A l-F u rq a n ISLAMIC HERITAGE FOUNDATION
NEWSLETTER NUM BER 1
SEPTEM BER 1995
uring the fourteen centuries o f its history, histor Islamic civilisation has produced a vast num ber o f written works, mostly in Arabic and Persian, but also in Turkish, Urdu, Bengali, Malay, Swahili and others. These works num ber over two million and cover practically every field o f thought from Q ur’anic com mentary to jurisprudence, from H adlth to philosophy and rhetoric, from theology to art, from mathematics to botany, from poetry to technology, from astronom y and astrology to medicine, as well as history, general knowledge, linguistics and lexical works. They were produced throughout the Islamic w orld from western China and the M alay archipelago to A ndalusia and the Maghreb. D
Today, Islamic manuscripts are to be found, not only in every Islamic country and in countries with large Islamic m inorities such as India, the form er Soviet Union and China, but also through out Europe and the Americas as well as in Japan and some non-M uslim African countries. There are very few countries in the w orld in which there are not at least some Islamic manuscripts. This enormous treasure, the m ost important intellectual and scholarly heritage in Islam, is — in many areas — in danger o f being destroyed through social upheavals, political conflicts, natural causes or simply lack o f proper care. It is therefore o f the utmost importance that it should be docum ented as soon as possible and that every attempt should be made to preserve it for posterity. It is also important that its treasures should be made available to the world.
Al-Furqan I$lam؛c Heritage Foundation aims to achieve these goals through: • conducting a worldwide survey o fa ll libraries with Islamic manuscripts. • the study and cataloguing ofcollections o f Islamic manuscripts that have never been cata logued. • the documentation (imaging) oflslam ic manu scripts, using the best available technological means. • editing and publishing a wide *election ٠/ important manuscripts. Al-Furqan Foundation is anxious to co-operate with other institutions that share its vision and aspirations. The Foundation is fortunate to have serving on its International Advisory Council and its Board ©٢ Experts a team o f renow ned and dedicated scholars who have made possible what the Foundation has achieved so far.
The Chairman
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Al-Furqan ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage ^:)un،(؛؛t ؛on N ewsletter N o . ا
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A com m em orative photograph, taken at the I^ u g u ra tio n o f A l-Furq ^؛n Islam ic H eritage F o u d a tio n in D ecem b er 1991 in the R eception Hall at E agle H ouse
:)Seated (left to right Professor Abdel Hadi اا؛-ناا؛' آ Professor Nasseruddin al-Assad Sheikh Hamad al-Jasir ^ ٢ M ahmoud Shakir Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani Professor Salahuddin al-M unajjid Professor George Atiyeh Sheikh Abdel Aziz al-R ifa’i
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Standing (left to right): Frofessor Charles de F o u c h ^ o u r ٥٢ Orhan Bilgin Dr Anton Heinen Professor w. M ontgomery Watt Professor Iraj Afshar Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr Professor Yusuf Ibish Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu Professor Enes Karic Dr Jan Just Witkam
Al-Furqan ISLAMIC HERITAGE FOUNDATION Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Founda(i©n N ewsletter No. ا
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F O t^ D £ R The Yamani Cultural هCharitable Foundation
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Chairman Dr T al'at al-Ghunaimi, M em ber ?rofe$sor Ekm eleddin Ihsanoğlu, M ember D r Zaki M ustapha, M em ber
THE INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
THE BOARD OF EXPERTS
Chairman: Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani Professor Nasseruddin al-As$ad (Jordan) Professor George Atiyeh (United States of America) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu (Turkey) Sheikh Hamad al-Jasir (Saudi Arabia) Professor Enes Karic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) Professor Salahuddin al-Munajjid (Saudi Arabia) Professor Seyyed H©s$ein Nasr (United States o f America) Professor Annemarie Schimmel (Germany) Mr Mahmoud Shakir (Egypt) Professor Abdel Hadi al-Tazi (Morocco) Professor Syed Vahiduddin (India) Professor Juan Vernet (Spain) Professor w . Montgomery Watt (United Kingdom)
