Historians in Cairo: Essays in Honor of George Scanlon

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 archaeologist 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 professor of Islamic art and architecture in the Department of Arabic Studies. Although diverse in subject matter, the essays collected here in his honor 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 Professor 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 artifacts, architecture, and society to current issues of law, literature, philosophy, and urban change.

Jill Edwards is professor and chair of the Department of History at the American University in Cairo. Her many publications on modern history include Al-Alamein Revisited: The Battle at al-Alamein and its Historical Implications (AUC Press, 2000).