Simon O'Meara

Dr. Simon O'Meara is a Professor at SOAS University of London, serving as Reader in the History of Architecture & Archaeology of the Islamic Middle East and Department Student Support and Experience Convenor. He holds a PhD from the University of Leeds (2004) in Arabic and Islamic Studies, following BA and MA degrees in Art History with a focus on visual theory.

• Key research areas: Islamic architecture, North African urbanism, material culture, and Islamic visual theory
• Specializes in analyzing how Islamic religious/legal discourses shape urban spaces and visual culture

His publications include two monographs: Space and Muslim Urban Life (2007) on Fez's party walls, and The Kaʿba Orientations (2020) on Mecca's spatial symbolism. Current work examines Quranic exegesis through architectural lenses (2024) and Sufi cosmological centers (2023).

PhD supervision topics include:

• Charlie Oubridge: The Nation in Egyptology
• Aydin Ozcandan: Ottoman fountains and epigraphs

Contact: so20@soas.ac.uk | Office: Room 558, Russell Square: College Buildings