Chairman: Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani Professor Iraj Afshar (Iran) Professor Ibrahim Chabbuh (Tunisia) Dr Anton Heinen (Germany) Professor Yusuf Ibish (United States o f America) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu (Turkey) Dr Jan Just Witkam (The Netherlands)
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL Dr Hadi Shari fi
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A ll correspondence should be addressed to:
Al-Furqan
ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Eagle House High Street W imbledon London SW19 5EF Tel: 0181 944 1233
Fax: 0181 944 1633
A l-F u r^ n Islamie Heritage Foundation Newsletter No. 1
Telex: 925447 F t^ Q A N G
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WORLD SURVEY OF ISLAMIC MANUSCRI?TS
The objective o f this project was to conduct a com prehensive and up-to-date survey o f Islamic m anuscript collections throughout the world, and eventually one hundred and six countries were covered, including descriptions o f hitherto unknow n collections in A frican countries such as Benin, B urkina Faso, Chad, Com oro Islands, Ethiopia, G am bia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, M adagascar, M alaw i, M ali, Sierra Leone, South A frica and Togo. European countries w hose collections have been described for the first time include Albania, Cyprus G reece, and some countries o f the former Soviet U nion, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, w hilst inform ation about collections o f Islam ic m anuscripts in Bangladesh, China, Japan, M alaysia, N ew Zealand, Philippines and Thailand, w as also gathered for the first time. There was no restriction on the language o f the m anuscripts; any m anuscript w ritten in the Arabic script w as included in the survey. The largest pro portion o f the m anuscripts w ere in Arabic, fol low ed by Persian and Turkish. Descriptions o f col lections containing m anuscripts written in Urdu, Swahili, Punjabi, H indi, and Kurdish were also dis covered, to nam e ju st a few. The survey includes private as well as public collections o flsla m ic m anuscripts, and provides inform ation on the content o f the collections, e.g. subjects covered, languages, approxim ate dates o f the m anuscripts, the significance o f the collections, i.e. w here they contain rare and unique m anu scripts, or m anuscripts o f high artistic quality, and the conditions in w hich they are kept. The com pilation o f the survey was not an easy task, even w ith ju st the initial seventy-two countries earm arked for study. The survey required considerable funding and relied on the CO operation o f com petent scholars and institutes.
Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation N ewsletter No. 1
Initial response from aeademics in the field was disappointing, with claims that the project was too ambitious. Nevertheless, the Foundation persevered, and in D ecem ber 1994, the culm ina tion o f this project saw the publication o f the final volume o f a four volume set o f the World Survey oflslam ic Manuscripts, ed. G. j. Roper, ISBN ل 873992 04 1, London: A l-F u rq ^ , vol. I: 569pp; vol. II: 724pp; vol. Ill: 716pp; vol. IV: 489pp (Supplement - including indexes o f Languages, Names and Titles o f Collections o f Volumes IIV). The World Survey oflslam ic Manuscripts updates previous bibliographies in this field by covering countries and collections not previously investigated, whilst giving details o f available and unpublished catalogues, handlists, registers, etc. In producing the World Survey oflslam ic Manuscripts, the Foundation has had to contend with many problems caused by political upheaval in the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, war in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kuwait and Iraq, and in some cases a general reluctance to be involved in a project which has little value to the authorities o f that country, e.g. China. The World Survey oflslam ic Manuscripts can never claim to be exhaustive, but we believe that it has gone a long w ay to promote continued research in the field o f Islamic m anuscripts and in doing so has helped to preserve the Islamic heritage.
An Arabic translation of the World Survey oflslam ic Manuscripts is under preparation and will be published in 1996.
