Muslim Architecture and History: The Role of Archaeology

Stephane Pradines is an archaeologist and Professor of Muslim art and architecture at the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London. He earned his PhD from the University of the Sorbonne in Paris and was appointed scientific member at the French Institute of Archaeology in Cairo from 2001 to 2012.

In this inaugural lecture, to formally mark his recent promotion to Professor, Stephane Pradines will present an overview of the results of his excavations and fieldwork from the past 20 years in Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros and the Maldives. His discoveries completely changed our understanding of the limits and urbanisation of Cairo and also our knowledge of military architecture in the Medieval Middle East, before and during the Crusades. The results of his excavations in Kenya, Tanzania (on the sites of Gedi), Songo Mnara, Sanje ya Kati and Mayotte, help us to understand Maritime trade and Muslim communities in the Indian Ocean. In this lecture, Stephane Pradines will discuss how archaeology can contribute to our understanding of architecture. Professor Pradines will also share insights from his important work in identifying the Malagasy origin of the Fatimid and Abbasid rock crystal. We now know that the rock crystal and gold trades were the main reasons for the foundation and development of Kilwa, the iconic trading harbour and city of the Swahili coast.

This event is co-produced by Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and held in the iconic Aga Khan Centre.