Friedrich Sarre and His Role in the Formation of Persian Art and Architecture Studies

Abstract
Friedrich Sarre is regarded as one of the founding figures of Islamic art history and archaeology. As director of the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin from 1905 to 1931, he played a pivotal role in shaping Western perceptions of Persian art. During the late Qajar period, Sarre undertook extensive travels across Iran and neighboring regions, which formed the empirical foundation of his research on the history of Persian and Islamic art and architecture. In addition to fieldwork, he amassed a significant collection of artworks from Iran, the broader Islamic world, and other civilizations, both during his expeditions and through acquisitions in Europe. Unlike many nineteenth-century archaeologists who focused on pre-Islamic sites in West Asia, Sarre was the first to apply the principles of scientific excavation in an Islamic context, most notably at Samarra. This article examines Sarre’s contributions to the formation of Persian art history by introducing his major scholarly works and analyzing his methodological approaches. His studies on pre-Islamic Persian art primarily emphasize the Parthian and Sasanian periods, as he believed that key artistic characteristics from these eras persisted and evolved within Islamic art. This conceptual continuity is also reflected in the curatorial arrangement of the Museum für Islamische Kunst, where artifacts from these pre-Islamic periods are still displayed within the Islamic art section. His methodological approach was predominantly geographical rather than chronological, organizing Iranian monuments by region rather than period, which allowed for the systematic documentation of buildings before further deterioration. He documented significant monuments through photographs, drawings, and architectural plans, alongside detailed route maps. In many of his works, including Denkmäler persischer Baukunst, a narrative of Persian cultural superiority within the framework of Islamic art is evident, a perspective rooted in the racial theories prevalent in nineteenth-century European scholarship.
Keywords: Persian Art History, Persian Architecture, Islamic Art, Islamic Archaeology, Friedrich Sarre.
 
Introduction
Friedrich Sarre (1865–1945) emerged as one of the most influential figures in the development of Islamic art studies during a critical period when Western scholarship was beginning to systematically engage with the artistic heritage of the Islamic world. As a German art historian working at the turn of the 20th century, Sarre operated within a context where Orientalist perspectives often dominated scholarship, yet he managed to establish methods that would shape the field for decades to come. His significance extends beyond mere academic contribution; Sarre can be considered as one of the founders of Islamic art history. This paper examines Sarre’s specific role in shaping the study of Iranian art and architecture, analyzing both his scholarly contributions and the methodological frameworks he established.
Sarre’s career began with extensive fieldwork throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. Between 1895 and 1900, he conducted five major research expeditions: to Anatolia (1895), Western Iran and Mesopotamia (1897–1898), the Caucasus and Central Asia (1898), and Asia Minor (1899). These journeys were meticulously documented through photography, drawings, and detailed notes that preserved architectural monuments later damaged or destroyed.
Institutionally, Sarre’s influence grew substantially when he became director of Berlin’s Museum für Islamische Kunst in 1905, a position he held until 1931. During this period, he transformed the museum into a center for Islamic art studies by expanding its collections and establishing scholarly frameworks for understanding Islamic art. His personal collection, which he initially loaned to the museum, formed the foundation for systematic study of Islamic material culture in Germany. His personal collection, which included objects, architectural decorations, carpets, photographs, and drawings from his travels, formed the foundation for systematic study of Islamic material culture. Sarre’s institutional position allowed him to shape not only academic discourse but also public understanding of Islamic art through exhibitions and publications. His scholarly output was prodigious, with over 200 publications spanning books, articles, and exhibition catalogues. 
This paper addresses a critical gap in scholarship by specifically examining Sarre’s contributions to Iranian art history, moving beyond general assessments of his role in Islamic art studies. While previous research has acknowledged Sarre as a foundational figure in establishing Islamic art history and archaeology in Germany, his specific methodological approaches to Iranian art and architecture require more detailed analysis. The central research question guiding this study is: What was Friedrich Sarre’s role in shaping the field of Iranian art history, and how did his methodological approaches influence subsequent scholarship in this domain?
 
