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SAHARA Highlights: Sri Lanka
Aug 18, 2025
by
SAHARA Co-Editors Jacqueline Spafford and Jeannine Keefer
Something to celebrate: the return of the SAH study tours. The popular series was paused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first in the long-awaited “comeback” of the program will be an outstanding tour of Sri Lanka. Read more about the itinerary and details at sah.org/tour-sri-lanka.
Many of the sites featured here will be included in the upcoming tour. Sri Lanka is quite well represented in the SAHARA collections, and we look forward to many more contributions from tour attendees. Thank you, as always, to our many travelers and contributors.
1. Kaludiya Pokuna Monastery, Mihintale, Sri Lanka, 2nd C BCE – 6th C CE. The monastery complex includes cave hermitages and temple structures constructed upon and into the rock features of the landscape. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
2. Geoffrey Bawa and Anura Ratnavibushana, State Mortgage Bank/Mahweli Headquarters, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1976-78. Photograph by Anoma Pieris, 1993.
3. Shigeru Ban, Post-Tsunami Housing, Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka, 2007. Photograph by Rixt Woudstra, 2016.
4. Devendra Mulachariya, King’s Audience Hall, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1783. Photograph by Anoma Pieris, 2010.
5. Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Bathing Pools), Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 5th C BCE – 11th C CE. Considered a hydrological engineering feat, the twin bathing/washing pools are one of the finest examples of such pools in Sri Lanka. While practical in their purpose, the pools were designed within a sacred and religious landscape informed by Buddhist symbology and design principles of the time. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
6. Geoffrey Bawa, Lunuganga, Bentota, Sri Lanka, 1948. Photograph by Mark Hinchman, 2015.
7. Bevis Bawa, Brief Estate Garden, Bentota, Sri Lanka, 1929. Photograph by Mark Hinchman, 2015.
8. Isurumuniya, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, ca 3rd C BCE – 5th C CE with later restorations. This detail shows the man and horse bas relief in the natural granite. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
9. Street Scene, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photograph by Gerald Moorhead, 1997.
10. Narasimha Rao, Jaffna Public Library, Jaffna, Sri Lanka, 1933-34, destroyed 1981, restored 2001-03. Photograph by Mayuri Paranthahan, 2022.
11. Abayagiri Monastery Complex, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 1st C BCE – 16th C CE. View of the Abayagiri stupa. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
-----------
SAHARA is a digital image archive developed by the Society of Architectural Historians in collaboration with JSTOR/ITHAKA and funded by the Mellon Foundation. Monthly selections presented by SAHARA Co-Editors Jacqueline Spafford and Jeannine Keefer. Join SAH to access nearly 200,000 images of the built environment for your research and teaching.
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At the center of SAH Celebrates is the Charnley-Persky House (1891–1892), a National Historic Landmark and a Chicago Landmark designed by Louis Sullivan with assistance from Frank Lloyd Wright, that serves as SAH headquarters. SAH Celebrates highlights the importance of fostering a supportive community whose efforts ensure the stewardship of architectural gems like the Charnley-Persky House.
Proceeds benefit the ongoing maintenance and care of the Charnley-Persky House and SAH's educational programs and publications, including SAH Archipedia and Buildings of the United States.
T. Gunny Harboe, FAIA
Founder, Harboe Architects
Michelangelo Sabatino, PhD
Professor, Director of Ph.D. Program in Architecture, Inaugural John Vinci Distinguished Research Fellow, Illinois Institute of Technology
Founder, Harboe Architects
Michelangelo Sabatino, PhD
Professor, Director of Ph.D. Program in Architecture, Inaugural John Vinci Distinguished Research Fellow, Illinois Institute of Technology
Laurence O. Booth, FAIA
Booth Hansen Architects
Rebekah Coffman
Chicago History Museum
Stuart Cohen, FAIA
Cohen-Hacker Architects
Thomas M. Dietz
Alison Fisher
Art Institute of Chicago
Scott Fortman
Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, Chicago-Midwest Chapter
Keith Goad
The Keith Goad Group, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Chicago
Chandra Goldsmith
IIT CoA Board of Advisors
Barbara Gordon
Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy
Eleanor Gorski
Chicago Architecture Center
Stuart Graff
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Julie Hacker, FAIA
Cohen-Hacker Architects
Sarah Herda
Graham Foundation
Harry Hunderman, FAIA
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc
Lisa Key
Driehaus Museum
Nancy and Thomas Klein
SAH Chicago Chapter
Thomas Leslie
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jen Masengarb
AIA Chicago
Bonnie McDonald
Landmarks Illinois
Justin Miller
Docomomo US/Chicago
Ward Miller
Preservation Chicago
Heather Hyde Minor
University of Notre Dame
Keith N. Morgan, FSAH
SAH Past President
Sarah Rogers Morris
University of Illinois at Chicago
John K. Notz Jr.
