Dr. Ali Alibhai, Assistant Professor of Islamic Art History and Material Culture at the UT Dallas Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology and The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History (EODIAH) and his research team will publicly debut some of their ongoing digital projects. Attendees (both online and in person) will experience Phase I of the open-source digital learning tool for the 7th c. Great Mosque of Kairouan, including a hands-on experience with video game simulation and the opportunity to explore the medieval monument in an immersive digital environment. Additionally, participants will learn about the architectural features of medieval mosques, cultural history of Ifriqiya (modern-day Tunisia), and significant medieval Islamic art historical objects within the simulation. This self-guided, interactive scholarly approach will help participants gain insights into art history and cultural heritage using innovative game-based and art historical pedagogy
