Three Open Access Books on the Silk Roads: by UNESCO

 

"The most astonishing innovations and fusions of the world’s religions, beliefs, and material cultures have occurred along the trade and communication networks between Asia, Africa, and Europe, known today as the Silk Roads. The empires and dynasties, fluctuating like ebbs and flows, triggered waves of cultural interchange across time and space, connected by caravans of knowledge and technological transfers crossing vast distances over barren steppes, impenetrable deserts, and unsurmountable ranges. This three-part volume on Architecture, Monuments and Urbanism explores cities and ports from Nanjing to Seville and Karakorum to Mumbai as individual pearls in a long string of historical vicissitudes and cultural exchanges across the overland Silk Roads and maritime Silk Routes." 

Architecture, monuments and urbanism, Part I: Architectural influences along the Silk Roads

Editors: Paskaleva, Elena; Turner, Michael 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54678/JNRQ3162

ISBN: 978-92-3-100738-5

Collation: 343 pages : illustrations, maps

Language: English

Year of publication: 2025

Licence type: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Architecture, monuments and urbanism, Part II: Cities on the overland Silk Roads

Editors: Paskaleva, Elena; Turner, Michael 

Series title and vol / issues: Thematic collection of the cultural exchanges along the Silk Roads 

DOI:https://doi.org/10.54678/VMIH5884

ISBN: 978-92-3-100738-5

Collation: 375 pages : illustrations, maps

Language: English

Year of publication: 2025

Licence type: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO 

Architecture, monuments and urbanism, Part III: Cultural networks and sea ports on the maritime Silk Routes

Editors: Paskaleva, Elena; Turner, Michael 

Series title and vol / issues: Thematic collection of the cultural exchanges along the Silk Roads

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54678/RUOM2593

ISBN: 978-92-3-100738-5

Collation: 347 pages : illustrations, maps

Language: English

Year of publication: 2025

Licence type: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO [14411]

New OA book: Proposals for the Transformation of Istanbul's Unkapanı Flour Mill

Title: Industrial Heritage for Sustainable Cities: Proposals for the Transformation of Istanbul's Unkapanı Flour Mill. 

Authors: Gerritsen, Fokke, Özçakır, Özgün, Arslan, Aysel, Kayasü, Sena, Yurdagül, Sedef.

Published: Istanbul: Netherlands Institute in Turkey, 2023

ISBN : 9786057259004

"What are the ways that industrial heritage places are transformed, both considering their tangible and intangible values as well as their potential to achieve urban inclusivity, sustainability, circularity as well as public engagement?

The present book is one of the outcomes of the inaugural program of NIT Urban Heritage Lab. Following an introduction on the course, its scope and aims, it showcases the four proposals that the participants of the Industrial Heritage for Sustainable Cities Course developed for the transformation of the Unkapanı Flour Mill. The proposals are original, thought-provoking and inspirational, while at the same time based on solid multi-disciplinary, collaborative work. So, they are perfect demonstrations of what NIT Urban Heritage Lab tries to achieve.

Cite as:

Gerritsen, Fokke, Özçakır, Özgün, Arslan, Aysel, Kayasü, Sena, Yurdagül, Sedef. (2023). Industrial Heritage for Sustainable Cities: Proposals for the Transformation of Istanbul's Unkapanı Flour Mill. Istanbul: Netherlands Institute in Turkey.



Table of Contents

Introducing NIT Urban Heritage Lab and the Industrial Heritage for Sustainable Cities Program
Fokke Gerritsen

Industrial Heritage for Sustainable Cities: Course Aims and Overview
Özgün Özçakır, Fokke Gerritsen, Aysel Arslan

Once the Belly of Istanbul: Unkapanı as a Food Provisioning Center
Namık Günay Erkal

A Plan for the Transformation of Unkapanı Mill into an Educational Complex
Mehmet Alper


Project Proposals

Unkapanı Community Garden: By the Community, for the Community
Yelyzaveta Nesterova, Batoul Mesdaghi, Tijana Veljkovic, Gülhayat Kılcı, Yonca Atabay