SAH Benefactor Member
Keith Olsen
Olsen Vranas Architects
Abby Persky
Chicago, IL
Laurie Petersen
Charnley-Persky House Board Member
Charlie Pipal
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Deborah Slaton
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Assocites, Inc.
Cynthia Vranas
Mies Van der Rohe Society
Cynthia Weese, FAIA
Weese, Langley, Weese Architects and Charnley-Persky House Board Member
Ernie Wong
Commission on Chicago Landmarks
Booth Hansen Architects
Rebekah Coffman
Chicago History Museum
Stuart Cohen, FAIA
Cohen-Hacker Architects
Thomas M. Dietz
Jaeger Nickola Kuhlman & Associates
Art Institute of Chicago
Scott Fortman
Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, Chicago-Midwest Chapter
Keith Goad
The Keith Goad Group, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Chicago
Chandra Goldsmith
IIT CoA Board of Advisors
Barbara Gordon
Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy
Eleanor Gorski
Chicago Architecture Center
Stuart Graff
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Julie Hacker, FAIA
Cohen-Hacker Architects
Sarah Herda
Graham Foundation
Harry Hunderman, FAIA
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc
Lisa Key
Driehaus Museum
Nancy and Thomas Klein
SAH Chicago Chapter
Thomas Leslie
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jen Masengarb
AIA Chicago
Bonnie McDonald
Landmarks Illinois
Justin Miller
Docomomo US/Chicago
Ward Miller
Preservation Chicago
Heather Hyde Minor
University of Notre Dame
Keith N. Morgan, FSAH
SAH Past President
Sarah Rogers Morris
University of Illinois at Chicago
John K. Notz Jr.
SAH Benefactor Member
Keith Olsen
Olsen Vranas Architects
Abby Persky
Chicago, IL
Laurie Petersen
Charnley-Persky House Board Member
Charlie Pipal
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Deborah Slaton
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Assocites, Inc.
Chris-Annmarie Spencer, AIA, NOMA
AIA Chicago Foundation
Cynthia Vranas
Mies Van der Rohe Society
Cynthia Weese, FAIA
Weese, Langley, Weese Architects and Charnley-Persky House Board Member
Ernie Wong
Commission on Chicago Landmarks
Download the prospectus for information about sponsorship and advertising opportunities. Please contact Ben Thomas at 312-573-1365 if you have questions.
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SAHARA Highlights: Sri Lanka
Aug 18, 2025
by
SAHARA Co-Editors Jacqueline Spafford and Jeannine Keefer
Something to celebrate: the return of the SAH study tours. The popular series was paused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first in the long-awaited “comeback” of the program will be an outstanding tour of Sri Lanka. Read more about the itinerary and details at sah.org/tour-sri-lanka.
Many of the sites featured here will be included in the upcoming tour. Sri Lanka is quite well represented in the SAHARA collections, and we look forward to many more contributions from tour attendees. Thank you, as always, to our many travelers and contributors.
1. Kaludiya Pokuna Monastery, Mihintale, Sri Lanka, 2nd C BCE – 6th C CE. The monastery complex includes cave hermitages and temple structures constructed upon and into the rock features of the landscape. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
2. Geoffrey Bawa and Anura Ratnavibushana, State Mortgage Bank/Mahweli Headquarters, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1976-78. Photograph by Anoma Pieris, 1993.
3. Shigeru Ban, Post-Tsunami Housing, Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka, 2007. Photograph by Rixt Woudstra, 2016.
4. Devendra Mulachariya, King’s Audience Hall, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1783. Photograph by Anoma Pieris, 2010.
5. Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Bathing Pools), Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 5th C BCE – 11th C CE. Considered a hydrological engineering feat, the twin bathing/washing pools are one of the finest examples of such pools in Sri Lanka. While practical in their purpose, the pools were designed within a sacred and religious landscape informed by Buddhist symbology and design principles of the time. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
6. Geoffrey Bawa, Lunuganga, Bentota, Sri Lanka, 1948. Photograph by Mark Hinchman, 2015.
7. Bevis Bawa, Brief Estate Garden, Bentota, Sri Lanka, 1929. Photograph by Mark Hinchman, 2015.
8. Isurumuniya, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, ca 3rd C BCE – 5th C CE with later restorations. This detail shows the man and horse bas relief in the natural granite. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
9. Street Scene, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photograph by Gerald Moorhead, 1997.
10. Narasimha Rao, Jaffna Public Library, Jaffna, Sri Lanka, 1933-34, destroyed 1981, restored 2001-03. Photograph by Mayuri Paranthahan, 2022.
11. Abayagiri Monastery Complex, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 1st C BCE – 16th C CE. View of the Abayagiri stupa. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
-----------
SAHARA is a digital image archive developed by the Society of Architectural Historians in collaboration with JSTOR/ITHAKA and funded by the Mellon Foundation. Monthly selections presented by SAHARA Co-Editors Jacqueline Spafford and Jeannine Keefer. Join SAH to access nearly 200,000 images of the built environment for your research and teaching.
News Home Blocks
SAHARA Highlights: Sri Lanka
Aug 18, 2025
by
SAHARA Co-Editors Jacqueline Spafford and Jeannine Keefer
Something to celebrate: the return of the SAH study tours. The popular series was paused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first in the long-awaited “comeback” of the program will be an outstanding tour of Sri Lanka. Read more about the itinerary and details at sah.org/tour-sri-lanka.
Many of the sites featured here will be included in the upcoming tour. Sri Lanka is quite well represented in the SAHARA collections, and we look forward to many more contributions from tour attendees. Thank you, as always, to our many travelers and contributors.
1. Kaludiya Pokuna Monastery, Mihintale, Sri Lanka, 2nd C BCE – 6th C CE. The monastery complex includes cave hermitages and temple structures constructed upon and into the rock features of the landscape. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
2. Geoffrey Bawa and Anura Ratnavibushana, State Mortgage Bank/Mahweli Headquarters, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1976-78. Photograph by Anoma Pieris, 1993.
3. Shigeru Ban, Post-Tsunami Housing, Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka, 2007. Photograph by Rixt Woudstra, 2016.
4. Devendra Mulachariya, King’s Audience Hall, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1783. Photograph by Anoma Pieris, 2010.
5. Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Bathing Pools), Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 5th C BCE – 11th C CE. Considered a hydrological engineering feat, the twin bathing/washing pools are one of the finest examples of such pools in Sri Lanka. While practical in their purpose, the pools were designed within a sacred and religious landscape informed by Buddhist symbology and design principles of the time. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
6. Geoffrey Bawa, Lunuganga, Bentota, Sri Lanka, 1948. Photograph by Mark Hinchman, 2015.
7. Bevis Bawa, Brief Estate Garden, Bentota, Sri Lanka, 1929. Photograph by Mark Hinchman, 2015.
8. Isurumuniya, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, ca 3rd C BCE – 5th C CE with later restorations. This detail shows the man and horse bas relief in the natural granite. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
9. Street Scene, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photograph by Gerald Moorhead, 1997.
10. Narasimha Rao, Jaffna Public Library, Jaffna, Sri Lanka, 1933-34, destroyed 1981, restored 2001-03. Photograph by Mayuri Paranthahan, 2022.
11. Abayagiri Monastery Complex, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 1st C BCE – 16th C CE. View of the Abayagiri stupa. Photograph by Sandy Isenstadt, 2018.
-----------
SAHARA is a digital image archive developed by the Society of Architectural Historians in collaboration with JSTOR/ITHAKA and funded by the Mellon Foundation. Monthly selections presented by SAHARA Co-Editors Jacqueline Spafford and Jeannine Keefer. Join SAH to access nearly 200,000 images of the built environment for your research and teaching.
