Stefan Weber (Orientalist)
Encyclopedia
Stefan Weber is a German
Orientalist
and Director of the Museum of Islamic Art (Museum für Islamische Kunst) at the Pergamon Museum
in Berlin
, Germany. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Material History at the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations of Aga Khan University
in London
.
Weber matriculated in Oriental Studies (Arabic
, Persian
, Turkish
and History of Islamic art
) at Bonn University in 1990 and finished as Magister
in 1996. After university he worked at the German Archaeological Institute
in Damascus. In 2001 he received a doctorate from the University of Berlin and moved to Beirut
as staff member of the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft
(German Oriental Society).
In 2007 he became assistant Professor of Material History at the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations of Aga Khan University
in London
. In Juli 2008 he was appointed as director of the Pergamon Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
and holds this position since spring 2009.
Stefan Weber chaired several international and interdisciplinary projects. He specialized in architectural history of Syria
in Ottoman
times.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
and Director of the Museum of Islamic Art (Museum für Islamische Kunst) at the Pergamon Museum
Pergamon Museum
The Pergamon Museum is situated on the Museum Island in Berlin. The site was designed by Alfred Messel and Ludwig Hoffmann and was constructed in twenty years, from 1910 to 1930. The Pergamon houses original-sized, reconstructed monumental buildings such as the Pergamon Altar and the Market Gate...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Material History at the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations of Aga Khan University
Aga Khan University
The Aga Khan University is a coeducational research university spread over three continents. It was granted its charter in 1983 as Pakistan's first private, autonomous university. AKU was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, and is part of the Aga Khan Development Network...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Weber matriculated in Oriental Studies (Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and History of Islamic art
History of art
The History of art refers to visual art which may be defined as any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview...
) at Bonn University in 1990 and finished as Magister
Magister (degree)
Magister is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education.-Argentina:...
in 1996. After university he worked at the German Archaeological Institute
German Archaeological Institute
The German Archaeological Institute is an institution of research within the field of archaeology , and a "scientific corporation", with parentage of the federal Foreign Office of Germany-Origin:...
in Damascus. In 2001 he received a doctorate from the University of Berlin and moved to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
as staff member of the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft
Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft
The Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft , in English the German Oriental Society, is a scholarly organization dedicated to studies of Asia and the broader Orient....
(German Oriental Society).
In 2007 he became assistant Professor of Material History at the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations of Aga Khan University
Aga Khan University
The Aga Khan University is a coeducational research university spread over three continents. It was granted its charter in 1983 as Pakistan's first private, autonomous university. AKU was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, and is part of the Aga Khan Development Network...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In Juli 2008 he was appointed as director of the Pergamon Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation , headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is one of the largest cultural institutions in the world. It was founded by a West German federal law passed on 25 July 1957, with the mission to acquire and protect the cultural legacy of the former state of Prussia...
and holds this position since spring 2009.
Stefan Weber chaired several international and interdisciplinary projects. He specialized in architectural history of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
in Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
times.
Publications
- Zeugnisse Kulturellen Wandels: Stadt, Architektur und Gesellschaft des osmanischen Damaskus im 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhundert. Ph.D. Thesis, Freie Universität Berlin, 2001 (Online version)
- Das Anfang vom Ende. Der Wandel bemalter Holzvertäfelungen in Damaskus des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts. in: Julia Gonnella, Jens Kröger: Angels, Peonies, and Fabulous Creatures: The Aleppo Room in Berlin. International Symposium of the Museum für Islamische Kunst - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin 12.-14. April 2002, pp. 153-164. ISBN 978-3-930454-82-2
- The Empire in the City: Arab Provincial Capitals in the Late Ottoman Empire. Beiruter Texte und Studien 88, Beirut 2002 (as editor with J. Hanssen, Th. Philipp)
- Damascus: Ottoman Modernity and Urban Transformation (1808-1918). Aarhus University Press, Aarhus 2009, ISBN 978-8779344242.