City in the Desert, Revisited

Oleg Grabar at Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi, 1964-71

by Christiane Gruber and Michelle Al-Ferzly, foreword by Renata Holod

Book cover: City in the Desert, Revisited

Extent: 184 pages

Publisher: Kelsey Museum Publications

Subjects: Ancient Near East, Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, Mediterranean Archaeology

Series: Kelsey Museum Publication

Series volume number: 17

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(April 2021)

ISBN: 9781733050401

7.99 x 7.99 inches

Price: $35.00

In stock

Featuring previously unpublished documents and reproducing over fifty photographs from archaeological excavations led by Oleg Grabar at Qasr al-Hayr in Syria, this book recounts the personal experiences and professional endeavours that shaped the growth of the fields of Islamic archaeology, art and architectural history.


Between 1964 and 1971, renowned Islamic art historian Oleg Grabar directed a large-scale archaeological excavation at the site of Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi. Drawn to the remote eighth-century complex in the hopes of uncovering a princely Umayyad palace, Grabar and his team instead stumbled upon a new type of urban settlement in the Syrian steppe. A rich lifeworld emerged in the midst of their discoveries, and over the course of the excavation’s six seasons, close relationships formed between the American and Syrian archaeologists, historians, and workers who labored and lived at the site. Featuring previously unpublished documents and illustrating over fifty photographs from the Qasr al-Hayr dig, City in the Desert, Revisited recounts the personal experiences and professional endeavors that shaped the fields of Islamic archaeology, art, and architectural history during their rise in the US academy.

  • By (author) Michelle Al-Ferzly
  • By (author) Christiane Gruber
  • Foreword by Renata Holod

"Undoubtedly, Gruber and Al-Ferzly have put together a book that intriguingly unravels the mood and times of the Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi excavations. The intentions, achievements, obstacles, and unexpected outcomes of the project are laid out in full clarity, while a valuable and empathic insight is given into the people of the Syrian countryside and their ways, now tragically decimated." Walmsley, Alan, Bulletin of Oriental and African Studies 15 September 2023
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