Discussion
Friedrich Sarre’s methodological approach to Iranian art and architecture was characterized by systematic documentation and geographical organization, reflecting both the scholarly trends of his time and his personal commitment to preserving endangered cultural heritage. His major work, Denkmäler persischer Baukunst (published in 1910, 1925), was deliberately organized by geographical regions rather than chronological periods, focusing on Azerbaijan, Iraq-i ‘Ajam (central Iran), Tabaristan (Mazandaran), Seljuk Konya, and Samarkand. This geographical approach allowed Sarre to document architectural monuments before further deterioration. 
Sarre’s research on pre-Islamic Iranian art, particularly Parthian and Sasanian periods, demonstrated his commitment to understanding Islamic art within its broader historical context. He argued that features of these pre-Islamic periods continued into Islamic art, a perspective that influenced his museum curation practices by including pre-Islamic Iranian artifacts within the Islamic art section—a practice that continues to this day.
His work on Achaemenid reliefs was particularly innovative; in 1898, Sarre created plaster casts of reliefs from Persepolis and Pasargadae, which today serve as valuable resources for studying some of the lost Achaemenid reliefs. These casts, now preserved in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, represent an early example of systematic preservation of cultural heritage through replication techniques.
Sarre’s most significant archaeological contribution was his excavation at Samarra, which can be considered as the first scientific excavation with complete equipment at an Islamic historical site. Beginning in 1911 with Ernst Herzfeld, this six-year project produced six volumes of documentation, including Sarres Die Keramik von Samarra (1923). The Samarra excavation established methodological standards for archaeological work in Islamic contexts, moving beyond treasure hunting to systematic documentation of urban layouts, architectural features, and material culture. Sarre’s approach emphasized the importance of context and careful recording, setting precedents for future Islamic archaeology.
However, Sarre’s scholarship was significantly influenced by the 19th-century racial theories that privileged Iranian cultural contributions within Islamic art. He drew upon Joseph Arthur de Gobineau’s theories, emphasizing Iranian adaptability and ability to successfully integrate even heterogeneous external elements, which he saw exemplified in Achaemenid art. This perspective led Sarre to argue that Iran was the primary source of artistic creativity in the Islamic world, a view that influenced Western museums and dealers to label Syrian and Ottoman artworks as “Persian” or “Turkish-Persian” to increase their value. While this perspective undoubtedly shaped Western appreciation of Iranian art, it also created problematic frameworks that marginalized Arab and Turkish contributions to Islamic art.
 
Conclusion 
Friedrich Sarre played an indispensable and multifaceted role in establishing the foundational framework for the study of Iranian and Islamic art history. As a member of the first generation of scholars in this field, his work was characterized by a methodology rooted in extensive travel and meticulous firsthand documentation. His primary goal was the systematic recording of Islamic architecture, considering art collecting a complementary activity. Unlike other contemporary collectors with a dealer’s mentality, Sarre’s driving motivation was always the enhancement of knowledge and a deeper understanding of Islamic and Iranian culture, as evidenced by his scientific publications like his work on metalwork.
A key differentiator from other Western archaeologists of his time was his conviction in the importance of the Islamic period. He was the first to propose and execute the idea of a coordinated scientific excavation at a major Islamic site, Samarra. Although he wished to conduct such work within Iran itself, the French monopoly forced him to operate on its western cultural borders. His studies of the Sasanians were also directly linked to his belief in the continuity of artistic features from the Sasanian era into Islamic art.
His early writings from the end of the 19th century exhibited a distinct geographical approach, utilizing German cartographers to map his routes. This perspective is clearly seen in the organizational structure of his book Denkmäler persischer Baukunst, which can be considered the first comprehensive published work on Iranian architecture. The significance of his books lies not only in the fact that there were no summarizing works on these subjects at the time but also in his use of photographs he personally took of ancient sites and the numerous artworks from his own collection that he published.
Finally, a recurring concept in much of his research is the idea of the superior place of Iranian culture within the framework of Islamic art, a notion that clearly has its roots in the racial theories of the latter half of the 19th century. Through his combined efforts as a explorer, documentarian, collector, theorist, and archaeologist, Friedrich Sarre fundamentally shaped the Western discipline of Islamic art history, with Iran occupying a central place in his vision.