The Poetics of Arabian Sūqs

Jasmine Shahin is a Dubai-based interior architect and university professor, teaching interior design and architectural history/theory in several institutions. In 2000, Shahin graduated from the American University in Dubai, after which she trained with one of the largest local firms in the Middle East. In 2007, she joined De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, where she received both her MPhil (2010) and PhD (2020) in Architectural and Urban Theory. Shahin has produced several publications and has presented many papers at international conferences. Her academic publications focus on the importance of hermeneutics for understanding the development of historical places in relation to contingent social experiences. She founded NU Design Bureau in 2020, complementing her academic experience with a strong pool of successful projects.

List of Illustrations. Preface. Introduction: A Personal Impression, A Problem, A Method. Chapter 1: Arab-ness in between Prejudice and Prehension. Chapter 2: The Arabian Sūq in Contemporary Discourse. Chapter 3: Pre-Islamic Arabia in-between fadaā and tareeq. Chapter 4: Islamic Arabia in-between tajalli and wahm. Chapter 5: Post-Islamic Arabia in-between Tradition and Progress. Chapter 6: The Arabian Sūq’s Past, Present and Future. Bibliography. Index.