Historians in Cairo. Essays in honor of George Scanlon, 2002, 256 p., 39 ill., rel. -

There can be few if any historians working in the wide field of Middle East Studies - and certainly none in the world of Islamic art and architecture - who are unacquainted with historian and archaelogist George Scanlon. At different times from the mid-1950s to the present day he has lived, worked, and studied in Egypt. For a major part of that period, he has been associated with the American University in Cairo, where he is currently Pofessor of Islamic art and achitecture in the department of arabic studies. Although diverse in subject matter, the essays collected here in his honour together present a composite picture of Cairo, and more broadly of Islamic history and culture, from early medieval times to the present day. As such they provide a fitting tribute to one of the most eminent of scholars in the field. Some contributors are one-time students of Profesor Scanlon, others are colleagues who, over the years, have worked with him in Egypt, the United States, or Britain. The essays themselves reflect the wide variety of sources contributors have drawn on from international Islamic collections and archives for topics that range broadly from medieval artefacts, architecture, and society to current issues of law, literature, philosophy, and urban change.