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م اا ! ا م اا ما ماا }ا ) ٠٠ا \ ا 1ا > ا 1ا ا Mإ 0ا 1ا ؛٠٠١ 1 ا •ما « ،ا م 'ا
ع ءي ط ر ؤ .ء ن م ؛ ك م د آ ز ب
م -عل ما مآذ— د ،ا مي عن م«٠ م ،ه م ض غ ب ج ا م ف ز إ س ط م
ا ف ل ت غ د ١ل ن ي ضخالست _ .ا مثني ؤآ ي م ص ن مإ ؛ دأ ف ي اآرم .ب
<ظت آاثا د ق -؟ < .ح م ص أ' ل م ن م م ط ش د /ء
ستج '<
نآ ل
اا .ا؛ ا <ااا ٠٠ا* | ١١١ MKIIا ).ا ا ا \ ١١٠٠١١١١١١ İSI؟ ■١١١م(('ااا<>ا
أم !؛ اا;اراااام)ر •مثأ ( ,ا ؛ ا* ماا •م؛ اا اا;اما ' ١اماا؛ ا ١١
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Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation Newsletter N o. 1
THE CATALOGUING PROJECT Building on the work carried out in the World Survey, the Foundation has initiated a programme to bring to light the contents o f significant and previous ly uncatalogued collections o f Islamic manuscripts, placing particular emphasis on endangered collections. Due to the urgency o f the task, details o f these endan gered collections are being published as handlists, pending fuller treatment at a later stage. A major contribution to the Foundation's African handlisting programme has been received from the Centre de Documentation et de Recherches Ahmad Baba (CEDRAB) in Timbuktu, Mali, in the form o f a six-volume handlist o f 9,000 manuscripts from the CEDRAB collection. As with all o f the handlists received by the Foundation, the entries in this material are being checked for internal consistency and supple mented by critical apparatus prior to publication. The first volume is scheduled for publication in summer 1995. In Mauritania, the Foundation is collaborating with the Institut Mauritanien des Recherches Sc؛entifi ؟ues (1MRS) in Nouakchott on a three-stage handlisting project o f collections in desert areas. The first stage has now been completed, yielding descriptions o f over one thousand manuscripts in twelve private collections in Chinguetti and Ouadane. Work on the second stage, covering the areas ofOualata, al-N'؛ma and alLablb, has now been completed and is ready for editing. In Niger, agreement has been reached to augment and publish the handlist o f the Institut de Recherches en Sciences Humaines at the University o f Niamey. This collection contains 3,600 Islamic manuscripts.
The Foundation has u^ertaken a number o f handlisting projects in Nigeria. These include a handlist o f the Nigerian National Archives, ©f which the first volume has been published, and the collections o f the Sokoto State History Bureau, Ibadan University Library, the Jos Museum, the Northern History Research Scheme and two private libraries, Shehu Tasi Kusfa in Zaria and Waziri Junaydu in Gidadawa-Sokoto. In Senegal, the Foundation has received handlists o f three private collections: Serigne Mor Mbaye Cisse, al-Hajj Malick Sy and al-Hajj Ibrahim Niasse (@ 1,000 manuscripts). An agreement has now been signed for the editing o f this work. In addition to the work already carried out or com missioned in the above-mentioned countries, the Foundation seeks to expand the scope o f its handlisting work to include collections in Benin, Chad, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Sudan and Togo, as w ell as in other African countries such as South Africa, Sierra Leone and Tanzania . Beyond Africa, the Foundation has published handlists o f the Library o f Makkah al-Mukarramah and o f a number o f private libraries in Yemen. In addition to its handlisting projects, the Foundation has commissioned full catalogues o f collections in Belarus, Lithuania and Tatarstan, and is also exploring the possibility o f commissioning catalogues in Albania and ?akistan. The Foundation has been pleased to publish the Catalogue o f Arabic Manuscripts in the 5 5 Cyril & Methodius Library Sofia, Bulgaria — HadJth Sciences, and will shortly be publishing a Catalogue o f the Arabic Manuscripts in the Khalidi Library, Jerusalem, and Fihris Makhtütât
al-Masjid al-Aqşâ, Jerusalem.
THE PRESERVATION PROJECT Using the information supplied by its handlists and catalogues, the next concern o f the Foundation is the preservation o f the Islamic manuscript heritage by obtaining durable images o f selected manuscripts from endangered collections. After studying the available options, the Foundation has decided to cap^re images o f the manuscripts on microfilm, thus ensuring maximum image resolution and longevity and leaving open the possibility o f digitising the images directly from film at a later date.
Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation Newsletter N o . ل
A portable microfilm camera has been obtained, and the Foundation has approached CEDRAB in Mali with a view to microfilm selected manuscripts from its collcction as a pilot project, Permission to initiate this project has been granted by the Malian government.
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TRAINING COURSES FOR CATALOGUERS OF ISLAMIC MANUSCRIPTS
It is now becoming evident that the skills involved in the cataloguing o f manuscripts are gradually disap pearing. Traditionally, these skills were passed down from Master to Fupil in the course o f an apprentice ship, which is becoming increasingly rare. Out o f a desire to give young cataloguers the broad cultural and scholarly background which they often lack as a result ©'؛this change, the Chairman envisaged a specialist post-graduate course in the cataloguing o f Islamic manuscripts, to be aimed at librarians who have not been specifically trained in the handling o f manuscripts. Procedural guidance was sought from the International Advisory Council, and the found ations for the Course were laid at a meeting ©fthe Board o f Experts at IRCICA, Istanbul. THE COURSE The curriculum for the course was designed with the co-operation o f IRCICA, the Department o f Library Science, Cairo University, and several members o f the Foundation's B©ard ©f Experts and International Advisory Council. Each course lasts for five weeks and is divided into a theoretical (2 weeks) and a practical (3 weeks) section. In the theoretical section the following topics are covered: •
The history ofArabic, Turkish and Persian manuscripts.
•
The history o fth e Islamic manuscript in Africa, the Indian sub-continent and the ،?. ;؟o fth e world.
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The history o f Arabic-script calligraphy, in its various schools.
•
Materials used in Islamic manuscripts (paper, ink, leather, etc.)
•
Binding.
«
Illumination and aesthetics.
•
The history o fth e cataloguing o flslam ic manuscripts.
•
References used in ؛ manuscripts.
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The ta c tic a l section ©fthe course was undertaken with the co-operation o f a library holding Islamic manuscripts. The participants were able to work with the manuscripts for four hours every day, and with the guidance o f an experienced e^aloguer went through the process o f cataloguing, and exploring the particular difficulties that arose during the work The Foundation intends to publish an edited version o f the Course Notes as a contribution to the discipline o f cataloguing. . THE CANDIDATES The Course was advertised in a number o f ^ f e s ^ o n a l journals and letters were sent to libraries with holdings o f uncatalogued manuscripts. It was stipulated that candidates should have a degree in Library Science or in Arabic or Islamic Studies. They had to have enough Arabic to be able to follow the course - and, indeed, to catalogue Arabic manuscripts. (This condition was difficult to enforce and was not always fulfilled.) THE TEACHING STAFF The Foundation was very fortunate in being able to recruit a core teaching staff o f highly qualified and practised professionals to teach this course. Among this staff have been: Fr©fe.s$or Ibrahim Chabbuh (Tunisia), Frofessors Abd el-Sattar al-Halwagi and Nasr Allah Mubashir al-Tarazi (Egypt), Fr©fe$$or Mohammed Beneharifa (Morocco), Frofessof Qasim al-Samarrai (The Netherlands), Frofessor Jraj Afshar (Iran), Professor John Hunwick (USA), Fr©fe$sor Yahya al-Sa’ati (Saudi Arabia), Mr Muammer Ulker (Turkey) The Foundation has also tried — when possible — to use local professionals from the city where each course is held.
جءمcataloguing o flsla m ic
•
The history o fth e major collections.
•
Some thoughts « preservation and conservation.
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Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation New sletter N o. 1
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Al-Furqan ISLAM IC HERITAGE F O t^ D A T IO N
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CAIRO (4th January - 5th February 1994)
In co-operation with Cairo University. 16 Students from the Middle East, Africa and India attended the Foundation's first training course for cataloguers o f Islamic manuscripts. Participants: Djibrill Abakar 'Ali, (University o f Niamey, Niger), Ismail Amirah (Â1 Albait Foundation, Jordan), Muhammad Shah Bokhan (National Museum, Karachi), Djibrill Doucoure (CEDRAB, Timbuktu),
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Professor M ufid Shihab, Chancellor o fth e University / Cairo, presenting His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani with the Shield o fth e University.
