Category Archives: Archnet News

Archive of John and Caroline Williams

In 2017 AKDC@MIT received over 18,000 slides taken by John A. and Caroline Williams, author of Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide. The images in the collection document sites in Egypt and across the Islamic world over multiple decades. Currently a sampling of about 700 are available online, with more are coming soon. Of course the entire collection is available the Aga Khan Documentation Center for consultation, research, or use in publications. Learn more about the collections of the Aga Khan Documentation Center on our website.

AKDC accepts Tamayouz Mohamed Makiya Prize at ceremony in Amman

On December 8 at a ceremony in Amman, Jordan, Michael A, Toler, Interim Program Head and Archnet Content Manager, accepted the Mohamed Makiya Prize of the Tamayouz Excellence Awards on behalf of the Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT.” Several hundred people attended the ceremony hosted by the Iraqi Business Council in Jordan (IBC Jordan) under the patronage of H.E. Dr Omar Al-Razzaz, the Prime Minister of Jordan, at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Amman. The Mohamed Makiya Prize is an annual prize open to both individuals and organizations who promoted, encouraged, campaigned or influenced directly or indirectly the advancement of architecture […]

New developer for Archnet

A new development firm has taken over responsibility for the maintenance, hosting, and future development of Archnet. The new company, Performant Software Solutions LLC is a software company based in Boston, MA and Charlottesville VA, with a specialization in Digital Humanities software projects and technology consulting. The fact that they have a passion for, and a great deal of experience in working with cultural heritage collections, scholarly and visual archives, manuscript and textual studies, and historical and archaeological data projects makes them a particularly good fit for Archnet, a collaboration between the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Aga Khan […]

Important Notice: Archnet offline Friday morning (UPDATED)

UPDATE 9:32 am–Due to unexpected server issues Archnet remains unresponsive. It should be available again very soon. We are working to bring you some major enhancements in Archnet speed and reliability early in the new year. In preparation for these changes, rolling out early in the new year, Archnet.org may be offline for up to 1 hour between 2-4 am EST (7-9 am UTC) for behind-the-scenes server maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Watch this page or subscribe to our RSS feed to follow updates.

AKAA Shortlisted Projects on Display in Rotch Library

Panels from the “Design for Diversity: The Aga Khan Award for Architecture” exhibition are now on display in Rotch Library. The panels are selected from a larger exhibition highlighting the 13th Cycle (2014-2016) of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture that was on display at the Boston Society of Architects from May 26 to September 23, 2018. The exhibition highlighted 19 projects shortlisted from over 300 submissions. Curated by the Aga Khan Council for the United States of America, Design for Diversity presented “architectural works that provide for people’s physical, social, and economic needs, while responding to their cultural expectations. Buildings […]

Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT wins the Mohamed Makiya Prize for Architecture

The Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT (AKDC@MIT) is honored to be chosen recipient of the Mohamed Makiya Prize, part of the Tamayouz Excellence Award programme. 44 entries from 11 countries were submitted for this year’s prize. Michael Toler, Interim Program head, noted that the award is especially meaningful given the caliber of the three other projects shortlisted for the award: the Arab Center for Architecture (Beirut), Michael Rakowitz (New York) and Rana Beiruti (Amman). “It is a great honor to even be nominated alongside such prestigious organizations and individuals,” he said. Toler added that the AKDC@MIT is a collaborative endeavor. “We […]

Full House for AKDC presentation at HIAA biannual symposium

AKDC@MIT is delighted to have had the opportunity to present on its collections and new research tools to a packed room at the 2018 biennial symposium of the Historians of Islamic Art Association (HIAA). The session took place at 1:00 pm on Saturday, October 27, the final day of the symposium at Yale University. Matt Saba, Visual Resources Librarian, gave a brief overview of the history of the center and its image collection, the Aga Khan Visual Archive. He then surveyed several of the center’s new collections since 2012, divided into three categories. For Scholars’ Collections he highlighted the Tabbaa […]

Interim Program Head and Visual Resources Librarian to present at HIAA Symposium

The Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT (AKDC@MIT) is excited to offer an information session on its collections at the 2018 Biennial Symposium of the Historians of Islamic Art Association (HIAA), taking place at Yale University on October 25 – 27, 2018. Matt Saba, Visual Resources Librarian at AKDC@MIT, will offer an overview of the center’s collections, highlighting new acquisitions since 2012. Noteworthy examples are the archives of Iraqi architects Mohamed Makiya, Hisham Munir, and Rifat Chadirji, whose works represent a pivotal moment in the history of modern architecture, and the archive of French architect Michel Écochard, who worked on […]

Urban October on Archnet

Each October UN-Habitat and organizations around the world focus on the theme of urban sustainability. Urban October begins with World Habitat Day on 1 October and ends with World Cities Day on 31 October. This year Archnet joins in the effort by bringing attention to materials relating to urban development and efforts to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” throughout the history of Muslim societies. Follow us on social media and look for the hashtag #UrbanOctober.

New Exhibition: Details, Delight, and Documentation

A new Archnet exhibition highlights items from the Stuart Cary Welch Islamic and South Asian Photograph Collection of Harvard’s Fine Arts Library. Welch (1928-2008) was a celebrated curator, lecturer, and collector of Islamic and Indian art. His professional positions included Special Consultant in charge of the Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a post he held from 1979-1987, and Honorary Keeper, then Curator of Islamic Art at Harvard University’s Fogg Museum from 1956-2008. He is credited with vitalizing the study of Western and South Asian art, culture, and aesthetics in the United States during the latter half […]