Elena Maestri has a PhD in Institutions and Organizations from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) of Milano (Italy). She qualified as an Associate Professor and teaches History and Institutions of the Muslim World at UCSC. She carried out extensive research on Gulf Arab States’ history, politics and societies, development and cooperation in the GCC, gender issues and Islam. She authored and co-authored books, specialized studies, research papers, articles and book-chapters. Her most recent volume The Arabian City and its Territory. Historical Identity and Heritage Issues was published in 2019 by EDUCatt (Milano).