Photo archive based at the University of Oxford
Manar al-Athar is a photo archive based at the Faculty of Classics at the University of Oxford which aims to provide high-quality[1] open-access images of archaeological sites and buildings. The archive's collection focuses on areas of the Roman Empire which later came under Islamic rule,[2][3] namely the Levant, North Africa, Turkey, Georgia and Armenia. As of June 2022, the archive holds more than 83,000 unique images. Particular strengths include Late antiquity,[1] as well as the transition from paganism to Christianity and later to Islam.[4]
The archive licenses its images under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license;[5] the images can be used for any non-commercial purpose, including in academic publications, and are jointly labelled in English and Arabic to encourage usage by academics and students around the world.
History
Manar al-Athar was founded in 2012 by Judith McKenzie, archaeologist and Associate Professor of Late Antique Egypt and the Holy Land at the University of Oxford.[6] Its creation was inspired by McKenzie's experience lecturing at Birzeit University in Palestine; she discovered that her students were not able to visit most of the Palestinian monuments which she was discussing, and thus sought to Manar al-Athar to provide open-access images for such students and academics to use.[7] McKenzie was the Director of Manar al-Athar from its conception until her death in 2019; since 2020, the archive's director has been Ine Jacobs, Associate Professor of Byzantine Archaeology and Visual Culture at the University of Oxford.[8]
Publications
Manar al-Athar sponsors a publication series, and as of June 2022 has published the following works:
- 2019. J Gnisci (ed.) Treasures of Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Bodleian Library, Oxford
- 2018. E Maucaulay-Lewis et al. Bayt Fahri and the Sephardic Palaces of Ottoman Damascus in the Late 18th and 19th Centuries†
- 2016. J. McKenzie and F. Watson, et al. The Garima Gospels: Early Illuminated Gospel Books from Ethiopia
- 2013. J. McKenzie et al. The Nabatean Temple at Khirbet et-Tannur. Volume 2: Cultic Offerings, Vessels and Other Specialist Reports†
- 2013. J. McKenzie et al. The Nabatean Temple at Khirbet et-Tannur. Volume 1: Architecture and Religion†
† indicates works published jointly with the American Schools of Orient Research.
