Fine Arts Library

Middle East Collections

Overview

The Fine Arts Library's visual collections now contain more than 150,000 photographs and slides documenting Islamic art and architecture, as well as ethnographic views that provide cultural context. The photograph collections are exceptionally strong in albumen silver prints produced by commercial retailers in the latter half of the 19th century. These often beautiful images are complemented by the photographic output of the first generation of modern students of Islamic art history, such as K.A.C. Creswell and Ernst Herzfeld, taken with an explicitly documentary intent. They are further complemented by professional photographers' work from more recent decades, which provides a striking contrast to the photos of the pre-World War I era.

These photographs are augmented by strong collections of picture postcards from the heyday of their production, the 1890s to the 1920s. The collection also includes a wide range of specialized periodicals and art monographs, museum and exhibition catalogs, sale catalogs of art dealers and auction houses, documents of preservation and planning authorities and archaeological excavations, facsimile editions of illuminated manuscripts, and early photographica of the Middle East.

  • For further information and assistance, please contact András Riedlmayer, Bibliographer in Islamic Art and Architecture or Sharon Smith, Visual Materials Cataloger for Islamic Art.

History

The Documentation Center of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at the Fine Arts Library, a part of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and MIT, was established in 1979 by a gift from H.H. the Aga Khan to support teaching and research on the history of art and architecture in Islamic societies.

The program funds acquisitions and cataloging, as well as research and reference services. It has helped build comprehensive collections that combine visual and printed documentation on the art, architecture, archaeology, and epigraphy of the Islamic world.

The library collects publications in all languages and formats in this subject area. The Aga Khan Program has made possible the acquisition of research materials not commonly found in other collections in North America due to their expense or rarity. These include a wide range of specialized periodicals and art monographs, museum and exhibition catalogs, sale catalogs of art dealers and auction houses, documents of preservation and planning authorities and archaeological excavations, facsimile editions of illuminated manuscripts, and early photographica of the Middle East.

Research Tools and Affiliated Collections

Islamic Classification System

The Islamic Classification System holds classification schemes that have either been expressly designed for Islamic art and architecture or have been adapted in specific ways to effectively address the Islamic tradition. For assistance, please e-mail Sharon Smith, Visual Materials Cataloger for Islamic Art.

Reference Tools in Islamic Art and Architecture

The Reference Tools in Islamic Art and Architecture 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 online resources. Most are annotated.

Special Visual Collections: Middle East

The Special Visual Collections: Middle East are made up of 38,000 historical images of the Middle East and related materials.

Return to Top