İhsan Fadlıoğlu (Faculty o f Arts, University o f Istanbul), Mazharul Islam (National Library, Calcutta), Nasrullah Khan (Osmania University, Hyderabad), Salih al-Khariji (King Faisal Centre for Islamic Studies, Riyadh), Boushta al-Skewi (M orocco), Ikhlas Mekawi (Sudanese National Records O ffice), Haji Mubarak (Zanzibar National Archives), M agd ؛Nabawi (Egyptian National Library), Khader Salameh (Aqsa Mosque Library, Jerusalem), 'All Sulayman (Zanzibar National Library), Nasir 'Ali 'Uthman (Centre for Manuscripts, Heritage and Documents, Kuwait), 'Abdel Hafiz Yehyawi (Department o f Manuscripts, Tunis).
The participants o fth e Cairo course surround a smiling Sheikh Yamani at their graduation ceremony. « his right is Muhammad al-Siba Dean o fth e Faculty / Oriental Studies, Cairo University.
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Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation N ew sletter N o. 1
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PUBLICATIONS At its inaugural meeting in London in Decem ber 1991, the International Advisory Council o f the Foundation identified five areas o f particular interest. These are the areas in which the Foundation concentrates its publication efforts• - Q ur’anic Sciences - Fiqh - or the bases o f Islamic legislation, including its constituent schools - Science - Islamic History - ?reviously unpublished catalogues of collections o f Islamic manuscripts
Thus, the Foundation will consider for publication new critical editions of manuscripts of particular significance in the Islamic heritage, facsimile editions o f well preserved important manuscripts, particularly those with marked aesthetic value, and previously unpublished catalogues o f Islamic manuscripts. The Foundation has 12 publications to-date, and has also sponsored the Exhibition Catalogue o f the ss Cyril هM ethodius National Library, Sofia on The H oly Q uran through the Centuries, held in February 1995.
Published:
Fahras M akhiutat M aktabat M akkah alM ukarramah - Qism al-Qur’an wa 'Ulümih, by M uhammad al-H ablb al-HTlah, (1994), 145pp, ISBN 1 873992 09 2.
W orldwide Survey o f Islamic Manuscripts: Inaugural Volume, (1991), 159pp, ISBN 1 873992 00 9. World Survey o flsla m ic Manuscripts (Vols. I-IV), ed. G. j. Roper, vol. I (1992): 569pp; vol. II (1993): 724pp; vol. Ill (1994): 716pp; vol. IV( 1994): 489pp (Supplement — including indexes of Languages, Names and Titles of Collections of Volumes I-IV), IS B N 1 8 7 3 9 9 2 0 4 1■
Al-Furqa، [slam ؛c Heritage Foundation Newsletter N o . ا
Fahras M akhtutât M aktabat M akkah alMukarramah — ^ is m al-Târlkh, by M uhammad al-H ablb al-H llah, (1994), 145pp, ISBN 1873992 10 6.
