Islamic Archaeology Research Unit Bonn

10/08/2026

Our colleague Loren Cowin's doctoral project has finally come to fruition in the form of a book titled 𝑴𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒆𝒓𝒗: 𝑨𝒏 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄 𝑨𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑼𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏 𝑼𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒆𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒊𝒕𝒆. In this book, Dr Cowin explores the socio-cultural structure of medieval Merv, employing drone imagery, geographic information systems (GIS), archaeological data, and historical sources, and in the process, develops ‘a comprehensive method for mapping, analysing, and interpreting urban archaeological sites,' to quote the author.

The book is an Open Access publication (available to read and download for free; see below). Buying a print copy is also possible.

Congratulations, Loren, on the publication of your book! We look forward to the next one.

Situated within the vast Karakum desert of western Central Asia, the Merv oasis exhibits a trove of archaeological sites, owing to its rich ancient and medieval history. Likely due to its strategic location along the historic Silk Roads, the oasis boasts no less than three distinct urban sites, each...

24/07/2026

Please join us in congratulating our colleague, Julia Maczuga, who successfully defended her PhD dissertation last Tuesday, 21 July. Ms Maczuga’s dissertation, titled ‘Islamization of Transjordan from the perspective of pre-modern Arabic Graffiti,' explores the pe*******on of Islam into Bilād al-Shām through the written word. Through these Arabic texts, she traces the evolution of the region's religious language and landscape.

Well done, Julia! We look forward to your future projects.

22/05/2026

Yesterday, 21 May, Riaz Howey successfully defended his PhD dissertation, which he completed under the supervision of Prof Bethany Walker, titled ‘Agricultural Knowledge in Persian Texts, 1200-1600’, in a public defence.

The defence was attended by Prof Bethany Walker, Prof Paula Manstetten, members of the Islamic Archaeology Research Unit, and many guests from several departments of IOA.

Congratulations, Riaz! We anticipate your bourgeoning academic career with great enthusiasm.

Thank you all for taking the time to celebrate with us!

01/04/2026

The AIA is inviting you all to view Prof Bethany Walker’s interview with the Old North Caucasus podcast on YouTube and Spotify. The Old North Caucasus is an academic podcast that focuses on the history and culture of the peoples of the North Caucasus. In this interview, Prof Walker discusses the origin of the Mamluk system, their ethnic backgrounds, economics, and material culture. With much interesting information and references to scholarly publications, this episode is a highly valuable source, as well as a very good introduction to the Mamluk world and Islamic Archaeology. Also featured are interviews with Prof Albrecht Fuess of Marburg University and Dr Koby Yosef of Bar-Ilan University. We would be thankful if you shared the links and promoted the Old North Caucasus podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCJvzsWpp5E

https://open.spotify.com/show/60MtUuBfD07yIcIsDy6roH?si=da788e2fbc3b425d

In this 2.5-hour discussion, three leading scholars of Middle Eastern history - Bethany Walker, Albrecht Fuess, and Koby Yosef explore the history, society,...

18/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1364195322405173&id=100064441548973 #

28/01/2026

Our PhD candidate, Nikolaus Cox, has recently given a talk titled ‘Material Afterlives: The Hijaz Railway in the Post-Ottoman Landscape’ at the Palestine Exploration Fund in London. In this talk, Nikolaus Cox examines the afterlife of the Hijaz Railway in the Arab Lands after its destruction in the latter years of the Great War. Drawing on historical documents, photographic archives, and first-hand ethnographic data, he offers a penetrating interpretation of the material culture of the Ottoman railway and its reuse in the Mandate-era vernacular architecture in Jordan. Masterfully prepared and delivered, this lecture is of great value to anyone interested in spoliation, imperial-native relations, Hajj material culture, post-Great-War demographic change in hinterlands of the Ottoman Empire, and Ottoman/Mandate archaeology.

Material Afterlives: The Hijaz Railway in the Post-Ottoman Landscape.Nikolaus Cox, University of Bonn.Nik Cox explores the use and reuse of Ottoman railway s...

21/01/2026

The Islamic Archaeology Research Unit is happy to announce that it is now the new home of the former Mamluk Studies library. Located at Brühler Str. 7 on the 2nd floor, the library holds an exceptional collection of primary and secondary sources related to the medieval and pre-modern Islamic World. This library is an essential source for anyone interested in Islamic history, jurisprudence, literature, and archaeology.

16/12/2025

The Islamic Archaeology Research Unit wishes you all happy holidays!

02/12/2025

The Islamic Archaeology Research Unit, keen as always on contributing to the latest developments in the field of archaeology, maintains an annual presence at ASOR. This year, the Unit contributed two noteworthy papers to the Archaeology of Islamic Society session. The first is “Socializing Terraces: Tall Hisban and its Agricultural Fields in the Islamic Era”, written by Prof Bethany Walker in collaboration with Catreena Hamarneh, and the second is “Trikala Under Ottoman Rule: Urban Change, Ceramic Production, and Historical Insights”, authored by Anastasia Thamnopoulou.

Access to presentations through ASOR’s online library (registration required):
https://www.asor.org/resources/online-library

For abstracts, click the following link:
https://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AM2025-Abstract-Book_2025_11_18-Post-Print-Version.pdf