IRCICA has the pleasure to introduce a collection of articles written by experts from around the world about the current status of Islamic architectural heritage in various countries and regions. It contains nineteen articles contributed by invited authors, focusing on Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Iran, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Montenegro, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, Yemen, Arab countries, the Balkans, Crimea and Georgia. The geographical and methodological diversity of the studies resulted in a valuable sample that meaningfully reflects the status of heritage assets in terms of their physical conditions and future prospects of survival, cultural functionality and economic significance, as well as the related practices of conservation and management. The representative sample helped to achieve one of the main aims of the book project which, as explained by IRCICA Director General Prof. Mahmud Erol Kılıç in the Foreword, consists of contextualizing the many themes and issues that are evolving in the study and treatment of architectural heritage at the international level, to obtain solid bases for focuses on Islamic heritage assets. A synthesis of these themes and issues as specified by different authors can be found in the Introduction by Dr. Alidost Ertuğrul, the project initiator, Chief of IRCICA’s Architectural Section, with an emphasis is on the general and specific problems involved in the preservation and management of architectural heritage. A rich panorama of monuments and urban landscapes comes to sight in the background, depicting stories of constructions, dedications, destructions, restorations, and the many persisting threats and challenges.