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ISTANBUL (29th August - 30th Septem ber
In co-operation with IRCICA & the Siileymaniye Library 24 Students from the Balkan region, Turkey, and the former Soviet Union attended the Foundation's second training course for cataloguers o f Islamic manuscripts. It is expected that the knowledge and expertise gained at this course will be put to use in cataloguing collections o f manuscripts in such places as Bosnia هHerzegovina, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Albania Mejli Kokona (National Library, Tirana), ()ra?n؛pes Memetcumayej (National Turkmenistan Department o f M anuseipts), Aysara Mamahasir (Kirghiz A€؛،demy o f
The participants oft he Istanbul Course, appearing among them is Professor Yahya al-Sa 'ati Director o f the King Fahd Library, Riyadh. Participants'. Mohsin al-Abbas (Al-Furqan Foundation, London), Mehmadali Babaschov & Sevinç Ahundova (Institute o f Manuscripts, Azerbaijan Academy o f Sciences), Mehmed B ecovic (Pristinee, University, N ovi Pazar), A li Çakir (Vakiflar Genel Müdiirlüğlü, Ankara), Tuba Çavdar (Istanbul University), Remzi Demir (University o f Ankara), Ali ipek (100 ¥■1 Üniversitesi, Van), Zorka Ivanova (SS Cyril and Methodius National Library, Sofia), Sinar Kaliyeva (National University o f
Sciences), Mualla Murat (Atatürk Dil ve Tarih Yüksek Kurumu, Ankara), Fehim Nametak 1 ه-ejla Gazic (Oriental Institute, Sarajevo), Tatjana Paic-Vukic (Avhiv, Hrvatske Akademije, Zagreb), Muhammadyar Sherifuf (Department o f Oriental Manuscripts, Tajikistan), llabibullah Ekrem Tahiroğlu (Ebu Reyhan Birum Oriental Institute, Tashkent), N iyazi ü n ver (National Library, Ankara). Abdurrahim Vahap (Istanbul). In addition to these, Hatice Aynur (Boğaziçi University, Istanbul) ه Vahdettin Başak (Atatürk Kitaplığı, İstanbul) attended as obsetvers.
Kazakhstan), Muzaffer K eleş (Siileym aniye Library, Istanbul),
ح رم
LONDON (30th May -30th June 1995) In co-operation w ith the S ch o o l o f O rien ta l an d A frica n Studies (SO AS), University' o fL o n d o n
This course was aimed primarily at specialists working in Europe.
Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani among participants ٠٨ the London Training Course, together with some members o f the staff o f Al-Furqan س ء ء ؛' م س م م Participants: Kamran Arjomand (University o f Cologne), Frederic Bauden (University o f Liege), D elia Cortese (Bernard Quaritch Ltd, London), Nuria Torres Santo Dom ingo (Bibliotcca Islamica “Feli^ Maria Pareja”, Madrid), Nuriye Garaeva هAidar Iouzeev (Institute o f Language, Literature and History, Kazan), Aliya Haji (Al-Furqan Foundation), Souheil Houissa (London), Rashid Kheir (M cG ill University, Montreal) Ragai Makar (A ziz S. Atiya Library for Middle East Studies, University o f Utah), Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation N ewsletter No. 1
Flans van der Meulen (Leiden University Library), I. A. Ogunbiyi (Ibadan, Nigeria), Encamacion Sanehez-Arenas (Jaen, Spain), Anka Stoilova (SS Cyril & Methodius National Library, Softa), Sergey Turkin (Institute o f Oriental Studies, St Petersburg), Muhammad Isa Waley & Hugh Goodacre (The British Library).
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“Cataloguing provides valuable information about important col lections o f Islamic manuscripts in far-flung parts of the M uslim world. It is a support for research and a vital first step towards the presei^ation o f our Islamic heritage.”
Ahmed Zaki Yamani
Fihris M akhtütât Ba d al-Maktabât al-Khâşşah f i ’1-Yaman, compiled by 'Abd Allah M uhamm ad al-H ibshl, and edited by Julian Johansen, (1994), 50bpp, ISBN 1 873992 12 2.
Catalogue o f Arabic Manuscripts in the s s Cyril & M ethodius Library Sofia, Bulgaria - Hadlth Sciences, compiled by Stoyanka Kenderova, and edited by M uhammad Isa W aley, (1995), 491pp (inc. 15 colour & 2 black and white plates), ISBN 4 08 ?87399 ا.
Fihris M akhtiitat Dâr al-W atha’iq al-Q awm iyyah al-NTjlriyyah bi Kâdünâ (al-juz'al-aw w al) [Silsilat al-Faharis al-NIjlriyyah: al-qism alawwal], com piled by Baba Yunus Muhammad, and edited by John Hunwick, (1995), 357pp, ISBN 1873992 13 0.
