A book authored by Timur Hammond, associate professor of geography and the environment, received an honorable mention in the 2025 International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA) Book Award competition.

The awards committee described his book, Placing Islam: Geographies of Connection in Twentieth-Century Istanbul (University of California Press, 2023), as “evocative storytelling and innovative methods [that] reveal how spatial practices and religious identity are deeply intertwined in the shaping of urban experience.”

In his book, Hammond examines practices and architectural projects spanning from the final years of the Ottoman Empire to the early 2010s. He argues that rather than focusing on what Islam is, scholars ought to begin by examining where it is, a project that he pursues by focusing on shifting practices of place-making. Through this exploration, Hammond provides a detailed account of urban religion in Istanbul and invites readers to rethink how evolving Islamic cultures in Turkey and beyond are conceptualized. The book is also available Open Access through the University of California Press’ Luminos platform.

The IJIA Book Award recognizes outstanding books that advance research in Islamic architecture, history and urbanism. It celebrates works that encourage interdisciplinary dialogue across fields such as design, art, preservation and urban planning. The award emphasizes diverse narratives from global Islamic contexts, including underrepresented regions, diasporas and Muslim-majority societies. Awardees received a prize and a two-year subscription to IJIA.

The IJIA publishes peer-reviewed articles with an emphasis on the detailed analysis of the historical, theoretical and practical aspects of architecture.

Hammond is a senior research associate in the Middle Eastern Studies Program and a research affiliate in the South Asia Center and the Center for European Studies. His research specialties include cultural and urban geography, geographies of memory, Turkey and the Middle East. In 2022, he received the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Teaching Recognition Award for Early Career Performance at Syracuse University.

By Michael Kelly