News

An Interview with Gareth Doherty: Fieldwork, Borders, and the Landscape of Understanding

October 29, 2025

“Landscape architecture is at a crossroads,” writes CMES Faculty Affiliate and Director of Graduate Studies Gareth Doherty in the introduction to his recent book, Landscape Fieldwork: How Engaging the World Can Change Design (2025). Even as digital tools...

Congratulations, 2024-25 CMES Graduates!

June 16, 2025

CMES is pleased to congratulate this year's graduating students in our AM, AB/AM, and joint PhD programs. AM Graduates Mohammad Al-Mailam—Thesis: "Who Comes and Who Goes? Explaining Citizens" Migration Preferences in the Gulf" / Advisor: Melani Cammett...

A Message from Professor Gülru Necipoğlu, on the Death of His Highness the Aga Khan

February 06, 2025

Upon learning of the death of His Highness the Aga Khan, I was deeply saddened and filled with a great sense of loss. He was a humanitarian leader of global dimension, a wise and eloquent public speaker, and above all a visionary. His worldwide...

The Arabic Language Program at Harvard University Announces a Training Opportunity

November 24, 2024

Teaching Arabic as a Second Language: Level One Workshop Download complete announcement in English and Arabic. Workshop Time: 13 – 17 January 2025, Daily from 9 am to 2 pm, Washington, DC time (EST) Workshop Location: Via Zoom Workshop Tuition: None...

Reconstructions in Middle East Economic History: Essays in Honor of Roger Owen

November 14, 2024

Roger Owen (1935-2019) was for at least two generations the world’s leading economic historian of the Middle East. In 1993, he was named Harvard’s A.J. Meyer Professor of Middle East History and he was director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies...

Worldwide Week Brings Global Office Directors to Campus

October 21, 2024

The Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs recently hosted Harvard’s eighth annual Worldwide Week at Harvard event. As part of the week, which ran October 5-12, the directors of several of the University’s global offices visited campus for...

Roy Mottahedeh '60, Pioneering Middle East Scholar Who Sought to Bridge US-Iran Divide, Dies at 84

August 12, 2024

Roy P. Mottahedeh '60, a longtime professor of Islamic history at Harvard and past Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, died at the age of 84 on July 30. Read a look back at his life and career in the Harvard Crimson.

In Memoriam: Professor Roy Parviz Mottahedeh

August 03, 2024

Roy P. Mottahedeh, Gurney Professor of History, Emeritus, and past Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, died at the age of 84 on July 30. Read a remembrance by his friend and colleague Intisar Rabb, Professor of Law and Professor of History...

Professor Roy Mottahedeh Has Passed Away

August 01, 2024

The CMES community mourns the loss of our dear colleague and friend, Professor Roy Parviz Mottahedeh, who passed away on July 30. As a renowned scholar of Islamic history, Professor Mottahedeh inspired generations of students during his more than 30 years...

The Arabic Language Program at Harvard Announces a Training Opportunity

July 11, 2024

Teaching Arabic as a Second Language: Level One Workshop Download complete announcement in English and Arabic. Workshop Time: August 19 to August 23, 2024, Daily from 10am to 2:30pm Washington DC time (EST) Workshop Location: Via Zoom Workshop Tuition...

Congratulations, 2023-24 CMES Graduates!

May 30, 2024

CMES is pleased to congratulate this year's graduating students in our AM program. AM Graduates Chacier Alexander—Thesis: "Political Philosophy and Esotericism: A Study of Al-Farabi and Leo Strauss" / Advisor: Khaled El-Rouayheb Naif Alrogi Hamad...

Sara Roy Named 2024-25 Fellow at the NYPL Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers

April 23, 2024

The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers has selected CMES Associate Sara Roy as a 2024-25 Fellow, one of 15 gifted academics, nonfiction writers, and creative writers in its 26th class of Fellows. The...