The Significance o flsla m ic Manuscripts: Proceedings o f the Inaugural Conference o f A lFurqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, ed. j. Cooper, (1992), 181pp, ISBN 1 873992 05 X. A ham m iyyat al-Makhtütât al-Islâmiyyah, A 'm â l al-m u’tamar al-iftitahi li-M u ’assasat al-Furqan lil Turâth al-Islami, (1992), 250pp, ISBN 1 873992 06 8
Al-Furqan Islamic H entage Foundation Newsletter No. 1
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FORTHCOMING ?UBLICATIONS
The Codicology o flsla m ic Manuscripts: Proceedings o f t h e 2nd Conference o f Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, ed.Y. Dutton (publication date Summer 1995)
The History o f t h e Infinitesim al Calculus in the 3rd and 4th Centuries AH , by Roshdi Rashed. To be published in three volumes: vol. 1 - Bânü M üsâ to A bu Şâhl al-Qühr, vol. 2 - al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham: vol. 3 - Problems in the H istory o f Mathematical Analysis. (ISBN 1 873992 07 6) (publication date Autumn 1995 [vols. 1 &2 ] ) .
Fihris M aktabât S h inqit wa Wâdân, vol. ا [Islamic M anuscripts Handlists Series 6: African Collections - M auritania] com piled by Ahmad ©uld M ohamm ed Yahya, and edited by Ulrich Rebstock (publication date Autumn 1995, first volume in a three-volume set)
M aktabât Serigne M or M baye Cisse, al Hajj M alick S y wa al-Hâjj Ibrahim Niasse [Islamic M anuscripts Handlists Series: African Collections - Senegal], com piled by Ousm ane Kane (publication date Autumn 1995)
Catalogue o fth e Arabic M anuscripts in the Khalidi Library, Jerusalem, edited by Lawrence Conrad, and revised and introduced by Tarif alKhalidi, co-publication between Al-Furqân Foundation and The Friends of the Khalidi T.ihrary^ Inc. (publication date early 1996)
Fihris M akhtûtat al-M asjid al-Aqşâ, com piled by Khader Salameh, and edited by Nüfan Rajâ al-Hamüd (publication date early 1996)
This huge work presents the unique achievements of the Arab mathematician al-Hasan b. al-Haytham, who was the first to develop integral calculus and the use of solid angles to calculate the areas of curve-bordered surfaces and the volumes of solids.
Fihris M akhtütât M arkaz A hm ad Bâbâ li l-W atha’iq wa ’1-Buhüth al-Târlkhiyyah bi Tumbuktü, vol. I [Islamic M anuscripts Handlists Series 5: African Collections - Mali], compiled by the Ahmad Baba Centre, Timbuktu, and edited by Julian Johansen (publication date Summer 1995, first volume in a six-volume set)
Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation Newsletter No. 1
Catalogue o fth e // ر. س م'ا؛؟، بofL anguage, Literature and History, Kazan A cadem ic Centre, Tatarstan (publication date early 1996, first volume in a nine-volume set)
F I Hifz al-Asnân wa Istişlahihâ o f Hunayn Ibn Ishaq, edited by M ohamed Fouad Zakri (publication date 1996)
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CONFERENCES
w The Foundation aims to convene a bi-annual conference on a topic closely related to Islamic manuscripts. The Inaugural Conference was held in the Foundation on 30th N ovem ber 1 هst December 1991, with the - appropriate - title: “The Significance o f Islamic M anuscripts” . The Proceedings o f this conference have been published in both Arabic and English. The second conference was held on 4th & 5th December 1993 and was entitled “The Codicology o f Islamic M anuscripts” . The Proceedings are now under R eparation ar؟ scheduled for publication in 1995.
