Inscription on Northeast entrance façade of the Madrasa al-Mustansiriyya, Baghdad

Creswell employed early 20th‑century photographic methods, emphasizing clarity and compositional balance to record architectural details. His images were printed with careful attention to tonal range, allowing the stone carving and calligraphic elements of the façade to be rendered with precision.

Sir K.A.C. Creswell, a pioneering scholar of medieval Islamic architecture, amassed the collection through fieldwork that began as early as 1916. The V&A’s holdings, including this view, stem from his systematic photographic surveys, which complemented his extensive publications on early Muslim architecture.

The Madrasa al‑Mustansiriyya is situated within Baghdad’s historic core, reflecting the city’s role as a center of learning during the Abbasid era. The photograph situates the building among other sites documented by Creswell, who also recorded monuments in Cairo, Syria, and beyond, illustrating the geographic breadth of his research.