2410, 2013

Islamic Manuscript Studies : Research Guide

By Dominique Akhoun-Schwarb|October 24, 2013|Ancient Near East, Semitics and Judaica, Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica|0 comments

Islamic Manuscript Studies : Research Guide The guide published by Evyn Kropf at University of Michigan offers resources for the study of the manuscripts and manuscript cultures of the Islamic world. Welcome Identifying and Locating Manuscripts Collections and Catalogues Online Collection Research Guides Islamic Manuscripts in North America Arabic Script Palaeography Manuscript Description Bibliographical Resources Reading Lists Associations, Institutes and Research Initiatives Other Online Research Guides For more information about

2210, 2013

Chapulling in rythm: Music from Taksim Square

By Dominique Akhoun-Schwarb|October 22, 2013|Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica, Music, Media and Film Studies, Politics and International Relations|0 comments

The social movement in Turkey has engendered some remarkable music that can be sampled on this website: capulcular.bandcamp.com It is called “Capulcular Sarkisi” of the “Songs of the Capulcus”. Prime Minister Erdoğan called the protestors “çapulcu” which means vandals or marauders. The demonstrators and online activists in this movement quickly reappropriated this term, anglicizing it (chapuller) and verbifying it (capuling/chapulling), giving it the meaning of “fighting for your rights (in

2210, 2013

Hazine: a new website to assist research in the Middle East

By Mary Fisk|October 22, 2013|Archival collections, History, Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica|0 comments

Holy Koran cover (16th century) from the Topkapi Palace Collections Image from Ahmet Karahisari on Wikimedia Commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ahmet_Karahisari_001.jpg HAZINE is a new website “dedicated to helping scholars conduct research in the Middle East and beyond”. It focuses on practical advice on how to access and use archives, manuscript libraries and other relevant collections in the “greater Islamic world”. The site is launched with features on four major archives in Istanbul – the

1710, 2013

Celebrate Afghanaid’s 30th Anniversary

By Farzana Whitfield|October 17, 2013|Art and Archaeology, Development Studies, Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica, South Asia|0 comments

Afghanaid started working in Afghanistan in 1983. This year they are celebrating 30 years of continuous work through a photographic exhibition – bringing to life the resilience of the Afghan people and the way in which their lives have been transformed. The exhibition will be held at Gallery Different (14 Percy Street, London W1T 1DR) and open to the public from Tuesday, 5th November to Saturday, 9th November. The exhibition will also include a 30-year timeline of

2509, 2013

Free access to three e-journals from Brill

By Dominique Akhoun-Schwarb|September 25, 2013|Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica, Philosophy, Religions|0 comments

For all non-SOAS staff or students (SOAS staff and students, you do have access to all those already!), a little piece of good news: Brill Publishing offers free individual access to three journals in Middle East Studies, by using an access token: – Journal of Muslims in Europe, using token number JOME4U (valid until 31 December 2013) – Journal of Sufi Studies, using token number JSS4U (valid until 31 December

1909, 2013

New primary sources for Middle East studies

By Dominique Akhoun-Schwarb|September 19, 2013|History, Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica, Politics and International Relations|0 comments

Students and researchers at SOAS have recently gained access to two new databases of archival documents that are of crucial importance in the studies of Middle East modern history and politics: Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969 http://www.archivesdirect.amdigital.co.uk Archives Direct is a suite of collections sourced from The National Archives, Kew – the UK government’s official archive. The Confidential Print series originated out of a need for the Government to preserve

1508, 2013

Zoroastrian cuisine and the Cyrus cylinder on open-access

By Mary Fisk|August 15, 2013|Ancient Near East, Semitics and Judaica, Anthropology and Sociology, History, Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica, Religions|0 comments

On the occasion of its silver jubilee in 2012, the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) , published online Eat, live, pray: a celebration of Zarathustri culture and cuisine. As well as being a culinary and cultural history of the Zoroastrians, the book contains 72 recipes contributed by members of the Zoroastrian diaspora community across the globe – such as Gos noo bafaat (meat in a sweet-and-sour coconut

1408, 2013

Round-up of recent web resources on Byzantium

By Mary Fisk|August 14, 2013|Ancient Near East, Semitics and Judaica, Art and Archaeology, Gender, History, Literature, Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica, Religions|0 comments

Siege of Constantinople (1453) from a manuscript in the Bibliotheque Nationale (France) (image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Constantinople_1453.jpg ; [this file is in the {PD-US} domain in the United States] Portail des resssources Byzantines (Université de Fribourg, Switzerland) The public part of this portal includes Project Typika (a database of terms relating to artifacts and raw materials mentioned in Byzantine documents), an interactive guide to web resources on Byzantium and a traditional bibliography Dumbarton Oaks Resources

1107, 2013

Prince Bertie’s holiday snaps …

By Mary Fisk|July 11, 2013|Ancient Near East, Semitics and Judaica, Art and Archaeology, History, Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica|0 comments

Prince Edward, photograph take between 1860 and 1865 Image from WikiMedia Commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Edward_1860.jpg Also public domain in the US (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-1923) In 1862, “Bertie”, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII), was sent on an “improving” 4-and-a-half month tour of the Middle East, visiting Egypt, the Holy Land and Constantinople. Accompanying him was the photographer, Francis Bedford, who took over 190 prints of the region – one of the earliest photographic records

0107, 2013

Ancient monasticism in the Middle East

By Mary Fisk|July 1, 2013|Art and Archaeology, Middle East, Central Asia & Islamica, Religions|0 comments

n.b This image of Saint Hilarion is from Archangelos Monastery, Almopia, Greece Image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agios_Ilarion_Meglenon.jpg The archaeology website Past Horizons showcases rare wall paintings in the 6th century Coptic Deir al-Surian (“Syrian Monastery”) / Monastery of the Holy Virgin of Anba Bishoi in the Wadi al-Natrun in the Nile Delta, and the online newspaper Hurriyet reports on efforts to conserve the remains of one of the Holy Land’s earliest monasteries, Saint Hilarion’s (Tel