Islamic Art & Architecture
A guide to library resources and open access external sites useful for the study of Islamic art and architecture.
Library News and Events
Information about Library news, training, events and service updates.
Academic Support Librarian for ECA
Race and Decolonial Studies Guide and Diversifying Toolkit guide
The Academic Support Librarian team have created two new subject guides giving advice on resources relating to race studies, diversifying and decolonising the curriculum, and matters relating to EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion).
You can access the Diversifying Toolkit here.
This guide assists with the work of diversifying resources used in teaching. Designed to help academic staff begin assessing the readings they already use to make their curriculum more inclusive.
You can find the Race and Decolonial Studies subject guide here.
Libraries for Islamic Art & Architecture
- Main LibraryThe Main Library at George Square holds a large collection of History of Art related materials, including the Centre for Research Collections.
- ECA LibraryECA Library at Evolution House, West Port, includes print and electronic resources for History of Art and also contemporary art subjects.
- Art & Architecture LibraryThe A&A Library, Minto House, Chambers Street, holds an excellent collection of resources for History of Art, and Architectural History, and is accessible to all ECA students.
Keep up-to-date with the Library!
- ECA Library BlogThis blog provides information relating to ECA Library services, collections and displays.
- Link to index of all Library blogsThis page indexes all the University of Edinburgh Library blogs.
Feedback
- Feedback FormSuggestions or feedback on this guide are welcome. Please get in touch via the form.
Key texts
Please also refer to your course’s online Resource List on Learn. The following are key texts, not a complete comprehensive reading list:
Bearman, P.J. (2012) Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition ebook, Leiden: Brill.
Benoît, J., (2012) Islamic Art and the Museum: Approaches to Art and Archaeology of the Muslim World in the twenty-first century, London: Saqi
Brice, W.C. (1981) An Historical Atlas of Islam, Leiden: Brill.
Blair, S.S. and Bloom, J. (1994) The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250-1800, Conn.: Yale University Press.
Bloom, J. and Blair, S.S. Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture (3 vols.) (2009) Oxford: OUP.
Carey, M., (2014) The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture, London: Lorenz.
Ettinghausen, R. and Grabar, O. and Jenkins, M. (2001) Islamic Art and Architecture 650-1250, 2nd edn. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Flood, F.B. and Necipoğlu, G. (2017) A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.
Grove Dictionary of Art: see Oxford Art Online, at the A-Z of databases, and also via DiscoverEd.
Grabar, O. (1987) The Formation of Islamic Art, Rev. and enl. edn. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Hillenbrand, R. (1994) Islamic Architecture: Form, Function and Meaning, New York: Columbia University Press.
Hillenbrand, R. (1999) Islamic Art and Architecture, London: Thames and Hudson.
Milwright, M. (2010) An Introduction to Islamic Archaeology, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Milwright, M. (2017) Islamic Arts and Crafts: An Anthology, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Petersen, A. (1996) Dictionary of Islamic Architecture, London: Routledge. [also searchable online through Archnet]
Ruggles, D.F. (2011) Islamic Art and Visual Culture: An Anthology of Sources, Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Vernoit, S. (2000) Discovering Islamic Art: Scholars, Collectors and Collections, 1850-1950, London: I.B. Tauris.
Key journals and journal databases
Key journals held by the University of Edinburgh Libraries:
- Muqarnas
- Ars Orientalis
- al-Masaq: Islam and the medieval Mediterranean
Key journal article databases subscribed to by the University of Edinburgh libraries:
Index Islamicus
This database is listed on the A-Z of library databases and is also listed on DiscoverEd.
For the complete list of history of art related databases please click here.
Internet resources for Islamic Art & Architecture
Archnet, based at MIT, is a global open access multimedia library on the built environment of Muslim societies.
The Encyclopædia Iranica is a comprehensive research tool dedicated to the study of Iranian civilization in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.
Guide to Research in Islamic Art & Architecture (Harvard University):
Khalili Collection of Islamic Art: one of the most comprehensive collections in the world. There is more information at this webpage.
Islamic Art Historiography, ed. by Moira Carey and Margaret S. Graves. Special issue of The Journal of Art Historiography 6 (June 2012)
The Manar al-Athar website, based at the University of Oxford, provides high resolution, searchable images for teaching, research, and publication.
DiscoverEd
Course resource lists
- Course resource listsCheck the resource lists website for essential readings and resources for your courses.
Referencing
- Cite Them Right onlineEverything you need to know about referencing your resources.
- Read. Write. CiteSome useful general guidance from the Students Association' (EUSA).
- Cite this for meA free online tool that automates the building of a bibliography using the Harvard referencing format.
Avoiding plagiarism
- Institute for Academic DevelopmentThe IAD can give advice on academic writing skills including how to avoid plagiarism.
- Plagiarism adviceClick here for more guidance on avoiding plagiarism.
Looking for images?
- Image databasesCheck out our collections of still and moving images.
Looking for theses and dissertations?
We have various databases dedicated to searching for theses and dissertations.