An Introduction to Islamic Archaeology

As a textbook, Milwright's volume more than comes up to the mark, and it will certainly take a prominent place on my course reading lists. Such a synthesis, however, does more than act as a useful pedagogic tool; it throws into focus the state of the field of Islamic archaelogy in terms of its role within wider scholarship on the medieval Middle East... The book's considerable strengths - diversity, detail, clarity of explanation - make it a key addition to the field, and to the bookshelves of students and lecturers alike. It should also achieve its apparent purpose of presenting Islamic archaeology to a wider audience in an easily digestible way, and demonstrating the value of archaeological approaches to those still in need of convincing. -- ALISON L GASCOIGNE, Journal of Arabian Studies Milwright's introduction is a sound, balanced and scrupulously fair review of the field that will be immensely useful to lecturers and students of Islamic archaeology. It is carefully written to be accessible to a general audience, and the material discussed is generally well chosen to illustrate the full range and current state of Islamic archaeology. -- Jeremy Johns, Antiquity As a textbook, Milwright's volume more than comes up to the mark, and it will certainly take a prominent place on my course reading lists. Such a synthesis, however, does more than act as a useful pedagogic tool; it throws into focus the state of the field of Islamic archaelogy in terms of its role within wider scholarship on the medieval Middle East... The book's considerable strengths - diversity, detail, clarity of explanation - make it a key addition to the field, and to the bookshelves of students and lecturers alike. It should also achieve its apparent purpose of presenting Islamic archaeology to a wider audience in an easily digestible way, and demonstrating the value of archaeological approaches to those still in need of convincing. Milwright's introduction is a sound, balanced and scrupulously fair review of the field that will be immensely useful to lecturers and students of Islamic archaeology. It is carefully written to be accessible to a general audience, and the material discussed is generally well chosen to illustrate the full range and current state of Islamic archaeology.