Byron is often credited with introducing an educated reading public to the importance of Islamic and Byzantine art. His most celebrated work, The Road to Oxiana, is an account of his journey through Iran and Afghanistan in 1933-1934. In it, he writes vividly about the Islamic monuments, particularly those of the Timurids, which he took great pains to locate and examine. Also a talented photographer, Byron thoroughly documented the buildings (many now altered or destroyed) about which he wrote. His photographs, therefore, comprise an invaluable resource for the study of Islamic architecture in their own right, and offer a rich visual companion to his writings.

ArchNet, through the efforts of Jeffrey B. Spurr, Islamic and Middle East Specialist at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University, has received through the generosity of the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London the rights to publish a selection of images from their collection. Documenting numerous Seljuk, Timurid, Safavid, and other Islamic monuments in Iran and Afghanistan, this collection will be of great benefit to scholars and students of Islamic art and architecture.

[Click on 'View Thumbnails' to view the entire collection, or click on any site listed below to view Byron's images along with descriptive text and contemporary photographs of the monument. To sort images by site, location or country, simply click on the heading of the related column.]