History of Art and Architecture of the Islamic Middle East and Intensive Language

You will study the arts of the Islamic Middle East exploring a wide range of arts and material culture, from Islamic visual culture; Arab, Persian and Turkish painting; the calligraphy and illumination of the Qur'an; the architecture and urbanism of Morocco; the arts and architecture of the Ottomans in Turkey and the Balkans; and the material culture of western Iran.

In addition, the degree engages with trans-regional topics that extend beyond the Middle East, such as cultural and artistic relationships between the Islamic lands and Europe. By the end of the programme, which includes a summer language school abroad, you will have received sufficient instruction to reach near-proficiency in the language.

Why study History of Art and Architecture of the Islamic Middle East at SOAS?

• we are ranked 13th in the UK for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings 2022)
• you are eligible for an all-expenses paid trip to Paris, Amsterdam or Leiden as part of the Southeast Asian Art study tour (must enrol on Southeast Asia's Art Histories I and II)
• we partner with the British Council to offer a School of Arts student one fully funded residency at the annual Venice Architecture Biennale
• teaching is supported by the world-class collections of Middle Eastern, Asian and African art in museums in London and the UK, and access to London’s vibrant commercial art sector
• you will profit from the insights of scholars and students working in fields across the arts, such as Music, Film and Media
• you can also select from modules in other departments, taking advantage of SOAS’s unrivalled expertise in the languages, history, religions and cultures of East Asia
• internships, field-trips, museum and storage visits, talks by curators, artists and other practitioners
• our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, auction houses, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world
• our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research