Reference Tools in Islamic Art & Architecture

Basic Reference Tools (By Region)

This guide presents a selection of the most useful reference tools for the study of the art and architecture of the Islamic world. All entries include Harvard library call numbers and/or links to on-line resources; most are annotated. For specialized reference assistance, please contact the appropriate Specialized Reference Assistance in Islamic/Middle Eastern Subjects at Harvard.

For convenience, the Reference Guide has been divided into two sections. This second section includes bibliographies organized by geographic or cultural region (e.g. Central Asia; Iran; Egypt; Islamic Spain, etc.).

Unless otherwise noted, items listed can be found in the Fine Arts Library (fal), shelved in the reading room [RFA call nos.] or in the stacks [FA and Fogg call nos.]. Some items are available at other Harvard libraries, incl. Widener (wid), Loeb Design Library (des), and Tozzer (toz); many of the basic reference works in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies can also be found in the Gibb Memorial Room at Widener Library (3rd Floor, Room Q) and in the Islamic Legal Studies reference collection at the Law School Library.

The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture also provides collections and reference services for research in Islamic architecture at MIT's Rotch Library of Architecture & Planning.

ArchNet, an online community for architects and scholars with a special focus on the Islamic world, features a virtual library of books, journals, reference tools, as well as thousands of images of architecture in the Islamic world.

For additional on-line reference resources on art, see the Harvard College Library Subject Research Guides. For links to more on-line resources on Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, see the Islamic Studies pages of Dr. Alan Godlas (University of Georgia), the Links to Resources on the Middle East and Judaica (University of Michigan Library), and the University of Texas's Middle East Network Information Center.

The Library of Congress/ALA standard transliteration tables are available (as PDF files) for Arabic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, and all languages.

Islamic Art of Central Asia

Bibliography of Islamic Central Asia, ed. by Yuri Bregel. Bloomington, 1995. 3 vols.
(RFA 285.68; wid: WID-LC DS329.4.Z99 B74): See esp. pt. 3: Archeology, numismatics, architecture, visual arts, epigraphy, historical geography.
Annotated Bibliography of Afghanistan, ed. M.J. Hanifi & D. Wilber. 4th rev. ed. New Haven, Ct., 1982.
(RFA 285.21.36; also at wid): Detailed annotations; see esp. pp. 439-496: "Art and Archaeology"
Bibliographisches Handbuch der Turkologie: Eine Bibliographie der Bibliographien vom 18. Jahrhundert bis 1979, ed. György Hazai & Barbara Kellner-Heinkele. Wiesbaden, 1986-
(RFA 10.61; also at wid): A classified listing of specialized bibliographies on the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, Turkey and Iran; see esp.: "Archäologie, Anthropologie, Numismatik, Kunstgeschichte," (pp. 509ff).
Sovetskaia arkheologicheskaia literatura: bibliograficheskii ukazatel' = Archéologie soviétique: index bibliographique. Leningrad, 1965-[1984].
(wid: Arc 340.25): Cumulative bibliography of Soviet publications on archaeology since 1918; contents list also in French; a basic resource for Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, European Russia, the Crimea, and the Caucasus; for more recent work on Central Asia, consult Y. Bregel, Bibliography of Islamic Central Asia (see above).
Cohn-Wiener, E. Turan: Islamische Baukunst in Mittelasien. Berlin, 1930.
(FA1925.12 F): Illustrated survey of the principal Islamic monuments in Central Asia.
Timurid Art and Culture: Iran and Central Asia in the Fifteenth Century. Ed. by Lisa Golombek and Maria Subtelny. Leiden & New York, 1992.
(FA 500.460.7.5)
Golombek, L., & D. Wilber. The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan. Princeton, 1988. 2 vols.
(FA 1924.601.2): Covers works of the Timurid era in both Central Asia and Iran.

