The team for the Qalawun VR Project includes specialists in Islamic architectural history, early Islamic history, and Mamluk history. In the future, we intend to expand the team to include experts in VR technology.
Professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University
Medieval Egyptian History
Qalawun VR Project – Team Leader
“I am interested in sharing resources in an ‘open science’ approach, and in techniques to visualize and analyze data obtained from historical materials. In this project, I intend to explore how the results of historical research can be published and used for education and further research.”
Director
Cairo Research Station
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Islamic Architectural History
Member of the Qalawun VR Project team since 2019
“For many years, I have studied the history of architecture as it relates to Muslims. Being interested in Cairo’s architectural heritage, and having lived there for the past few years, I intend to better understand the history of the “Historic (a.k.a. Islamic) Cairo” district in light of historical maps.”
Associate Professor, Faculty of Internatioanl Relations, Daito Bunka University
History of Medieval Arab and Islamic World
Member of the Qalawun VR Project team since 2019
“I majored in the history of Medieval Arabic Islam. By examining the historical steps of urban development and water use in Cairo, I am pursuing a deeper understanding of the issues of coexistence in Islamic society.”
Associate Professor
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Hirosaki University
Middle East History
Member of the Qalawun VR Project team since 2019
“My specialty is the history of the early Islamic period from the 7th to 9th centuries. More broadly, however, my goal is to assemble and integrate historical materials that transcend the limitations of language and media to enhance our picture of Middle Eastern society in the Middle Ages.”
Research Fellow
Graduate School of Economics
Hitotsubashi University
Research Fellow
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Pre-modern Islamic Socio-Economic History
Member of the Qalawun VR Project team since 2019
“For years, I have contemplated the composition of pre-Modern Islamic economic systems. I believe that waqf charitable donations are the key. The construction and management of facilities at the monumental Qalawun complex were made possible through such donations.”
Advisor of the President of NRIAG for Heritage,
National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Egypt
Foreign Research Fellow Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Member of the Qalawun VR Project team since 2019
“From the perspectives of sustainable development and protecting cultural assets, I am interested in digitizing cultural heritage assets to better utilize that wisdom in the local community, and raise cultural awareness.”
Master’s Program in Architecture and Civil Engineering
Graduate School of Engineering
Tokai University
Member of the Qalawun VR Project team since 2020
“The appeal of digital platforms, such as virtual reality, goes beyond visually experiencing a virtual space. Information and meta-data superimposed on-screen and connected through hyperlinks can provide the user with experiences that transcend the limits of time and space, from the comfort of home. I hope to contribute an architectural studies perspective in creating virtual reality content that captures and shares historic buildings as they existed, allowing the user to feel closer to the history and spaces of distant worlds.”
We would like to express our special thanks to Ms. Masae Mabuchi of the JSPS Cairo Research Station for assisting with the photography, and to Mr. Ehab Elkhatib of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities for assisting with negotiations at the photography locations.
English translation: Jeff Gedert