Author: Theresa Zischkin

The research continued in London, where Negar once again returned to the British Library—a place that had already become an anchor point for her. Her visit turned into an unexpectedly rich and deeply enjoyable experience. As someone who regularly works with Ottoman and Turkish materials across different collections, she arrived with a sense of familiarity.… Continue reading LONDON, November 2025, Part II

Silhouetted Paper on the Streets of London – Research Trip, Part I The first week of the team’s recent research trip to London proved both productive and inspiring. The city’s libraries and museums offered a wealth of material, and Negar, Theresa and Yih-chuen made great use of their time among its collections. While Yih-chuen spent… Continue reading LONDON, November 2025, Part I

A Visit to St Andrews: Studying the St Andrews Qur’an and Persian Manuscript Provenance In early November, Theresa travelled to St Andrews for a short but fruitful research visit. At first, she spend some time at the university’s conservation lab, where she had the opportunity to study the famous St Andrews Qur’an. Using a light… Continue reading ST ANDREWS, November 2025

Decorated Paper 2.0 Workshop The GLOBAL DECO PAPER team gathered for a three-day workshop titled “Decorated Paper 2.0”with affiliated researcher Jake Benson. The event brought together hands-on database work, lively discussions on terminology and technique, and inspiring insights into the global history of decorated papers. Day One: Deep Dive into the Database Our workshop began… Continue reading MUNICH, October 2025

At this year’s Deutscher Orientalistentag (DOT) in Erlangen, one packed day showcased panels by PI Ilse Sturkenboom, bringing the students’ research into sharp, compelling focus. Centred on the arts of the book across Persian, Ottoman, and Mughal contexts—from the twelfth to the nineteenth centuries—the sessions also probed twentieth-century collecting, reminding us how later histories shape… Continue reading ERLANGEN, September 2025

Study Trip Part 3: Decorated Paper in London The third station of Theresa Zischkin’s research trip to the UK brought her to London, where she spent a rewarding week from Monday to Saturday immersed in the city’s rich manuscript collections and artistic treasures.     In the Asian and African Study Room of the British… Continue reading LONDON, August 2025

UK Research Trip – Part Two Theresa Zischkin’s journey through the manuscript collections of the UK continued in Oxford, where the city’s rich scholarly heritage, breathtaking architecture, and world-renowned libraries offered the perfect setting for her next phase of research. Upon arriving, she took the opportunity to begin her stay with a visit to the… Continue reading OXFORD, August 2025

Starting off the UK Manuscript Tour! Theresa Zischkin has begun her UK research trip in the historic city of Cambridge. Her first stop was the Cambridge University Library, where she had the opportunity to examine three remarkable manuscripts. Together with Kristine Rose-Beers and Firuza Melville, she studied, among others, the Dīwān-i Hilālī. We are deeply… Continue reading CAMBRIDGE, July 2025

On 25th and 26th July, Ilse Sturkenboom’s once-per-term colloquium took place, bringing together all research members of the team to present their current work related to decorated paper. The first day began with a presentation by Negar Kazemipourleilabadi, who spoke about the Dīwān-i Muhibbīmanuscripts and how the discovery of a single manuscript in Warsaw inspired the… Continue reading MUNICH, July 2025

Cairo Chronicles Part 2: Conference Conversations   The final three days of Ilse’s and Theresa’s Cairo trip were devoted to the 20th EHG conference, co-convened by the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo and the American University in Cairo (AUC). Hosted in the stunning Oriental Hall at the Tahrir Campus – its gilded ceiling, muqarnas vaults, and… Continue reading CAIRO, July 2025, Part 2