Dr. Glaire Anderson, a professor of Islamic art and architecture at the University of Edinburgh, recounts navigating limited program visibility, and training in architecture and urbanism while later integrating art objects to understand buildings. She explains her focus on Islamic Iberia and Córdoba, shaped by Filipino-Spanish family connections and Louis L’Amour’s The Walking Drum, and outlines Córdoba’s Roman importance, Umayyad rule from 711, and exchanges with northern courts and North Africa. She discusses the Great Mosque–Cathedral’s post-1236 consecration and 16th-century compromise inserting a Renaissance cathedral within the mosque, parallels at the Alhambra, and her digital lab work using game engines for embodied historical visualization, including consulting on Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Baghdad codex/Discovery Tour and museum partnerships. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don't forget to follow us on Bluesky, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.theozymandiasproject.com!

Originally recorded April 7, 2026.

Learn more about Dr. Anderson: https://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-glaire-anderson

Check out her personal website: https://glairedanderson.com/

Check out the Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture and Collections (DLIVCC): https://www.digitallabivcc.com/

Custom music by Brent Arehart of Arehart Sounds and edited by Dan Maday.

Want a transcript of the episode? Email us at theozymandiasprojectpodcast@gmail.com and we can provide one.

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