Papers of Douglas Pickett

Material relating to Douglas Pickett's published research into kashi, Persian tilework and mosaic faience, and his later unpublished research into the cities of pre-Islamic Syria. The bulk of the collection consists of over 1400 35mm colour slides, mostly relating to Iran with a smaller number relat...

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Date(s) of creation: 1963-1997
Level: Collection
Format: Archive           

Reference number: MS 380812
Summary: Material relating to Douglas Pickett's published research into kashi, Persian tilework and mosaic faience, and his later unpublished research into the cities of pre-Islamic Syria. The bulk of the collection consists of over 1400 35mm colour slides, mostly relating to Iran with a smaller number relating to sites in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Azerbaijan. The slides cover mosques, madrasas, caravanserais, mausoleums, palaces and other religious and archaeological sites, as well as street scenes and landscapes. Most appear to have been taken by Pickett between 1963 and 1980. One set of slides (MS380812/3/2) represents illustrations used in Pickett's book, 'Early Persian Tilework: The Medieval Flowering of Kashi'. The collection also includes a copy of 'Early Persian Tilework'; an off-print of a published paper by Pickett on the significance of the Friday Mosque, Ushturjan, Iran in the history of Persian tilework; the text of a talk by Pickett on the cities of pre-Islamic Syria (with a box of 35mm slides of ancient monuments in Syria used to illustrate the talk); the unpublished manuscript of his research into the cities of pre-Islamic Syria ("Dead Cities of Syria"), and associated photographs, slides and negatives of archaeological and historical sites in Syria and Lebanon. 1410 slides, 2 documents, 5 files, 3 volumes, 1 box of photographic negatives
Main author: Pickett; Douglas (1936-1994); expert on tilework
Extent: 7 boxes
Admin history: Douglas Pickett (1936-1994) studied Persian at SOAS as an undergraduate, later obtaining a second undergraduate degree in English from the University of Newcastle, and an MA in Linguistics. He worked for the British Council from 1965 until 1982, serving in the Middle East, Spain, Africa and Indonesia. From 1962 until 1964 he lectured in English at the National Teachers' College, Tehran. During this time he began a study of kashi, Persian tilework and mosaic faience. This later became the subject of his Ph.D. dissertation, 'The Efflore ... View more
Access status: Open
Copyright: Copyright held by Estate of Douglas Pickett unless otherwise indicated
Language: English
Finding aids: Handlist available
Format: Archive           
Subjects:
Access Points - Person, Corporate & Family Names:
Name Code Person, Corporate or Family Name Type of Entity
GB/SOASNAF/P826 Pickett; Douglas (1936-1994); expert on tilework Person
GB/NNAF/C62038 University of London; School of Oriental and African Studies Corporate
Access Points - Places:
Place Code Place Name
587116 Azerbaijan
130758 Iran
99237 Iraq
272103 Lebanon
163843 Syria