February 2026 at The Barakat Trust
This is the online version of our monthly newsletter delivered directly to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.
In This Month’s Newsletter
– New podcast: The Armenian Architects of the Ottoman East
– The 2026 grant cycle continues!
– Grant information sessions – English and Arabic
– Ikhwat Yusuf visit – a 2025 grantee
– Exhibitions
New Podcast: The Armenian Architects of the Ottoman East, with Alyson Wharton-Durgaryan
Listen to our new podcast episode, the first in our series on Peripheries, where we discuss the place of Armenian architects in the towns and cities of eastern Anatolia in the late Ottoman empire.
Our guest is Alyson Wharton-Durgaryan, Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Lincoln, where she has taught for ten years in the School of Humanities and Heritage. In 2026, she’ll take up a new two-year fellowship at the University of Oxford. Her research looks at the roles of Armenian architects hailing from the Ottoman Empire, who were key to formulating the image of the modern state in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Q&A Sessions
We will hold two more rounds of Q&A sessions in February and March. In these sessions we will provide some guidance on how to think about and write a strong application. There will also be time for applicants to ask the Barakat team questions about the grant process.
These sessions will be held in English and Arabic on separate dates. To register, click on the session(s) you want to attend:
Monday 23rd February 12:00 GMT – English
Tuesday 24th February 12:00 GMT – Arabic
Monday 23rd March 16:00 GMT – English
Tuesday 24th March 16:00 GMT – Arabic
Ikhwat Yusuf Shrine Visit – 2025 Grantee
Late last year, we were delighted to visit Ikhwat Yusuf, a Fatimid era shrine in Cairo’s southern cemetery dedicated to the brothers of the Prophet Yusuf.
The American Research Centre in Cairo was awarded an A3 Major Grant in 2025 for a documentation and training project. This centres on the masses of graffiti scratched and written into the plastered walls of the shrine as left by the streams of pilgrims who visited the sites over the years. These graffiti were properly recognised and restored following ARCE’s major restoration of the building over the past few years and now The Barakat Trust is delighted to be able to help push the project forward to the next stage.
Centre: EA.CA.3862 – Creswell Archive negative number Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology
Worth Attending
A brief compilation of museum exhibitions and cultural events taking place around the world over the next few weeks.
Empire of Light: Visions and Voices from Afghanistan
Museum of Islamic Art. Doha. Until 30th May 2026. Standard entry ticket.
Using 100 objects this exhibition charts the rich artistic heritage of Afghanistan at a crossroads between the Persianate world, India, and Central Asia. It seeks to show the richness and diversity of its cultural heritage against the conflict-riven headlines that dominate our understanding of this region.
https://mia.org.qa/en/calendar/empire-of-light-visions-and-voices-of-afghanistan
Busana: Traditional Costumes of the Malay World
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur. Until 12th April 2026. Standard entry ticket.
Busana refers to the traditional attire of the Malay world, and this exhibition allows you to explore a variety of textile traditions from the region. Special consideration is given to how the different artistic norms from neighbouring regions were blended to produce a distinct Malay character.