Islamic Art of South Asia

American Committee for South Asian Art. ACSAA Bibliography of South Asian Art. Chicago, etc., 1973-
(RFA 283.74.1): Bibliography of the art of Southeast Asia, China, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, compiled every three years; incl. much material not found elsewhere; see also Bulletin signalétique. Série 526.
Bibliography of Indian Art, History & Archaeology, Vol. I.: Indian Art, ed. Jagdish Chandra. Delhi, 1978.
(RFA 285.74): Separate sections on architecture, painting, handicrafts include subheadings such as: Indo-Islamic Forts & Palaces, Mughal Painting, etc.
Shokoohy, Mehrdad. Bhadresvar: The Oldest Islamic Monuments in India. Leiden & New York, 1988.
(FA 1865.209.300)
Koch, Ebba. Mughal Art and Imperial Ideology: Collected Essays. New Delhi, 2001.
(FA 1864.601.39)
Asher, Catherine. Architecture of Mughal India. Cambridge, 1992.
(FA 1864.601.35)
Koch, Ebba. Mughal Architecture: An Outline of Its History and Development (1526-1858). Munich, 1991.
(FA 1864.601.31)
Michell, George, and Mark Zebrowski. Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates. Cambridge, 1999.
(FA 485.571.8)
Losty, Jeremiah P. The Art of the Book in India. London, 1982.
(FA 3463.64): Includes both Islamic and non-Islamic material.
Leach, Linda York. Mughal and Other Indian Paintings from the Chester Beatty Library. London, 1995.
(Fogg 48 D81c 1995)
Leach, Linda York. Paintings from India. London, 1998. (The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, 8.)
(AM345.114.1 (8)F)
Verma, Som Prakash. Mughal Painters and Their Works: Biographical Survey and Comprehensive Catalogue. Delhi, 1994.
(RFA 1335.74.90): For Mughal artists see also: Karimzadah Tabrizi's biographical dictionary of painters, listed below under "Persian art".

