Category: News

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… Continue reading 7th Summer School on Philology and Manuscripts from the Muslim World in Leiden, August 2025, Part II

In August, Negar participated in the 7th Leiden Summer School on Philology and Manuscripts from the Muslim World 2025, a highly competitive program that accepts only 15 participants each year. Being selected was both an honor and a fortunate opportunity to study and do research in Leiden, where the courses brought together diverse topics, expert… Continue reading 7th Summer School on Philology and Manuscripts from the Muslim World in Leiden, August 2025, Part I

In the beginning of August, Ilse and Negar’s went  to Tashkent, the capital or Uzbekistan, for a research trip, which was a wonderful mix of cultural exploration and productive research. On Sunday, the first day of the visit, Ilse and Negar began by exploring several museums and enjoying sightseeing around the city. One of the… Continue reading TASHKENT, August 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

Cairo Chronicles Part 1: Fieldwork & Manuscripts & Conference Conversations In late June, Ilse Sturkenboom and Theresa Zischkin travelled to Cairo for a rich and multifaceted research trip that combined fieldwork, manuscript studies, and participation in the 20th Ernst Herzfeld Society (EHG) conference. Their time in Egypt was as inspiring as it was intensive, offering… Continue reading CAIRO, June 2025, Part 1

In June, Yih-chuen conducted a field trip to the U.K. to gather data from Persianate manuscripts made with Chinese papers, which were decorated with different techniques. This corpus of manuscripts has previously been studied by renowned scholars, including Professor Dr. Ilse Sturkenboom, the lead investigator of our research project. However, many questions remain open and… Continue reading LONDON, June 2025