Islamic Architecture as a Field of Historical Enquiry, AD Architectural Design, 74(6), 2004 Reproduced by courtesy of the publishers John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Islamic architecture, a young field with a conservative scholarly lineage, has only recently begun to find its own theoretical bearings. After briefly reviewing the origins and formative stages of the field in the West, this article identifies a turning point brought about by the publication of Edward Sa d's seminal book Orientalism in 1978. It then introduces three critical notions, dynamic periodization, multiculturalism, and dialogue, which offer a framework for the study of Islamic architecture as a tradition with a solid historical selfconsciousness.