Northedge, has, since the early 1970s, been integral to explorative digs of historical sites in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere, publishing his and his team’s findings in titles such as: Excavations at Ana, Qal’a Island (1988), Studies on Roman and Islamic Amman (1993), Entre Amman et Samarra: l’archéologie et les élites au début de l’Islam (VIIe-IXe siècles) (2000), as well as the landmark publications, The Historical Topography of Samarra, Samarra Studies I (2005) and the tripartite Archaeological Atlas of Samarra, Samarra Studies II (2015). Throughout his work, Northedge strives to identify and explain early Islamic architectural complexes, as well as well-preserved urban complexes, highlighting the great material civilisation of Arab-Islamic cultures.

Coinciding with his long-term surveys, which have led to the discovery of the Umayyad Citadel in Amman, a comprehensive catalogue of Samarra’s buildings from the Abbasid era, and an exploration of a 10th-11th century settlement in Kazakhstan called Örnek, Northedge grew in his role as lecturer, and eventually professor. He has taught at institutions including Islamic Archaeology at Université de Paris IV, now part of Sorbonne-Université (1991-1999) and Université de Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne) (1999-2017). Northedge retired in 2017, and thereby became Professor Emeritus.

Source: Tamayouz Excellence Award