Archive » The Volga River Region Archaeology Vol.2 (16) 2016
Muslim Archaeology: Scope and Content of the Concept
A.G. Sitdikov, I.L. Izmailov (Kazan, Russian Federation)
page 8–17UDC 902/904 + 297
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24852/pa2016.2.16.8.17
The authors address the concept of ‘Muslim Archaeology’, which is treated as a scientifi c
discipline and a special direction in antiquity studies, against a broad background of
similar disciplines, such as Biblical Archaeology and Church Archaeology. The goal of the ‘Muslim Archaeology’, in the authors’ opinion, is to accumulate sources and ensure their
analytical processing, interpret material objects and sites, and reconcile these data with the
narrative sources in order to ensure a comprehensive reconstruction of the history of Muslim
civilization and religious life of the Muslim societies. The study of Muslim antiquities requires
a multidisciplinary approach to generalize research in the fi eld of archaeology, history of
religion and church, history of art and architecture. Methods of this discipline must be applied
to study material and spiritual aspects of religious life in the broadest historical and cultural
context, using all available archaeological sources from respective periods. To emphasize,
Muslim Archaeology as a scientifi c discipline, which is free of its own confessional interests,
is able to open new possibilities for a study of culture, economy, everyday life as well as to
offer independent sources and new data on history and civilization of Muslim countries for
scientifi c discussion.
Keywords
archaeologyhistoryMuslim ArchaeologyBiblical ArchaeologyChurch Archaeologyinterdisciplinary studiesart studyhistory of architecturereligious life
About the author(s)
Sitdikov Airat G. Doctor of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology named after
A. Kh. Khalikov, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan. Butlerov Str., 30, Kazan,
420012, the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation; sitdikov_a@mail.ru
Izmaylov Iskander L. Doctor of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology named
after A. Kh. Khalikov, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan. Butlerov Str., 30,
Kazan, 420012, the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation; ismail@inbox.ru