Adaptive Transformation of the Mill through Urban Promenade: Monologue, Dialogue, Travelogue
Miraç Ayça Türkfiliz, Mustafa Can Terzi, Seda Naniç, Tuğçe Halıcı, Yihan Li

Unkapanı Beyond the Walls: Regeneration of Urban Space Through the Recovery of Post-Industrial Places
Cem Balcan, Elif Leblebici, Nurşah Atamtürk, Tuğçe Türk, Yanming Wu

Unkapanı Flour Mill: An Urban Catalyzer
Aybüke Safi, Yasemin Çakır, Meriç Altıntaş Kaptan, Merve Torlak, Nazlı Arslan, Sena Kayasü, Taiwo Samuel Orisade

Reflections on Project Proposals

A Multidisciplinary Studio on the Sustainability of Urban Industrial Heritage
Nilüfer Baturayoğlu Yöney

Recovering Unkapanı for a Different Future: Industrial Heritage for Sustainable Cities
Harry Reddick"

Industrial Heritage for Sustainable Cities
2023 | NIT - Urban Heritage Lab Proposals for the Transformation of Istanbul's Unkapanı Flour Mill ISBN 13: 978-605-72590-0-4Aysel Arslan, Fokke Gerritsen, Sena Kayasü, Özgün Özçakır, Sedef Yurdagül. 

OA Resource: AzKataloq

"Azərbaycanın tarixi foto və sənədlər kataloqu. Sayt GlobalSoft şirkətinin dəstəyi ilə hazırlanıb"

A catalogue of historical photos and documents of Azerbaijan. 

Azkataloq: https://azkataloq.org/ 

OA Resource: Kanaan (Gaza, Palestine)

"Nisma al-Sallaq, a local architect and a passionate advocate for the Palestinian enclave’s cultural history, set out to change that. Along with a growing team, al-Sallaq, 27, set up Gaza’s first digital archive of historical buildings and heritage sites when she launched a multi-dimensional platform called Kanaan in 2019. With a website, mobile application and Instagram page, the project provides visitors with information in text and video format in English and Arabic, and offers a virtual tour of Gaza’s centuries-old cultural history. Named after the Canaanites who first settled Gaza thousands of years ago, Kanaan has so far documented 311 historical buildings and 76 archaeological sites on the Strip." (Source: al Jazeera.)

Kanaan in English & Arabic. 

New OA resource: Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online

“Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online” is an emerging platform of digital resources to aid the teaching of the history of Islamic art and architecture. In its initial stage, the platform provides original multimedia content developed by scholars from across the field of Islamic art. These files are intended to aid educators in the creation of an interactive learning environment and to contribute to new ways of teaching in general, bringing new voices, perspectives, and materials into our classrooms. The project is spearheaded by Prof. Christiane Gruber at the University of Michigan and a team of six collaborators. Team Khamseen aims to make this material available to public audiences by creating a website with additional resources over the coming months.

Currently available mini-multimedia files include the following presentations, which were kindly (and very swiftly) provided by international experts. We hope these will prove useful to those teaching remotely this fall semester:

Blessing, Patricia.
Water and Sound in Islamic Architecture
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nD2WYLq8vYznG6WzUEl3nHRJFZAeW72U/view?usp=sharing  

Brey, Alexander.
Al-Walid's Baths at Qusayr Amra
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H0Nw2ODGebDZgq951CkobhF0541M0Gx_/view

Bowker, Sam.
The Egyptian Tentmakers and the Art of Khayamiya
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H0Nw2ODGebDZgq951CkobhF0541M0Gx_/view

Dimmig, Ashley.
Islamic Art at the Walters Art Museum
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qQROpe8UpJ8oIhGjwqW7PO8rMqCwLb1e/view

Fetvacı, Emine.
Ottoman Illustrated Histories
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BNsNalx9eXbxN1uMKK4-yHk--3HBga1a/view

Gencer, Yasemin.
İbrahim Müteferrika and the First Printed Books of the Islamic World
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GAX-MDxc4SxDk0lp6GS1HdcTeEW4z0Qx/view

