This summer term, Professor Nasser Rabbat is Allianz guest professor for Islamic and Jewish studies. The Allianz Group created this fellowship at Munich's Ludwig-Maximilian University (LMU) in 2003 to promote the dialog between Western, Jewish and Islamic cultures.
Professor Rabbat of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge near Boston, USA, will teach and research architecture of the Muslim Umayyad dynasty and be hosted at the Institute for Oriental Studies.
MIT architect is new Allianz fellow
Nasser Rabbat will research architecture of the Muslim Umayyad dynasty
Famous example: The Dome of the Rock
The Umayyad dynasty ruled the Islamic world from 661 to 756 A.D. During their reign, many important buildings were constructed, for example the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem or the Great Mosque of Damascus. They formed the basis for developing an architectural style of their own and an artistic language for the emerging monotheist Umayyad empire in the 7th century.
Professor Rabbat was born in Damascus, Syria. He studied architecture in Damascus and Los Angeles and earned his Ph.D. in 1991 at the MIT with an award-winning thesis on the Citadel of Cairo. Since 1999, he has been Professor of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT.
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem; Photo: Orientalist 2006
The Allianz fellowship
After September 11, 2001, Allianz Group endowed a fellowship for Islamic and Jewish studies at Ludwig-Maximilian University as part of its societal commitment. With this initiative, the company wants to promote knowledge of Islamic and Jewish cultures and encourage dialog. This commitment is based on the belief that many current international conflicts are aggravated by the lack of understanding for cultural differences.
Each semester, Allianz sponsors a different guest professor to come to Munich, teaching either Islamic or Jewish history and culture. Thanks to Allianz's commitment, the LMU can greatly improve its interdisciplinary network of research and teaching in Islamic, Jewish, religious, cultural, philological and historical sciences.