Dr Martin S. Goffriller

Lecturer and Research Fellow
Liverpool School of Architecture
University of Liverpool

Martin S. Goffriller is an archaeologist and architectural historian working as a research fellow who has worked at at Nottingham Trent University and Manchester School of Architecture. Having grown up in Spain, Martin has always been exposed to the great architectural heritage that came from nigh on eight centuries of Islamic presence and influence.

Always focused on architectural history and archaeology, Martin read his undergraduate degree on medieval European and Byzantine architecture at the University of East Anglia, with a particular interest in fortification. During his MA in 2004 his focus turned onto the Andalusi architectural heritage of the Iberian Peninsula where concentrated on the artistic exchange that blossomed between Muslims and Christians there.

After a number of years of teaching western history and history of art at the Hunan University of Arts and Sciences in China, and travelling widely throughout Asia, Martin embarked on a PhD into the Islamic past of his native Mallorca at the University of Exeter and the Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Seville. As a Marie Curie Research Fellow his research explored the socio-political implications of defensive architecture, delimitation and organization of territories and spatial identities in tribal contexts.

At ArCHIAM Martin's main research interest lies in the influences of architectural and social practices which permeated from east to west, from Southern Arabia and the Maghreb to al-Andalus, during the expansion and consolidation of the Dar al-Islam, through a study of oasis defences in the Sultanate of Oman. At present he is involved in a research project that aims to document and revive the architectural heritage of traditional Omani settlements.

Research, scholarly and professional interests

• Military/defensive architecture
• Islamic art and culture
• Traditional architectural technology
• Tribalism and tribal identities
• Landscape archaeology
• Sustainable urbanism
• Architectural reconstruction