Göloğlu, Sabiha.
Touching Mecca & Medina: The Dalā'il al-Khayrāt and Devotional Practices
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JvdSxGWnsCj_YmPdI9j1UcpzrHVaqlKz/view

Gruber, Christiane and Paroma Chaterjee.
Hagia Sophia, A Conversation
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RI73qHUsI48AYqmHAb7g2NFz2TEDnmTd/view
[available online with closed captions here:] https://www.mivideo.it.umich.edu/media/1_2fl08hjn

Gruber, Christiane.
A Safavid Painting of the Prophet Muhammad's Mi‘raj https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uFOyWZMELCt2cQIL8pmKi7qFKTp7NVDE/view
[available online with closed captions here:]
https://www.mivideo.it.umich.edu/media/1_h50rjslz

Habibi, Negar.
Persian Painting in the Second Half of the Seventeenth Century: Farangi Sâzi Safavid Paintings
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1giUxD1D5RzHpxjmzsWiqdkSZpkv6vRyZ/view

Kana‘an, Ruba.
The Bobrinski Bucket
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vQwD0Z_1qtWLbH_OXg1oFe2hJJMCZIPa/view

Mostafa, Heba.
Dome of the Rock: Original Mosaics
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f4Y2jFoIk3yMCui0hjyM6BYZ6yy51gxT/view

Neumeier, Emily.
The Paintings of Osman Hamdi Bey
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vNecdwvxUZzNtI7W4bX6Ctj2LjYWnAsf/view

O'Kane, Bernard.
The Khanqah of Baybar al-Jashinkir, 1306-1310
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10--VNPkmQghYR6REGIalazD3THgu2PcA/view

Parikh, Rachel.
Islamic Arms and Armor: A Look at Dhu'l Fiqar, ‘Ali's Miraculous Sword
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11O_kCstwJUNF7_-z-Lv2XgHxtBwIHnhd/view

Pruitt, Jennifer.
The Al-Aqmar Mosque
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H6kZnKH3AmJ05jaz494IPwrK6V5Yb8Rs/view

Sardar, Marika.
A Samanid Epigraphic Dish
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gu9NOa8EnOUZ_10cwaSnl4T9cqTr0-4r/view

Sardar, Marika.
The Gwalior Qur'an
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AZ7UWpnlXRvL0BOpDItyWwYr5So1tMn1/view

Seggerman, Alex Dika.
Mahmoud Mukhtar’s Khamasin: Scuplture in Modern Egypt
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mV5iuv2gSZM6XjFjLx2O9deILXzEdc6q/view


Steinberg, Amanda Hannoosh.
The Stuart Cary Welch Islamic & South Asian Photograph Collection
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wmMlnD4sRApusHizW2U3S0-vVp8KmukK/view

Taner, Melis.
Contextualizing the Hünername (Book of Talents)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c7k8nN_K7LaJnHignT3OAuVjhjxUI933/view

Wolf, Olivia.
Monumental Mosques in Latin America
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wMde27W4IoPCLxpD5_Ux-YNHcsFx52Bj/view

Khamseen is an ongoing effort and we welcome further contributions on a rolling basis. For any questions, or if you are interested in creating a multimedia file, please contact Sandy Williams (University of Michigan) at sswill@umich.edu.

Sincerely,

Team Khamseen

Christiane Gruber
Sandy Williams
Yasemin Gencer
Mira Xenia Schwerda
Bihter Esener
Michelle Al-Ferzly
Ani Kalousdian

New Open Access Journal: Manazir Journal

Manazir Journal 
Published by the University of Bern.
vol. 1; 2019-
ISSN:  2673-4354

"Manazir Journal is a peer-reviewed academic Platinum Open Access journal dedicated to visual arts, architecture and cultural heritage in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Every issue focuses on a specific theme defined and proposed by a guest editor responsible for the issue and its follow-up.  Manazir Journal accepts proposals for issues published in English, French, German and Italian and is also open to languages of the MENA region, such as Arabic, Persian and Turkish.
The journal is linked to Manazir – Swiss Platform for the Study of Visual Arts, Architecture and Heritage in the MENA, a platform of exchange that aims to connect researchers interested in these themes in Switzerland. The term “Manazir” refers to landscape, perspective and point of view in Arabic, Ottoman Turkish and Persian. Thus, Manazir Journal is oriented toward a diversity of transcultural and transdisciplinary “landscapes” and “points of views” and open to a multiplicity of themes, epochs and geographical areas."

