Publications
Discover our comprehensive collection of scholarly publications.
A Safavid Armenian Monument: Architectural Hybridity at the Vank Cathedral in Isfahan
This book explores the Vank Cathedral in Isfahan, a relatively well-known yet poorly understood structure. The cathedral’s design, construction and interior decoration display both Safavid and Armenian architectural and artistic features. Notably, it differs significantly from Armenian architectural and wall painting traditions prior to their relocation to Isfahan in 1604. The origins and reasons for […]
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Persian Kingship and Architecture: Strategies of Power in Iran from the Achaemenids to the Pahlavis
Since the Shah went into exile and the Islamic Republic was established in 1979 in the wake of the Iranian Revolution, the very idea of monarchy in Iran has been contentious. Yet, as Persian Kingship and Architecture argues, the institution of kingship has historically played a pivotal role in articulating the abstract notion of ‘Iran’ […]
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The Rise of Islam
This volume addresses the astonishing impact made by Islam during and after the Arab conquest of Iran in the middle of the seventh century. As the Sasanian dynasty crumbled before the invaders’ triumphant onslaught, its state religion of Zoroastrianism was unceremoniously dismantled to make way for the new faith of the victorious desert warriors. Yet […]
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The Sasanian Era
Seizing power from the previous dynasty – the Parthians – the Sasanians ruled Iran and most of the ancient Near East from 224 until 642 CE. They are particularly fascinating because of their adherence to Zoroastrianism, an ancient dualistic Iranian religion named after the prophet Zarathustra (or, in Greek, Zoroaster). The Sasanians expressed the divine […]
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The Age of the Parthians
The Parthian civilization was a dominant feature of the ancient near East for some five centuries, and yet relatively little is known about it today. But it is established that in the mid-third century BCE, a bold and ambitious leader called Arsaces challenged Hellenic rule and led his armies to victory. The dynasty which he […]
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Birth of the Persian Empire
Of the great ancient civilisations, that of Persia is the least known and the most enigmatic, this book explores the formation of the Persian empire under the Achaemenid Persians. It gives a multidisciplinary view of ancient Iran in the first millennium B.C.E. and covers the art, archaeology, history and religion of a vast geographical area […]
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