We have not imposed a particular system of transliteration of Greek, aiming for overall consistency within each chapter and respecting each author’s preference. This allows for occasional variant spellings across different authors: for example, Lampadistes and Lampadistis. We have, however, standardized Arabic names and terms following the conventions of the Encyclopaedia of Islam. Third Edition, omitting the markings for dotted consonants and long vowels. For example, we write shaykh and amir rather than sheikh and emir.
Greek, Latin, and Arabic architectural and other terms are italicized throughout unless they are common in English usage.
All dates are CE unless otherwise specified. Hijra dates have been used only where this is essential for clarity.