HNAK03461U Introduction to Islamic Archaeology

This course provides an introduction to Islamic Archaeology, a sub-discipline of Near Eastern Archaeology that has been under rapid development in recent decades. The course provides insights into the history of the discipline and its early formalization as an independent branch of archaeology. It presents fundamental principles, concepts and methodologies prevalent in Islamic archaeology, and discusses basic concepts of Islamic material culture and art (incl. architecture), as well as the early history and cultural background of Islamic civilization.

Subsequently, the course uses a series of case-studies to highlight core themes in archaeological studies of Islamic civilization and culture, including the concept and origin of the mosque; Islamic trade systems; Islam in the peripheries; and rural landscapes and technologies.

Finally the courses introduces the power of archaeology in constructing national and regional narratives, and assesses the way in which Islamic material culture is presented to the public through museums and other institutions. The course culminates in a summarizing session in which students present the problems taken up in their exam papers, and in which the core concepts and questions are deduced, and future perspectives elucidated.