ISLAMit Mappatura e Percorsi Digitali del Patrimonio Islamico del Nord-Est
Research
ISLAMit Mappatura e Percorsi Digitali del Patrimonio Islamico del Nord-Est
Responsabile scientifico: Valentina Vezzoli
Pagina del progetto
The ISLAMit project aims to map the material heritage from the Islamic world present in Italy, through the development of an online platform for the discovery, classification, and promotion of this heritage, unifying for the first time previously scattered documentation.
In this initial design phase, ISLAMit focused primarily on a well-documented region with a rich presence of Islamic artifacts: the North-East of Italy (including Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia), where Venice, with its dense network of commercial and political relations across the Mediterranean, played a key role in the circulation of these objects.
Through the creation of digital pathways, users can trace the presence of this diverse material heritage from different contexts. ISLAMit presents documentation from museum collections, ecclesiastical contexts, and archaeological data. For each context, information is provided on the type of preserved or recovered materials, their accessibility (on display or in storage, when indicated), and bibliographic and/or online descriptions. While this phase presents only published documentation, one of the objectives is to also study unpublished materials.
The project allows users to view a rich variety of materials that arrived in the region through different channels (as evidence of historical contacts or via the antiquarian market): ceramics, glass, metals, carpets, textiles, manuscripts, weapons, etc.
Objectives
- Map the material heritage from the Islamic world present in Italy through an online platform, focusing in this first phase on the North-East region (Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia).
- Discover, classify, and valorize Islamic material heritage, unifying scattered documentation and tracing a diverse range of materials (ceramics, glass, metals, carpets, textiles, manuscripts, weapons, etc.) from various contexts, including museum collections, ecclesiastical sites, and archaeological finds.
- Provide accessible online pathways for users, mapping museums/collections, archaeological sites, and buildings with ceramic holdings.
- Extend the study to unpublished materials beyond those presented in the initial project phase.
Results in the field of DH
- Creation of digital pathways allowing users to explore and trace the presence of Islamic heritage in North-East Italy through various documentary sources, including museum collections, ecclesiastical contexts, and archaeological data.
- Online open-access documentation: an online platform has been developed providing freely consultable content, including images and descriptions, useful for research and heritage promotion.
- Continuous platform implementation and updating, aiming to include unpublished information and materials, advancing the study and publication of new resources and documentation.
- These results contribute to the knowledge and promotion of Islamic cultural heritage in Italy, using digital technologies to make access to resources broader and more easily usable.
Publications
A publication by one of the collaborators (Evelina Quattrin) is planned, and new entries on objects and materials are currently being implemented and will soon appear on the project page.
Following project completion, permissions have been obtained for the publication of images from the following institutions: Galleria Giorgio Franchetti Alla Ca’ D’Oro (ceramics from archaeological contexts and carpets), Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Cividale (metal and ivory artifacts), which will soon be included on the platform, making individual artifacts accessible.
A bachelor’s thesis in Cultural Tourism Sciences and Techniques (student Martina Lavina, title: “Il Museo Storico Navale di Venezia: evidenze materiali dei rapporti tra Venezia e il mondo islamico”) is underway, which will enrich information on Islamic artifacts at the Museo Storico Navale di Venezia, including some unpublished materials, with authorization for publication on the platform.
Related Events
Preliminary results of the project were presented at the Università degli Studi di Udine on April 29, 2025, with the participation of numerous scholars and representatives of local institutions.
The digital pathways of the ISLAMit platform were shared with operators participating in the “Protocollo Protezione Minori Stranieri Non Accompagnati – Regione Friuli-Venezia Giulia”, in collaboration with the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, aiming to create opportunities for dialogue between foreign minors and the diversity of Italian cultural heritage.
