A resource library on Islamic Architecture and Urbanism in Trani (Puglia, Italy)
Issue 50
Text & Visuals | Zarminae Ansari
Years ago, while teaching a course on research methodology in a Pakistani art institution, I advised my students not to limit themselves to a certain collection, be it a college library or papers from a certain period of time or ideology, while conducting research. If I were teaching this course today, I would most certainly add: do not trust everything available on the internet and more importantly, do not believe that everything is available on the internet.
It is possible that certain materials are not available on the internet because, for example, the material itself has not been digitized, which is common for subjects that have fallen from academic favor, or perhaps, it has been deemed unnecessary. Arguably, such is the case for the study of Islamic architecture and urbanism in the current socio-political climate. Yet research and documentation of the disappearing traditional built environment is exactly what we need in the Islamic world today. Architectural sensitivity and a strong conceptual design originates from understanding context – historic, geographic, visual, and cultural.
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Zarminae Ansari equipped with her deep interest in linguistics and her lived experiences, in 12 cities around the globe, cultural tourism and marketing is Ar. Zarminae Ansari’s (MIT, 1997) forte. Currently based in Dubai, she runs ‘Joy of Urdu’, a bilingual initiative for the revitalization of the Urdu language with chapters established all over the world.
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