periods.
We would like to ask ArchNet members who know of
significant architects,
especially those who have been ignored by professional publications,
to contribute the information they have. Members who wish
to participate
can either provide a narrative on the architect(s) or answer as many
of the questions as they can in the provided form. Please submit your
contribution to islamarch.mit.edu by clicking on the
submit button below.
We are counting on your contribution to introduce to
the architectural
profession the long neglected architects from the Islamic world who
are unknown simply because no concerted effort to collect
and propagate
information about them has been made. Thank you for your
time and effort.
Nasser
Rabbat
Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Architecture
MIT
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