The second week of the Leiden Summer School on Philology and Manuscripts from the Muslim World was quite productive as participants had to prepare a presentation based on their own research field. Apart from that, one of the central highlights of this week was the introduction to the Leiden University Library catalogue and its special collections. Participants learned not only how to navigate the catalogue as a research tool, but also about the fascinating history behind the collections. Personalities such as Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540–1609), Jacob Golius (1596–1667), and Levinus Warner (1619–1665) played crucial roles as early collectors of Oriental books and manuscripts, each contributing to the foundations of what would become one of Europe’s most important repositories of Islamic manuscripts.
The group also reflected on the work of Jan Just Witkam (b. 1945), a modern custodian of these collections. As Professor of Arabic and Keeper of Oriental Manuscripts and Rare Books at Leiden, Witkam was not a collector in the traditional sense, but his meticulous cataloguing and codicological studies have been fundamental in making the collections accessible to scholars worldwide. His multi-volume Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of Leiden University and Other Collections in the Netherlands remains an indispensable reference, bridging the legacy of the early collectors with contemporary manuscript studies.
The workshops were focused on reading the waqf notes in manuscripts and understanding their meaning. These notes are essential because they show how books and libraries were endowed as waqf (charitable foundations). By studying them, participants could learn how this system was not only a religious and social act, but also a way to ensure the preservation of books and libraries until today. The waqf tradition gave manuscripts protection, continuity, and cultural significance, which is why many collections have survived across centuries.
The summer school concluded with two days of participant presentations, which offered a broad spectrum of research approaches, from paleography and transmission history to cataloguing, editing, and conservation. Negar presented on decorated paper in Ottoman-Turkic manuscripts: she examined three different manuscripts and asking how ornamental motifs and techniques served both for aesthetic purposes and as markers of identity and cultural expression. She emphasized their significance in the artistic production of the Ottoman court, as well as their role in shaping the visual character of manuscripts. It was a good way to share this work and receive feedback, while being involved into the other presentations that expanded her perspective on how scholars approach manuscripts, interpret their histories, and narrate their findings.
Altogether, the Leiden Summer School was a remarkable platform for learning, exchange, and inspiration, leaving Negar with both new tools and deeper insights for her own research.
