“Pragmatists in the first century AH” a lecture by Dr. Abdul Hadi Al Ajmi Biography: Dr. Abdulhadi Al-Ajmi is an Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies at Kuwait University. He is a recipient of the Kuwait Prize for Historical Studies and a PhD in History and Civilization from the University of Durham, United Kingdom. About the lecture: Islamic historical writing in its advanced ages has imposed history and put most of the heritage of Islam in the context of an ideological religion service.  

Heba Nayel Barakat Dr Heba Nayel Barakat is head of the Curatorial Affairs Department at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM), where she supervises the refurbishment of the museum’s permanent galleries, researches artefacts in the collection, and supervises exhibitions in the museum’s special galleries and abroad. Before joining IAMM, she worked at the Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage, Cairo as a Project Manager. The Arabesque Leaf Scroll Arabesque is a stylised vegetal motif that emanates from a rhythmic perpetual leaf scroll. Its leaves bifurcate, leading their tips to transform into branches that replicate additional leaves. Its movement, symbolism and adaptability made the arabesque leaf scroll one of…

Markus Hilgert Professor Dr Markus Hilgert is an Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Cultural Heritage Research specialist and the Director of the Ancient Near East Museum at the Pergamonmuseum in Berlin. He is also the coordinator of the national research alliance ILLICID and of “museum4punkt0 – Digital Strategies for the Museum of the Future” under the auspices of the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media. Why Culture Matters: The impact of culture and cultural heritage on societal challenges and sustainable development There is a growing awareness with groups on national and international levels that the impact of cultural practice and cultural heritage reaches far beyond the realm of culture. The…

Frédéric Bauden Professor Dr Frédéric Bauden is Professor of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies at the University of Liège, focusing on Mamluk historiography, diplomatics, and codicology. He is the editor of the Bibliotheca Maqriziana (Leiden), which will publish definitive critical editions of al-Maqrīzī’s works accompanied by annotated translations and thorough introductions. He has recently completed his book entitled Al-Maqrīzī’s Collection of Opuscules: An Introduction. Of Buying Many Books There Is No End: Paratextual Marks as a Source for the History of the Book in Islam During the Mamluk period, Cairo was renowned for its book markets and the richness of its public and private libraries. Over the last century, there…

Bashar Al Salem Architect Bashar AlSalem is a founder/ partner of Kayan, a Kuwait-based architecture firm. He is a principal architect, leading a team of young architects producing residential and commercial projects. Prior to Kayan, he was a senior architect and a project manager with SSH, a member of the Sphere Design Group, and worked with various government entities on projects including the Failaka Island design. Diwaniya: From hospitality to architecture AlSalem will be discussing the architecture of diwaniyas in Kuwait, and how it stems from hospitality in the local culture. A Kuwaiti diwaniya is a traditional reception area where business colleagues and guests are received and is a representation…

Laila Nehmé Dr Laila Nehmé is a senior research fellow in the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris. She works on Nabataean archaeology and Nabataean inscriptions and the development of the Nabataean script into Arabic. She is the director of the Madain Salih Archaeological Project and has published a two volume book on the Nabataean tombs of Hegra (2015, French Academy). The Nabataean and Roman city of Hegra (Madain Salih): The ongoing excavations and surveys Madain Salih is one of the major archaeological sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Located 300 km northwest of Medina, in the Hijãz, it corresponds to Nabataean and Roman Hegra. It flourished,…

Giovanni Curatola Professor Giovanni Curatola is a professor at the University of Udine, Italy and is the author of more than one hundred scientific publications on Islamic art. He curated the first general exhibition on Islamic Art in Italy in 1993. He also curated the exhibition al-Fann: Art from the Islamic Civilization. The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, and, together with the curator Salam Kaoukji, he organised the loan of 250 objects from the collection to the MFAH (Houston, USA). Real or Imaginary? Miniatures as a source of knowledge for the history of Islamic Art The arts of the book, especially miniatures, are an important branch of art in Muslim culture. Since…

Usha Balakrishnan Dr Usha R Balakrishnan is a cultural capital consultant based in Mumbai. She is a highly regarded independent scholar of Indian art and culture and the pre-eminent historian of Indian jewellery. Her mission is to collaborate and work with museums, individuals, and organizations to curate exhibitions, plan programmes, form collections, manage cultural spaces, and deliver India to the world. In Jewels, India is the Treasury of the World Sir Thomas Roe, English ambassador to the Mughal court, stunned by the vision of the emperor Jahangir laden with jewels, pronounced, “In jewells hee is the treasury of the world.” What Roe saw was just a minuscule fraction of the…

“Reflections on the art of Calligraphy” a lecture presented by Dr. Sameer Al-Sayegh The topic seeks to examine the relationship between the art of calligraphy, religion,language and its impact as an art.    

Zeyad al-Salameen Dr. Zeyad al-Salameen is a Professor of Nabataean archaeology and epigraphy and the UNESCO Chair on Heritage and Sustainable Tourism at al-Hussein Bin Talal University. His research interests include Nabataean archaeology and epigraphy and the history and civilization of Petra and its hinterland. He has published several books and numerous articles pertaining to these fields. Rock-cut Architecture in Petra, Jordan Rock-cut architecture is one the main achievements of the Nabataean Arabs. Nearly nine hundred rock- cut facades survive at Petra, Mada’in Saleh (Hegra) and Maghayir Shu’aib (al-Bidi’) in northern Arabia. Archaeological investigations of the Petra facades have confirmed that a considerable number of them represent multifunctional funerary complexes…