Caroline Williams, a renowned American scholar in Islamic art history, an authority on Orientalist art, and the author of the best-selling book Monuments of Islamic Cairo: The Practical Guide, was visiting Egypt with her family early this year, and was scheduled to present a lecture in the maq‘ad of Sultan Qatbey on 15 February 2025. Alas, she unexpectedly passed away two days earlier in Luxor. She is buried at the American Cemetery in Cairo alongside the ashes of her lifelong partner and husband John. The woman who passionately loved Cairo and was unsurpassably knowledgeable about it found her final resting place in her beloved City Victorious.

Her family generously provided us with the material she had prepared for the presentation – full annotated text and captioned images. “The Lure of Islamic Cairo” is as much a scholarly lecture as it is a vivid, direct, and very personal account of Caroline’s intimate relationship with the city, its heritage, and its inhabitants. On 24 May 2025 Agnieszka Dobrowolska, ARCHiNOS director, could read Caroline’s lecture exactly as she intended to present it.

The full recording of the presentation can be viewed on YouTube.

Project funded by the European Union