Category Archives: Events

AKDC’s Visual Resources Librarian to present on marble decorations of Samarra

On May 9, AKDC’s Visual Resources Librarian Matt Saba delivers the weekly research seminar at the Khalili Research Centre For the Art and Material Culture of the Middle East, University of Oxford. Matt will speak about the architectural decorations made from marble excavated at the early Islamic palace-city of Samarra, located in Iraq. While Samarra is famous for its carved stucco revetments, its architectural marble is rarely discussed. One reason for its neglect is that much was lost, first in antiquity and also after the site’s initial excavation in 1911-14. An overdue survey of the way this and other semi-precious […]

AKDC collaborating with CAC and Somerville Public Library to screen a feature film

The Center for Arabic Culture (CAC) Film Screening Program, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT (AKDC@MIT) & Somerville Public Library present Detroit Unleaded Free and open to the public Saturday Dec. 1, 2018 Somerville Public Library @ 3 pm 79 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143 Screening will be followed by a light reception and discussion. Speakers will be announced soon! More information Watch the Trailer

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 […]

Roads, Routes and Networks: Projects for the Visualization of Art Historical Information

Digital Humanities Colloquium Harvard University, RCC Conference Room, 26 Trowbridge St., Cambridge MA Space and movement have always been fundamental for art history, through concepts such as -among others- center and periphery, roads for global exchange, or the experience of travel. Geographical Information Systems are transforming the traditional ways to visualize these disciplinary discourses about dissemination, innovation and evolution. Network analysis is bringing to light people and places, usually overlooked by public attention focused on a few big names, that otherwise had been very relevant in their own time as nodes for exchange or partnership. Vast and quickly increasing amounts […]

AKDC Organizes Workshop and Seminar on Cultural Heritage in Morocco

The Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT (AKDC@MIT), in collaboration with the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM) to organize a workshop and seminar on the topic of “Documenting Cultural Heritage in Morocco.” The workshop, to be held on April 11, considers standards and best practices for documenting and presenting cultural heritage, and includes participants from museums, heritage sites, and cultural institutions throughout Morocco. The seminar will be held the following day, and focus on documenting, preserving, and raising awareness of architectural heritage in northern Morocco. The seminar is generously sponsored by OCP Group. Sharon C. Smith, AKDC […]

Archnet Online Office Hours: August 22, 2017

Join us on August 22, 2017 at 9:30 am EDT for the first in what we hope will be a continuing series of Archnet Online Office Hours. This 1 hour pilot session with Archnet Co-Director Sharon C. Smith and Archnet Content Manger Michael A. Toler. The session will begin with a brief demonstration of the most recent Archnet enhancements, followed by an extended Question and Answer session. The session will be in English, and headsets are required. Registration for this pilot session is limited to 30 the first 30 registered participants. Registration closes on August 14th at 11:59 pm EDT. […]

International Tangier: Exhibit in Rotch Library

Images from the early 20th and 21st century on display For centuries European powers battled one another and Moroccan forces for control of the city of Tangier, strategically positioned on the Straits of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. In 1924 an agreement made the city a demilitarized “International Zone,” administered by European representatives, yet still nominally under Moroccan sovereignty. With the exception of a period of five year occupation by the Spanish during World War II, some variation of this arrangement remained in place until the city was returned to Moroccan sovereignty in 1956. An exhibition […]