Persian Art

Pope, Arthur Upham. A Survey of Persian Art. 3rd ed. Ashiya, 1977.
see esp. vol. 16: Bibliography: Islamic Persian Art to 1938.
(FA 513.19 (16)): The bibliography volume incorporates all titles cited by Pope as well as more recent additions by the editors-a unique source of useful citations for this area of Islamic art. Although some of the scholarship in the text volumes of the Survey (first published in 1938) is flawed and by now more than half a century after its first publication, much of it has been superseded by more recent studies, the plates are superb; as a whole the Survey represents a monumental effort to document the art of an entire civilization.
Encyclopaedia Iranica, ed. E. Yarshater. London, 1982- s.v. "Art in Iran", "Architecture," etc.
(RFA 78.66.2): Substantial, up-to-date bibliographies at the end of each section; coverage includes not only Iran proper, but also the wider Iranian cultural sphere, extending into India, China, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Anatolia and Mesopotamia, from the dawn of history to the present; the Iranica also has entries for particular genres of art, for individual artists, dynasties, patrons, sites, architectural monuments, and even for famous manuscripts (e.g. "Baysonghori Shahnama"); be alert to its idiosyncratic transliteration scheme (e.g. "khan" will appear as "kan", "Islam" as "Eslam" etc.).
Bibliographical Guide to Iran, ed. L. P. Elwell-Sutton. Brighton, 1983.
(RFA 285.66.8; also at wid): Annotated selective bibliographies on all aspects of Iranian studies--a useful starting point for any research project involving Iran; see esp. the section on "Arts and Crafts" (pp. 295-333); note that archaeology, epigraphy and numismatics are located at the beginning of the history section (pp. 164-168).
Wulff, Hans. The Traditional Crafts of Persia. Cambridge, 1966.
(Fogg 1058 P46): The standard reference on traditional arts, craftsmen and their methods.
Mafi, `Abbas. Kitabshinasi-i hunar. Tehran, 1976.
(RFA 285.66.53.100; also at wid): A classified bibliography listing books & articles on all aspects of the arts published in Iran between 1893 and 1968.
Gulbun, Muhammad. Kitabshinasi-i nigargari-i iran. Tehran, 1984.
(RFA 285.66.35): A well-organized, classified bibliography covering work on both miniature and easel painting in Iran, as well as artists' biographies; also lists published reproductions of specific paintings; covers mainly publications in Persian.
Karimzadah Tabrizi, M.A. Ahval va asar-i naqqashan-i qadim-i iran va barkhi az mashahir-i nigargaran-i Hind va `Usmani. 3 vols. London, 1985-1991.
(FA 3530.1): A very useful biographical dictionary of Persian, Mughal and Ottoman miniature painters; compiled from primary sources.
Rohani, Nasrin. A Bibliography of Persian Miniature Painting. Cambridge, Mass., 1982.
(FA 3521.1): An alphabetical compilation of titles culled from Creswell, Index Islamicus and elsewhere; its most useful features are a chronological list of exhibitions of Persian miniature paintings (pp. 145-50) and a topical index (pp. 150-58) including names of artists, patrons, museums, etc.
Titley, Norah. Miniatures from Persian Manuscripts: A Catalogue and Subject Index of Paintings from Persia, India and Turkey in the 1977 British Library and the British Museum. London, 1977.
(Fogg 56L84bo): A guide to one of the world's major collections; subject indexes in this and the foll. catalogues of illuminated MSS are useful for iconographic research.
John Rylands Library of the University of Manchester. Persian Paintings in the John Rylands Library: A Descriptive Catalogue. B.W. Robinson. London, 1980.
(Fogg 57 M26j)
Musée du Louvre. Les miniatures persanes. Ed. Ivan Stchoukine. Paris, 1932.
(Fogg 60 P23lao 1932)
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. Islamische Handschriften I: Persische Handschriften. Dorothea Duda. 2 vols. Vienna, 1983.
(FA3297.3.3 (4))
Watson, Oliver. Persian Lustre Ware. London, 1985.
(FA 7647.450.8)
Golombek, Lisa, Robert B. Mason, and Gauvin Bailey. Tamerlane's Tableware: A New Approach to the Chinoiserie Ceramics of Fifteenth and Sixteenth-century Iran. Costa Mesa, 1996.
(FA 7647.602)
Mirfendereski, F., and A.F. Zonuzi. Ceramica nell'architettura in Persia. Firenze, 1992.
(FA1928.14)
Grabar, Oleg. The Great Mosque of Isfahan. New York, 1990.
(FA1925.463.1.1)
Daneshvari, Abbas. Medieval Tomb Towers of Iran: An Iconographical Study. Lexington, Ky., 1986.
(FA 1924.440.1)
Brandenburg, D. Die Seldschuken: Baukunst des Islam in Persien und Turkmenien. Graz, 1980.
(FA 1924.401.2)

