Final lecture of season on historic mosque

The final lecture in the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society Public Lecture Programme 2022/23 will be given by Dr Richard McClary, a Senior Lecturer in Islamic Art and Architecture at the University of York.

Dr McClary has lectured on the topic of Medieval Islamic architecture around the world and has conducted fieldwork in India, Turkey, central Asia and the Middle East.

A spokesman for the society said: “He has published extensively on a wide range of topics, and is a specialist in the architecture and ceramic arts of the wider Iranian world from the tenth to the 14th centuries.

“As one of the most important monuments in all of Asia, the Friday Mosque, or Masjid-i Jame, of the Iranian city of Isfahan, is a masterpiece of world architecture that rewards close examination of its multifaceted layers.

“Dr McClary describes it as a palimpsest of a building, with material dating from the 8th century onward, and which has been restored, rebuilt, and redecorated by every major dynasty from the Abbasids till today.

“His lecture will give an overview of the key elements of the site, some recent discoveries, and will attempt to place it into the wider context of long term Islamic architectural history in Iran.”

SGS Lectures are held at Broad Street Methodist Church, Spalding and start at 7.30pm with an admission charge of £3 each at the door (no charge for students under 18 and school pupils). All are welcome.

The next programme will commence again in September this year and will be publicised nearer the time on the SGS website at https://www.sgsoc.org.

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