See also: Alphabetical List of Open Access Journals in Middle Eastern Studies

Arts of the Islamic World

Arts of the Islamic World : From the Dome of the Rock to the Taj Mahal, the Coronation Mantle, the Ardabil Carpet, and more... c. 640 - 1924 C.E.
Published by: Smarthistory

"Smarthistory is an open educational resource for art history, with the aim to make high-quality introductory art history content freely available to anyone, anywhere. This is a platform for the discipline where art historians can contribute in their areas of expertise and learners come from across the globe. Besides still images, the resource also offers hundreds of videos which are being translated into dozens of languages. Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker originally created Smarthistory and are the executive editors. The original resource was merged with Khan Academy in 2011."

Open Access Journal: A/Z : ITU journal of Faculty of Architecture

 A/Z : ITU journal of Faculty of Architecture.
Published Istanbul : ITU Faculty of Architecture, [2004]-
e-ISSN   2564-7474
ISSN:    1302-8324

Published Issues
<< Back
2018 - Volume: 15 March; 15 (1) : 1 - 175 July; 15 (2) : 1 - 240	2017 - Volume: 14 March; 14 (1) : 1 - 135 July; 14 (2) : 1 - 149 November; 14 (3) : 1 - 194
2016 - Volume: 13 March; 13 (1) : 1 - 224 July; 13 (2) : 1 - 193 November; 13 (3) : 1 - 180	2015 - Volume: 12 March; 12 (1) : 1 - 282 July; 12 (2) : 1 - 220 November; 12 (3) : 1 - 306
2014 - Volume: 11 June; 11 (1) : 1 - 197 December; 11 (2) : 1 - 382	2013 - Volume: 10 June; 10 (1) : 1 - 193 December; 10 (2) : 1 - 230
2012 - Volume: 9 June; 9 (1) : 1 - 180 December; 9 (2) : 1 - 151	2011 - Volume: 8 June; 8 (1) : 1 - 240 December; 8 (2) : 1 - 191
2010 - Volume: 7 June; 7 (1) : 1 - 86 December; 7 (2) : 1 - 184	2009 - Volume: 6 June; 6 (1) : 1 - 145 December; 6 (2) : 1 - 102
2008 - Volume: 5 June; 5 (1) : 1 - 117 December; 5 (2) : 1 - 95	2007 - Volume: 4 June; 4 (1) : 1 - 87 December; 4 (2) : 1 - 115
2006 - Volume: 3 June; 3 (1) : 1 - 97	2005 - Volume: 2 June; 2 (1) : 1 - 141
2004 - Volume: 1 June; 1 (1) : 1 - 113 December; 1 (2) : 1 - 92

Alphabetical List of Open Access Journals in Middle Eastern Studies

Syria: A Living History (exhibition catalogue, Aga Khan Museum, Toronto)

Syria: A Living History 

Oct 15 2016 to Feb 26 2017

Few countries have captured the world’s attention like Syria has today. Stories of conflict and displacement dominate the media and define people’s awareness of the place. Syria: A Living History brings together artifacts and artworks that tell a different story — one of cultural diversity, historical continuity, resourcefulness, and resilience. For over five millennia, this region perched on the eastern Mediterranean has witnessed great world civilizations commingling on its soil and producing art, literature, and culture that constitute the country’s rich legacy. Strongly informed by a distinctive landscape and history, artists of Syria throughout the ages have made priceless contributions to world heritage. Syria: A Living History inspires new understanding of Syria’s past and present, and invites new ways of thinking about its future.

Co-Curators

Dr. Filiz Çakır Phillip, Aga Khan Museum

Professor Nasser Rabbat, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, MIT

Historian

Dr. Ross Burns, Sydney, Australia

https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/syria-living-history