On 13th September 2018, ArCHIAM’s Director Prof Soumyen Bandyopadhyay lectured on “The Islamic Port of al-Balid (Oman), between Land and Sea: Place of Trade, Exchange, Diversity, and Coexistence” at The Aga Khan University-Institute for the Study of Muslim in London for the: “International Conference
Muslim Cultures in the Indian Ocean Diversity and Pluralism, Past and Present”.
The first day of the conference was followed by the opening of the exhibition Indian Ocean Architecture, which explored architectural traditions shaped by centuries of trade, migration, and cultural exchange across the region.
On the second day of the conference, under the panel Objects and Spaces, Prof Bandyopadhyay examined the role of material culture in shaping spatial practices within port cities. His discussion on al-Balid, the historic Omani port, demonstrates how objects served as carriers of knowledge, linking maritime and inland networks. The analysis underlined the importance of studying material traces to better understand patterns of movement, trade, and cultural synthesis in the region.
