Mahsa Nouri Soula (she/her) is a PhD student in Art History at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Her research examines the intersections of power, space, and representation in nineteenth-century Iran (Qajar period). Building on her background in Iranian architectural history, she investigates how urban transformations and visual culture reflect broader political, cultural, and intellectual exchanges between Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe. Her academic interests include Qajar architecture, visual and material culture, Ottoman–Iranian comparative studies in the 19th century, architectural history, and the historiography of Islamic art. She is equally committed to critical approaches that situate Islamic art within global art history, engaging with questions of modernity, colonial encounters, and cross-cultural exchange. 

Before joining Temple, Mahsa earned a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of North Texas, where her thesis explored the meaning of Naser al-Din Shah’s royal portraits with cannons and the role of these images in shaping notions of modernity. She also, with a background in architectural practice in her Bachelor’s, holds a Master’s degree in Iranian Architectural Studies from the University of Tehran, where she focused on the social history of urban spaces in nineteenth-century Tehran, particularly Toopkhane Square (literally “cannon house” in Persian). Before coming to the USA, Mahsa worked as a writer in Tehran, contributing to architectural journals. She was fascinated with contributing architectural history through narrative for architectural magazines, which were read by many people to make architectural history known not just to art and architectural historians. At Temple, Mahsa also serves as a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant in the Art History program. 

MA, Art History, University of North Texas (2025) 
MSc, Iranian Architectural History, University of Tehran (2018)