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2027 Yarshater Lectures in Persian Art
Key information
- Date
- to
- Venue
- SOAS, Russell Square
- Room
- Khalili Lecture Theatre
- Event type
- Lecture
About this event
The Yarshater Lectures in Persian Art at SOAS are a series of academic lectures dedicated to Iranian art and culture and are intended for publication.
The lectures and publications carry the name of Professor Ehsan Yarshater (who completed his doctorate at SOAS in 1960) in recognition of his scholarly achievements.
The Yarshater Lectures in Persian Art at SOAS are sponsored by the Persian Heritage Foundation.
About the lectures
The Domed Mosque in Medieval Iran: From the Arab-Islamic conquest to the Safavids, with a focus on the Great Seljuq period - Lorenz Korn
The iconic shapes of domes that have marked the old cities of Iran were the result of a historical development, the crucial phase of which can be seen in the Seljuq period. As the foremost building in Islam, the mosque required decisions of functionality and design that patrons and builders took on with new ideas from the 11th century onwards. Introducing a large dome in front of the mihrab, together with additional elements such as the eyvan courtyard, enhanced the monumentality of the mosque. Yet, the resulting conflicts with its functioning for communal prayer ask for explanations, as does the question for possible prototypes, which cannot be reduced to the copying of pre-Islamic Iranian buildings.
These four lectures will deal with the history of dome constructions in and around Iran, with the specific situation during the Seljuq period including aspects of workshop practice, and questions of interpretation.
Lectures
| Date | Lecture |
|---|---|
| 28 Jan | Problems of understanding domed mosques, and a look at earlier traditions of dome building in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods |
| 29 Jan | A period of reconstruction: What happened to Iranian Mosques during the Seljuq period |
| 01 Feb | How to erect a monumental brick dome: Construction and design |
| 02 Feb | The sultan and the community: Patronage and the meaning of mosque domes |
About the speaker
Lorenz Korn received his PhD in Islamic Studies at the University of Tübingen with a dissertation on building activities under the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt and Syria (12th-13th cent. CE). Since 2003, he has been professor of Islamic Art and Archaeology at the University of Bamberg. Based on extensive fieldwork between Egypt and Uzbekistan, his research focuses on the history of architecture and architectural ornament in the heartlands of Islam (10th-16th cent.), on Arabic epigraphy, and on religious and political symbols in Islamic Art. Book publications include Ayyubidische Architektur in Ägypten und Syrien (2004) as well as the brief surveys Geschichte der Islamischen Kunst (History of Islamic Art, 2008) and Die Moschee (The Mosque, 2012). Among his recent publications are Stucco in Iran and Neighbouring Lands (first editor, 2026), and articles on various aspects of the architecture of Iran and Central Asia.
Dates and details
The 2027 Yarshater Lectures in Persian Art will take place over four days in late January and early February. Each lecture will take place from 7:00pm in the Khalili Lecture Theatre at SOAS's Russell Square Campus (main building, lower ground floor). Lectures will also be broadcast online via Microsoft Teams (please note lectures will not be recorded).
Admission is free and all are welcome.
