Stefan Heidemann (born 1961 inVersmold inWestphalia) is a Germanorientalist atHamburg University, Hamburg.
Islamic studies includingIslamic Art andeconomics inRegensburg,Berlin,Damascus andCairo 1982–1993;Ph.D. in Islamic studies 1993 at Free University Berlin; Graduate seminar of theAmerican Numismatic Society New York, 1993;Wissenschaftlicher Assistent (assistant professor) 1994–2001 at Jena University;Habilitation 2001 at Jena University; visiting Professor 2001–2003 atUniversity of Leipzig;Oberassistent (senior assistant professor) 2002–2004 at Jena University; 2007-2008 Fellowship of theAga Khan-Program of Islamic Architecture atMIT,Cambridge, Massachusetts; 2008 Fellowship at theFitzwilliam Museum,Cambridge, UK; 2004–2010Hochschuldozent (C2 professorship) at Jena University. During his time at Jena University he co-ordinated the 'Oriental Coin Cabinet' and the 'Alphons-Stübel Collection of Middle Eastern Photographs (1850–1890)'.
2009–2011 he taught as Professor of Islamic History and Artistic and Material Culture at theBard Graduate Center inNew York City and between 2010 and 2011 he served as Associate Curator ofIslamic Art atThe Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since 2011 he teaches as Full Professor of Islamic studies atHamburg University and serves since 2012 as editor-in-chief of the journalDer Islam. He coordinates the 'Webinar Initiative in Islamic Material Culture.[1]
His studies focus on political and economic history, material culture and numismatics of the Islamic World fromMongolia tonorthern Africa in the pre-modern period. Historical studies focus in their majority onSyria and northernMesopotamia from the 7th to the 16th century. Earlier studies include contemporary economic and development policies.
Co-operation with several archaeological missions especially in Syria among them at the citadels inAleppo,Damascus andMasyaf, urban sites such asRaqqa, andKharab Sayyar, but also inPortugal,Mongolia, and AfghanistanBalkh.
In particular he pursues four major research projects:
Publications on development policy, medieval Islamic history, history of Middle Eastern studies, Islamic numismatics, material culture, and archaeology.
