Smithsonian Journeys Experts

Sumaiya Hamdani holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University’s Near East Studies Department. Her specialization is Islamic history with a particular focus on the medieval history of North Africa and Egypt, and Shiism. She is currently Associate Professor of History at the George Mason University, where she teaches courses on Islamic history, the history of the Middle East and North Africa, Women in Islam, the history and politics of Shiism, the history of the Mediterranean, and World History. She was also founder of the Islamic Studies Program at GMU, and serves on the steering committee of the Center for Global Islamic Studies. Her book, Between Revolution and State: Qadi al-Nu`man and the Construction of Fatimid Legitimacy (London 2006) explores the religion and politics of an Islamic caliphate. She has also published on Islamic law, Shii thought, and women in Islam. Dr. Hamdani has also been active in conducting study tours to Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt, and in providing lectures on topics related to Islamic history and the history and politics of the Middle East and North Africa to the Smithsonian Associates Program, Oasis Program, the Foreign Service Institute, and World Bank. She was born in Egypt, and has lived extensively there and conducted research in North Africa. She currently resides with her family in Bethesda, MD.