Distinguished Professor of Architecture Awarded for Work in Islamic Studies

Written by: Deric Raymond
Published: Friday, January 18, 2019
The decorated professor of architecture will accept the award in May.

Distinguished Professor of Architecture Zeynep Celik in the College of Architecture and Design at New Jersey Institute of Technology has been awarded the Giorgio Levi Della Vida Medal honoring outstanding achievement in Islamic Studies for her extraordinary teaching and research along with her extensive publication record.

The award, presented by the Center for Near Eastern Studies (CNES) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is given to distinguished scholars whose work has significantly and lastingly advanced the study of Islamic civilization. For over half a century, CNES has promoted interdisciplinary study of the Middle East and raised public awareness of the region’s diverse peoples and cultures and their relevance to today’s world.

Celik, an architectural historian and award-winning author, is noted for her books and scholarly fine arts exhibits illuminating the Ottoman Empire, French colonial architecture and urbanism, and cross-cultural topics. Celik is lauded by CNES as “the preeminent architectural historian and museum curator of the Middle East and North Africa.”

With the award, Celik is invited to present a formal keynote lecture on a theme of her choosing as part of a scholarly conference held at UCLA that takes place May 30 and 31.

"I am humbled by this award and greatly honored to follow in the footsteps of esteemed scholars whose work I have admired for a long time,” said Celik. “I also note with pleasure that topics and approaches, previously considered peripheral to the field, are now accepted and acknowledged."

"Zeynep Celik is one of our most productive and distinguished scholars in the College of Architecture and Design,” said Anthony Schuman, interim dean of the College of Architecture and Design. “The superb quality of her steady stream of books and curated exhibitions have earned her fellowships, prizes and an honorary doctorate. Most importantly for us, as a historian she shares her skills with graduate students in architecture and in our doctoral program in Urban Systems."