SAHARA

A Digital Archive of Architecture Images


SAHARA is a digital image archive developed by the Society of Architectural Historians in collaboration with Artstor. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, SAHARA contains over 155,000 images of architecture and landscapes contributed by SAH members—architects, scholars, photographers, graduate students, preservationists, and others who share an interest in the built environment.

Visit SAHARA

SAH members can:
  • upload their digital photographs and video clips to a shared online archive
  • organize images into groups
  • download images to a computer individually or in a zip file or directly to PowerPoint
  • share images and image groups with colleagues and students
  • collaborate with other members to create image categories for teaching and research
The SAHARA collection has been developed for all who teach, study, interpret, photograph, design, and preserve the built environment worldwide.


Documents and Training

Please note that some documents reference Shared Shelf, which is now called JSTOR Forum.

Uploading and publishing images to SAHARA
SAHARA TERMS OF USE 2015-01-27

FAQ

Who has access to SAHARA?
  • SAHARA is available to all individual SAH members. (Join or renew your membership now.) SAHARA has been developed as an online academic resource for people in the field of architectural history and its related disciplines. Select images in SAHARA are also available to subscribers to Artstor.
How do I access SAHARA?
  • SAHARA still requires a separate log in and password from the one you use for the SAH website. Click on the ACCESS SAHARA button at the top of this page and log in using the email address and password that you established for SAHARA. If you have forgotten your log in credentials, email membership@sah.org or call the SAH office at 312.573.1365 and ask to speak to Anne Bird.
If images will be available for teaching, will they also be available for use in scholarly publications?
  • Inquiries should be made directly to the person who holds copyright. If you need assistance locating the copyright holder, contact info@sah.org.
What should I do if I want to use a SAHARA image for commercial or non-educational purposes?
  • Inquiries should be made directly to the person who holds copyright. If you need assistance locating the copyright holder, contact info@sah.org.
Where can I find the College Art Association's Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts?

Can I upload images directly from my smartphone?


Tips for Using SAHARA

Search and Download
  • Use the Advanced Search to specify date ranges, locations, and other criteria.
  • Use Groups to save images for your upcoming courses or research.
  • Download images from Groups directly to PowerPoint or as a Zip file.
Access Artstor training documents and video tutorials, which all apply to SAHARA.


Contacts

SAH membership and SAHARA access questions: Anne Bird, Director of Membership
Technical Troubleshooting: userservices@artstor.org
SAHARA Co-Editors: Jackie Spafford and Mark Hinchman 
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SAH thanks The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
for its operating support.
Society of Architectural Historians
1365 N. Astor Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
312.573.1365