Profile

Fatih Han is a doctoral candidate specializing in the art and architecture of the Islamic Middle East, with a focus on Anatolia and the Levant. His current research investigates the sensorial qualities of cross-cultural metal objects typically attributed to the “Mosul school” and examines their function and movement within architectural contexts. An advocate of visual culture studies, he also explores Islamic theology and visuality as additional frameworks for engaging with Islamic art.

Han earned his BA in Art History, specializing in European and American art, from Free University Berlin, and his MA in the History of Art and Architecture of the Islamic Middle East and Arabic from SOAS, University of London. His M.A. dissertation focused on the spolia program of the Konya city walls, commissioned by the Rum Seljuk sultan ‘Alā al-Dīn Kayqubad (d. 1237). In this work, he demonstrated how a newly introduced Seljuk spolia concept in Anatolia set new standards for artisanship in central and eastern Europe. 

Prior to his doctorate, Han pursued curatorial and archival work at various institutions, including the Academy of Arts in Berlin, Zeitgeist German Culture Center in Cairo, and Galerie EIGEN + ART in Berlin and Leipzig. At Princeton University, he served as the McCrindle intern for Islamic art at the Princeton University Art Museum during the spring term of the 22/23 academic year and currently is responsible for the cataloging of Islamic coins from Antioch in Firestone Library’s Special Collections.

Han’s research at Princeton University has been supported by the Stanley J. Seeger ’52 Center for Hellenic Studies.