Abd Al-Razzaq Moaz

History of the Architecture of Syria, Volumes One and Two

Prof. Dr. Abd Al-Razzaq Moaz is a distinguished international expert in architectural heritage, with over thirty years of academic and professional experience in the history of Islamic architecture, archaeology, and heritage conservation across Syria, France, the USA, and Germany.
He holds a BA in History from Damascus University (1985), followed by an MA (1987) and a PhD (1991) in Islamic Archaeology and Architectural History from France. In the public and international sectors, he served as the Director General of Antiquities and Museums in Syria, Deputy Minister of Culture for Heritage (2000–2007), and Director of European Union Cultural Heritage Projects in Syria (2000–2006). In academia, he held the positions of Vice Dean and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the Arab International University (AIU) in Syria. His international teaching career includes the École d'Architecture de Paris-Belleville (1992–1995) and the University of Bonn, Germany, where he has been a visiting professor since 2015. Since 2016, he has been a full-time research fellow monitoring heritage damage in Syria, funded by the Gerda Henkel Stiftung.

The present volumes, History of the Architecture of Syria, for which The Barakat Trust will fund copyediting and colour printing costs, consist of seventy-five chapters that present a comprehensive history of Syrian architecture within the Islamic world from the early Islamic period to the late Ottoman era (pre-circa 1920). Organized chronologically from the Umayyad and Abbasid periods through the Seljuk, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman centuries, it examines urbanism, monuments, and domestic architecture across major regions and cities, including areas underrepresented in existing scholarship. Bringing together international and Syrian scholars, the chapters integrate archaeological investigation with the study of art, architecture, and material culture, emphasizing architectural typologies, patronage, craftsmanship, and regional variation within broader Islamic artistic traditions.