Turkish and Ottoman Art

Turkologischer Anzeiger = Turkology Annual. Vienna, 1975-
(RFA 10.46.5; also at wid): Annual classified bibliography of Turkish and Ottoman studies; includes articles, books and book reviews; unlike Index Islamicus, Turkologischer Anzeiger (TA) also includes citations for works in non-Western languages, such as Turkish and Arabic. Arranged by subject area and then by historical period; sections DJ-DJX of TA cover var. aspects of cultural history & the arts; for citations to titles publ. before 1973, see H.J. Kornrumpf, Osmanische Bibliographie.
Kornrumpf, Hans-Jürgen. Osmanische Bibliographie mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Türkei in Europa. Leiden, 1973.
(RFA 10.46.5; also at wid): Classified bibliography of work in Turkish and Ottoman studies publ. btw. 1945-1970, incl. many titles not found in Index Islamicus or Creswell's Bibliography; special section on art and culture. Continued by: Turkologischer Anzeiger (Vienna), 1975-
Ödekan, Ayla. Türkiye'de 50 yilda yayinlanmis arekoloji, sanat tarihi ve mimarlik tarihi ile ilgili yayinlar bibliyografyasi, 1923-1973 Istanbul, 1974.
(RFA 285.61.63; also at wid): A bibliography of work on archaeology, art history and the history of architecture published in Turkey (in all languages) 1923-1973.
Öztürk, Ismail. Geleneksel Türk el sanatlarina giris. Ankara, 1994.
(FA 6641.301.6): An introductory bibliography on traditional Turkish handicrafts.
Glassie, Henry. Turkish Traditional Art Today. Bloomington, 1993.
(FA 6641.480.1): A comprehensive, illustrated survey of traditional arts & crafts.
Titley, Norah. Miniatures from Turkish Manuscripts: A Catalogue and Subject Index of Paintings in the British Library and the British Museum. London, 1981.
(Fogg 56L84bo 1981): A guide to one of the major collections of illuminated Turkish manuscripts in the world; among its virtues is an extensive subject index, invaluable for iconographic research.
And, Metin. Turkish Miniature Painting. 4th ed. Istanbul, 1987.
(FA3504.460.26.2): A useful tool for finding iconographic information since the manuscripts are treated thematically.
A History of Turkish Painting. Introd. by Oleg Grabar. Geneva, 1987.
(FA3504.301.6): A well-illustrated survey, with an emphasis on the 17th-19th centuries.
Çagman, Filiz, and Zeren Tanindi. The Topkapi Saray Museum: The Albums and Illustrated Manuscripts. Ed. & transl. J. M. Rogers. London, 1986.
(Fogg 47 C75tm)
Derman, Ugur. Letters in Gold: Ottoman Calligraphy from the Sakip Sabanci Collection, Istanbul. New York, 1998.
(fal: AM 379.297.1)
Atil, Esin. The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. Washington, 1987.
(FA502.460.10): Catalogue of a major traveling exhibition of Ottoman arts.
Rogers, J.M. Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Collection of Nasser D. Khalili. Geneva, 1995.
(AM345.114.3)
Atasoy, Nurhan, and Raby, Julian. Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey. London, 1989.
(FA7641.541.1 F)
Altun, Ara. An Outline of Turkish Architecture in the Middle Ages. Istanbul, 1990.
(FA1904.440.20): A survey of major monuments in Central Asia and in pre-Ottoman Anatolia.
Stierlin, Henri. Turkey, from the Selçuks to the Ottomans. Köln, 1998.
(FA1904.440.42): Mainly architecture; good illustrations.
Meinecke, Michael. Fayencedekorationen seldschukischer Sakralbauten in Kleinasien. 2 vols. Tübingen, 1976.
(FA7647.600): A catalogue of the tile decoration of Seljuk buildings in Anatolia.
Goodwin, Godfrey. A History of Ottoman Architecture. New York, 1987.
(FA1904.301.66)
Kuran, Aptullah. The Mosque in Early Ottoman Architecture. Chicago, 1968.
(FA1904.460.3)
Müller-Wiener, Wolfgang. Bildlexikon zur Topographie Istanbuls: Byzantion-Konstantinupolis-Istanbul bis zum Beginn des 17. Jahrhunderts. Tübingen, 1977.
(FA1904.641.52): Catalogue of the monuments of Istanbul, from Classical antiquity to the early 1600s. Also available in Turkish as:
Müller-Wiener, Wolfgang. Istanbul'un tarihsel topografyasi: 17. yüzyil baslarina kadar Byzantion-Konstantinopolis-Istanbul. Istanbul, 2001.
(FA1904.641.52.2)
Hafiz Hüseyin Ayvansarayî (d. 1786/7). [Hadikat al-Cevami'. English] The Garden of the Mosques: Hafiz Hüseyin ak-Ayvansarayî's Guide to the Muslim Monuments of Ottoman Istanbul. Transl. Howard Crane. Leiden & Boston, 2000.
(FA1904 .641.232)
Necipoglu, Gülru. Architecture, Ceremonial, and Power: The Topkapi Palace in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. New York, 1991.
(FA1904.641.94.11)
Goodwin, Godfrey. Sinan: Ottoman Architecture and Its Values Today. London, 1993.
(FA1905.891.56)
Freely, John, and R.A. Burelli. Sinan, architecte de Soliman. Paris, 1992.
(FA1905.891.32): A photographic survey of Sinan's major works.
Yenisehirlioglu, Filiz. Türkiye disindaki Osmanli mimari yapitlari = Ottoman Architectural Works Outside Turkey. Ankara, 1989.
(FA1716.23.4)

Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, and the Arab East

Creswell, K. A. C. The Muslim Architecture of Egypt. 2 vols. NY, 1979.
(FA2010.440.4 F)
The mosques of Egypt from 21 H. (641) to 1365 H. (1946); being a series of views in colour and monochrome of the principal mosques of Egypt with a brief note on each monument, describing its history and architectural features, accompanied by detailed plans and maps. 2 vols. Giza, 1949.
(fal: X2018 E32m PF (X-Cage))
Schätze der Kalifen: Islamische Kunst zur Fatimidenzeit. Ed. W. Seipel. Wien, 1998.
(FA555.450.6)
Korn, Lorenz. Ayyubidische Architektur in Ägypten und Syrien: Bautätigkeit im Kontext von Politik und Gesellschaft 564-658/1169-1260. 3 vols. PhD Thesis. Tübingen, 1999.
(FA 2010.450.3): A catalogue of Ayyubid monuments in Egypt and Syria.
Meinecke, Michael. Die mamlukische Architektur in Ägypten und Syrien (648/1250 bis 923/1517). 2 vols. Glückstadt, 1992.
(FA 2010.460.5): A catalogue of Mamluk monuments in Egypt and Syria.
Scharabi, Mohamed. Kairo: Stadt und Architektur im Zeitalter des europäischen Kolonialismus. Tübingen, 1989.
(FA 2010.546.67): Illustrated catalogue of 19th-century architecture in Cairo.

On the Mamluk architecture of Egypt and Palestine, consult the Mamluk Bibliography Project, an on-line resource maintained by the University of Chicago Library.

Burgoyne, M. Mamluk Jerusalem: An Architectural Study. London, 1987.
(FA1970.646.29)
The Dome of the Rock. Photogr. by Said Nuseibeh, essay by Oleg Grabar. New York, 1996.
(FA1970.646.17.5.2)
Ottoman Jerusalem: The Living City, 1517-1917. Ed. S. Auld, R. Hillenbrand. London, 2000.
(FA1970.646--)
Bahnassi, Afif. The Great Omayyad Mosque of Damascus. Damascus, 1989.
(FA1964.569.20 F)
The Art of Syria and the Jazira, 1100-1250. Ed. Julian Raby. Oxford, 1985.
(FA530.450.1)
Allen, Terry. A Classical Revival in Islamic Architecture. Wiesbaden, 1986.
(FA1964.800.2.3)
Sarre, F., & E. Herzfeld. Archäologische Reise im Euphrat- und Tigris-gebiet. 4 vols. Berlin, 1911-20.
(wid: Arc 482.201 PF): The classic survey of Islamic architecture in northern Mesopotamia.
Janabi, Tariq. Studies in Mediaeval Iraqi Architecture. Baghdad, 1982.
(FA1944.401.1)
Strika, Vincenzo, and Jabir Khalil. The Islamic Architecture of Baghdad. Naples, 1987.
(FA1945.188.9)
Helms, Svend. Early Islamic Architecture of the Desert: A Bedouin Station in Eastern Jordan. Edinburgh, 1990.
(FA1972.725.1; also toz, wid)
King, G.R.D. The Historical Mosques of Saudi Arabia. London, 1986.
(FA1974.301.8 F; also at des, wid)
The Architecture of the Prophet's Holy Mosque, al Madinah. Ed. by Salma Samar Damluji. London, 1998.
(FA1974.670.200.2 F)
Damluji, Salma Samar. The Valley of Mud Brick Architecture: Shibam, Tarim & Wadi Hadramut: Ancient to Contemporary Design. Reading, 1992.
(Fine Arts: FA1976.739.5)

