Hi friends! A new online resource for classical Persian literature is now available for your perusal. The Text Archive of Persian Classical Literature is a project based in Osaka, Japan. Some of the notable texts available are the fable Kalilah wa Dimnah, Masnavi-ye ma’navi and the Samak-e ‘aiyar, a famous prose narrative whose only known manuscript exists in the Bodlein Library of Oxford University.
Enjoy!
The Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University is currently seeking a Professor of Ottoman and Turkish Studies. The posting is here. The Islamic Studies Library maintains a strong collection of Turkish materials and Ottoman sources. We are currently focused on developing the Republican period, i.e. 1923 to the present. The ISL’s current collection development policy is here.
Hi friends! Don’t forget tomorrow’s workshop on Getting Started. The workshop is focused on an overview of the library, it’s collections and the various services provided for you.
Hi friends! Looking to work on your Arabic reading and comprehension? Check out the newly acquired bilingual World Best Seller series (سلسلة روائع القصص العالمية) for some English classics translated into Arabic!
The texts themselves are split between English and Arabic, the Arabic does not include tanwiin (so be sure to consult your grammar books) but the translations are very good and great practice for building confidence.
In 1927 the Ismaili scholar Wladimir Ivanow purchased a number of Arabic, Persian and Hindustani (Urdu) manuscripts on behalf of Dr. Casey Wood of McGill University. The collection is currently housed in Rare Books and Special Collections. The Ivanow manuscripts are within the Blackerwood Collection and number around 200. There are many treasures to be found within this collection, the example here being one such. The image below is from the Dīvān-i Kamāl al-Dīn Masʻud Khujandī & Dīvān-i Qāsim-i anwār, BWLW63. The Dīvān-i Kamāl is the primary text of the codex while the Dīvān-i Qāsim-i anwār is written in the margins, a seemingly popular manner of transmitting texts. This manuscript is noteworthy because it was, according to the preface owned by Ulughbeg, the son of Timur (a.k.a. Tamerlane) founder of the Timurid Empire.
Ulughbeg
Hi friends! A general reminder that the exhibition: جل ترى المعاني – Travel, you will see the meaning [of things] is still on. The exhibition highlights some of the rare travel books of the McGill University Library collections.
The Muslim world has fascinated numerous travellers throughout history and has produced some of the most celebrated explorers the world has ever seen. Islamic travel and Muslim travellers encompass a wide-breadth of exploration, terrain and knowledge. In fact, the Arabic word for travel, riḥlah, can mean both the act of travelling as well as that of writing about travel. Strongly encouraged to travel, millions of Muslims perform the annual ḥajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca as one of the five pillars of Islam. The Prophet Muḥammad in a ḥadith noted, “seek knowledge even as far as China.”
On display are examples of the rare items held by McGill University and located in the Rare Books and Special Collections department in the McLennan Library. Each of these items offers a different aspect of travel from both the Western perspective of visiting the Muslim world as well as Muslims having visited the Christian world. The title of the exhibition comes from a Moroccan proverb that embodies the ideal of travelling and attaining knowledge.
Hi friends! Many congratulations to to Dr. Pouneh Shabaneh Jadidi of the IIS on her recent publication! The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course. The ISL will have a copy very soon for your reading and studying pleasure.
Hi friends! On 11 & 12 June, Monday and Tuesday of next week the Institute of Islamic Studies will be hosting a workshop on the acclaimed scholar, Quṭb al-Dīn Shīrāzī . Shīrāzī was an astronomer and physician of the 13th century. A student of Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī, Shīrāzī would produce numerous texts. The Encyclopaedia Iranica provides a nice overview of this gifted scholar’s life and a detailed bibliography.
The Institute of Islamic Studies Quṭb al-Dīn Shīrāzī Workshop Program.
Hope to see you there!
Enjoy!!
Hi friends!
In 2007 the McGill Reporter interviewed Drs. Ragep and Wisnovsky about their Rational Sciences in Islam Project (RASI). The interview provides a general overview of RASI and is well worth a read!