Ayeshah Mohammed

Ayeshah Mohammed is a graduate student in the SMArch’s Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA). She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Jawaharlal Nehru for Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad. Her research explores the art, culture, and architecture of the Deccan, focusing on the geopolitical and transnational forces that shaped its identity over time. Building on her background in archival, architectural, and urban studies of Hyderabad, she brings these approaches into dialogue with critical theory to better understand the region’s layered histories. She is particularly interested in cross-cultural exchanges manifested through architectural ornamentation, material culture, and new media that contributed to the formation of distinct identities in specific historical moments. Understanding Hyderabad and the Deccan as regions of constant transformation, her work examines the role of encounters, conflict, changing dynasties, and trade in shaping their cultural and urban forms.