Islamic Spain, North Africa & Sicily

Torres-Balbás, L. "Andalusian Art," in Encyclopaedia of Islam, new ed., s.v. "al-Andalus"
(RFA 50.23.50)
Montêquin, F.-A. de. Muslim Architecture of the Iberian Peninsula: Eastern and Western Sources for Hispano-Islamic Building Arts. West Cornwall, Ct., 1987. (RFA 270.56.1; also at des): A classified bibliography on the architecture of Islamic Spain.
Hoag, John D. Western Islamic Architecture. New York, 1983.
(FA1716.13): A well illustrated survey of the Islamic architecture of North Africa.
Paccard, André. Traditional Islamic Craft in Moroccan Architecture. 2 vols. Saint-Jorioz, 1980.
(FA2002.802): An important study of traditional building techniques and crafts.
Grabar, Oleg. The Alhambra. Cambridge, 1978.
(FA2285.535.17.2): The iconography and organization of the famous palace in Granada.
Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain. Ed. Jerrilynn Dodds. New York, 1992.
(FA739.201.34)
The Legacy of Muslim Spain. Ed. Salma Khadra Jayyusi. Leiden, 1992.
(FA739.201.40)
Barrucand, Marianne, and A. Bednorz. Moorish Architecture in Andalusia. Cologne, 1992.
(FA2285.243.8)
Maghreb mediéval: l'apogée de la civilisation islamique dans l'Occident arabe. F. Gabrieli [et al.] (Aix-en-Provence, 1991)
(FA 550.440.)
Barrucand, Marianne. Urbanisme princier en Islam: Meknès et les villes royales islamiques post-médiévales. Paris, 1985.
(FA2002.670.1)
Bellafiore, Giuseppe. Architettura in Sicilia nelle etá islamica e normanna (827-1194). Palermo, 1990.
(FA2208.460.52)
Gli Arabi in Italia: cultura, contatti e tradizioni. Ed. F. Gabrieli, U. Scerrato. Milan, 1985.
(FA376.15): A well-illustrated survey of Islamic art and culture in Italy.

Islamic Cultures of Sub-Saharan and East Africa

Gruner, D. Die Lehm-Moschee am Niger: Dokumentation eines traditionellen Bautyps. Stuttgart, 1990.
(FA2050.800.3): Catalogue of adobe mosques in the Niger River region of West Africa.
Bourgeois, J.-L. Spectacular Vernacular: The Adobe Tradition. NY, 1996.
(FA1718.19.2)
Moughtin, C. Hausa Architecture. London, 1985.
(FA2086.800.1)
Prussin, L. Hatumere : Islamic Design in West Africa. Berkeley, 1986.
(FA2050.301.4)
Kingdoms of the Medieval Sudan, ed. J. Rotondo-McCord. (Web site)
Sinou, A. Porto-Novo, ville d'Afrique noire. Marseille, 1988.
(FA 2078.715.1)
Greenlaw, J.P. The Coral Buildings of Suakin: Islamic Architecture, Planning, Design and Domestic arrangements in a Red Sea Port. London, 1995.
(FA2012.749)
Allen, J. de V., T.H. Wilson. Swahili Houses and Tombs of the Coast of Kenya. London, 1979.
(FA2022.800)
Chittick, H.N. Kilwa: An Islamic Trading City on the East African Coast. Nairobi, 1974.
(FA563.651)

Islamic Cultures of South-East Asia

Islamic Civilization in the Malay World. Ed. Mohd. Taib Osman. Kuala Lumpur, 1997.
(wid: WID-LC BP63.M27 I86 1997)
Zakaria Ali. Islamic Art in Southeast Asia, 830 A.D.-1570 A.D. Kuala Lumpur, 1994.
(wid: WID-LC N7311.Z35 1994)

András J. Riedlmayer
Bibliographer
Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Fine Arts Library, Harvard University
(tel. 617-495-3372; e-mail: riedlmay@fas.harvard.edu)

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