Illuminating
the Path Forward
Step into a space where history, art, and innovation converge. Our work bridges the depth and richness of Middle Eastern and North African cultural heritage with contemporary dialogue through rigorous research, critical storytelling, and innovative digital approaches. At MENARAH, you can explore how culture, history, art, and tradition intersect with new technologies to generate fresh perspectives on the past and to foster a deeper, more nuanced understanding of our shared cultural legacy.
About MENARAH:
The MENARAH Initiative (Middle Eastern and North African Research of Art and History) at the University of Texas at Dallas is a pioneering research lab housed within the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology. MENARAH explores the intersection of history, art history, and the digital humanities, with a broad focus on the Islamic world and its many interconnected regions. Rather than confining scholarship to traditional modes of inquiry, the initiative rethinks how histories are researched, visualized, and experienced by mobilizing emerging digital practices, experimental media, and collaborative modes of knowledge production, including a wide range of digital cultural initiatives that bridge research, pedagogy, and public engagement. MENARAH supports research across the historic and modern Middle East and North Africa, as well as sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Central and Southeast Asia, and Europe. As both a digital and physical hub, MENARAH fosters sustained engagement with the material and visual cultures of Islamic societies, empowering students and scholars to explore global histories through innovative, interdisciplinary, and critically reflective approaches.
Digital Research
We create mapping tools, 3D models of historic architecture and objects, and curated digital archives and exhibitions to explore Middle Eastern, North African, and other regional histories and art histories in new ways—reconstructing sites, tracing dispersed materials, and generating fresh insights into the past.
Material Culture and Art Historical Studies
We research art, objects, and architectural traditions that have shaped life and culture across the historic and modern Islamic world. By examining materiality, aesthetics, visual culture, and art histories, we trace the multiple historical threads and connections woven across different regions.
Interactive Media
We develop digital educational games, interactive experiences, and online exhibitions that bring historical research to life. Drawing on game-based design, computational tools, and digital and 3D modeling practices, these initiatives offer new pedagogical approaches and engaging ways for students and scholars to explore Islamic history.
Our Projects
Ongoing research exploring the cultural, artistic, and intellectual history of the Islamic world.
The Fatimid Tiraz Project
Fatimid Tiraz textiles demonstrate an intricate history of art, material culture, and social history of the tenth to twelfth centuries. This project aims to create a platform that closely examines the techniques, designs, inscriptions, production, and cultural history related to these textiles.
Documenting Historic Fez
Ibn Jubayr Mapping Project
Finding Albarelli
Ghalin History
The Muqqadimah
The Umayyads of Al-Andalus Capital Study
Umayyad capitals from the palatial city Madinat al-Zahra are dispersed across the museums and private collections worldwide. This projects aims to study the inscribed capitals collectively, offering new insights into the history of Umayyad palatial epigraphy.
Documenting the Material Culture of Muslim Sicily
Italian Orientalist scholars from the 18th to 20th centuries have recorded a fair amount of Islamic material cultural inscriptions from the era of medieval Islamic rule over Sicily. This project collectively studies their records of inscribed objects, architecture, and art from the Aghlabid, Fatimid, and Kalbid eras spanning the 9th to 11th centuries.
The Fatimid Tiraz Project
The Fatimid Tiraz Project
Ibn Jubayr Mapping Project
Finding Albarelli
Ghalin History
The Muqqadimah
The Umayyads of Al-Andalus Capital Study
Documenting the Material Culture of Muslim Sicily
Events & Opportunities
Discover upcoming workshops, research opportunities, and academic events designed to support learning, collaboration, and new ideas in Islamic studies.
This panel organized by Ali Alibhai (UT Dallas), Sarah Slingluff (Walters Art Museum) and Michael Ernst (Temple University) seeks to explore how digital technologies—particularly video games, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and also other interactive visual tools—can transform research and pedagogy in the field of Middle Eastern Studies and medieval Islamic art.
FAQ
What is the main focus of MENARAH?
How does MENARAH use digital technology in its projects?
The initiative uses mapping tools, 3D modeling, VR environments, and digital archives to study historical sites, objects, and cultural narratives. These tools help recreate lost spaces, analyze dispersed materials, and present research in interactive formats.
Can students participate in MENARAH projects?
Meet Our Team
NEWS
& EVENTS
From new research releases to workshops and student-led exhibitions, our events open the door to learning, collaboration, and cultural exploration. Stay informed and experience the stories, studies, and ideas emerging from MENARAH’s work.
CALL FOR PAPERS: Reimagining Middle Eastern Studies Classrooms: Gaming and Digital Platforms for Pedagogy, Research, and Representation
EODIAH Hybrid Workshop: The Medieval Kairouan Mosque Video Game Simulation
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUPPORT OUR INITIATIVE AND OUR STUDENTS?
Your support helps us expand research opportunities, develop new digital projects, and provide meaningful learning experiences for our students. Your contribution directly strengthens our mission and the future of our work.