I have specialized in international politics, history, and languages, with a focus on Semitic languages, Middle Eastern culture, and Islamic history since my undergraduate studies in 2001. My undergraduate degree was in international politics, with a focus on diplomacy, and my senior project was a debate conducted in Hebrew encouraging humanitarian attention for Arab-speaking polities. In my graduate work at Oxford University with a focus on ancient history, I recently researched and presented on political motivations and creative forces behind well-known gardens in ancient Islam in 2019. I continue to research and to seek out formal professional development regarding the study of ancient Islam through various courses of study, most recently with a course providing an overview of perspectives on Islamic Art and Architecture at Oxford University in 2022. 

Brown, J. (1999) The Pursuit of Paradise: A Social History of Gardens and Gardening. 
London: Harper Collins.
 
Carroll, M. (2003) Earthly Paradises: Ancient Gardens in History and Archaeology. London: The British Museum Press. 
 
Conan, M. (2007) Middle East Garden Traditions: Unity and Diversity. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks. 
 
Dale, S. (2004) The Garden of the Eight Paradises: Babur and the Culture of Empire in Central Asia, Afghanistan, and India (1483-1530). Leiden: Brill. 
 
Hobhouse, P. (1997) Plants in Garden History. London: Pavilion.   

Marozzi, J. (2019) Islamic Empires: Fifteen Cities that Define a Civilization. London: Allen Lane.
 
Wickham, L. (2012) Gardens in History: A Political Perspective. Oxford: Oxbow.