Page 24 - University of Delaware Messenger Vol. 24 no. 2

Vial of solid gold flakes, from Bochum, Germany: “It’s a well- known mining district. I went there because the big cities like Munich, Frankfurt, that’s not the heart of Germany. Bochum is the heart of Germany. When the steel revolution came, this is where it came through, and I wanted to show the students what a real German town looked like.”
Currency from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia:“One of the places I’ve always wanted to go is Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The vastness is amazing. The main temple takes almost a whole day to walk through.”
Oriental rug from Azerbaijan, “I was visiting as a Fulbright Fellow, and the president of the university there gave it to me. They are famous for making these carpets.”
Hittite sculpture from Turkey
“Two years ago I got a grant to study early metallurgy practices [the science of producing and purifying metals] in Turkey, where in ancient times women had prominent roles as goddesses and queens. This little figurine is symbolic of that—a little female body in command of things.”
Skull tile from Kutná Hora church in Czech Republic: “This is my favorite because of what it’s about. We were in Prague, looking for other places to go. I found this church called Kutná Hora. It’s a totally unbelievable place. The whole church is constructed with human bones. The students were blown away.”
22 University of Delaware Messenger
Office Hours
with Ismat Shah