FORTHCOMING CONFERENCE The Foundation is holding its 3rd conference entitled The Conservation and Prr •؛ervation o f Islamic M anuscripts on 18th & 19th Novem ber The Conference will be held at the .1995 Foundation's headquarters in W im bledon :Islamic Manuscripts
Preservation and Conservation The conference will take place over ؛١٧^ days and will fall into four panels : '
Panel ا: Preservation and Conservation: Problems and Solutions Panel 11: The Islamic M anuscript: Body, Characteristics and Treatment Panel III: Current Practices in Preservation and Conservation Panel IV: Summary, Discussion and ^؛com m endations Among the speakers will be: George Atiyeh (Head o f Near East Department, Library of Congress), Ira] A fshar (Tehran), Ibrahim Chabbuh (Head of the Kairouan Preservation Project and Director of the Al Albait Foundation, Amman), Amparo Torres (Library of Congress), Ursula Dreibholz (The Great M osque Project, Sanaa), Peter W aters (Library of Congress).
٠ Al-Furqan
ISLAMIC HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation Newsletter No. 1
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THE LIBRARY
A Reference Library of printed material has been built up at the Foundation to support and enhance its various research projects, in particular the study or editing of important Islamic texts in manuscript. The Library will house a collection of 15,000 volumes on two floors as well as holdings of non-book material (i.e. microfoims). To-date the Library has collected over 10,000 volumes in the major fields of Islamic studies written in the major Islamic languages including Arabic, Fersian, Turkish, Urdu, Swahili, Gujarati, as well as Russian and European languages. The establishment of a major Islamic studies library is one ofthe most important scholarly achievements of the Foundation. The special impoitance ofthe Libraiy lies in the integrated nature of its collection. Islamic civilisation has produced a vast number of written works, and these are reflected in the Libraty’s collection, which includes works of law, history, literature, science, medicine, architecture and geography. The Libraty has recorded its collection on a bialphabetic automated catalogue which displays bibliograph ical data in the Arabic script as well as the Roman script, including the transliteration of all major Islamic languages. This database, developed exclusively for the Foundation, possesses many versatile and outstanding features: all fields of a bibliographical record can be searched in both scripts, and various reports generated from the database can be printed.
T h e entire c o lle c tio n is a v a ila b le ©١١ ©pen s h e lv e s (c la s s ifie d by the Library ©f c © n g r e s s sc h e m e ) ٢٠٢ e a se o f use.
The Library staff are committed t© an on-going programme of acquisitions of all important reference material, both in Islamic and European languages. As a result, researchers will find the c©llecti©n an invaluable source ©fd©cumcntat©؛n for their work. The library also subscribes to a wide range ©f specialist j©urnals in various languages. A detailed acquisitions' list ofthe Libraiy collection is also available. A complete cata logue of books and periodicals will be prepared at a later stage.
LIBRARY OPENING HOURS Monday to Friday: 10.00am to 5.30pm. Scholars and students interested in using the Library should apply to the Foundation in w r i t in g
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Al-Furqan ISLAMIC HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation Newsletter N o. I
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PUBLIC LECTURES In order to strengthen its links with those who are interested in Arabo-Islamic heritage and culture, the Foundation has inaugurated a series of public lectures, held at Eagle House. The lectures will draw on topics that connect the Islamic heritage with the concerns of contemporary society, such as spiritual and intellec tual issues in the Muslim world, and the continual challenges which highlight its internal contradictions. It is intended that there will be three lectures every year. The inaugural lecture, “Applying Shari'a in a Contemporary Muslim Society,” was delivered by the Foundation's Chairman, Sheikh Ahmarl Zaki Yaman؛, at Eagle House on 6th April 1995.
Al-Furqan Islamic H e^tage Foundation N ewsletter N o. 1
The lecture was attended by a great number of scholars and politicians, from both the UK and the Middle East, who followed the Chairman's analysis of this difficult subject with obvious interest. The Chairman responded candidly to a number of questions from the ٨٠٠٢ , illuminating his subject still further. In view o f the importance of this kind of scholarly treatment of religious questions and their relevance to the modem age, the Foundation will announce details of further lectures in the coming weeks.
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Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation at Eagle House, a 17th-century Jacobean house o f historical importance.
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Al-Furqan ISLAMIC HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation Newsletter No. 1
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