This course explores the architecture of the Islamic world from the 7th - 12th centuries through the lens of its major monuments throughout the central Islamic lands, North Africa and Spain. Through an emphasis upon the Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid and Seljuk periods, the course explores the range of cultural, political, social and religious aspects related to the development of the built environment. It also considers the impact of Islam's encounter with late antiquity and aims to position the rise of Islamic architecture within the context of this encounter. Additionally, the architecture is contextualized through a study of the urban history of select early and medieval Islamic cities.