OPEN ISLAMICATE TEXTS INITIATIVE

"Funded through two grants from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Phase One of the Open Islamicate Texts Initiative Arabic-script OCR Catalyst Project (OpenITI AOCP) is the first undertaking of its kind to tackle the technical and organizational barriers that historically have stymied the development of Arabic-script OCR and digital text production for Islamicate Studies.

OpenITI AOCP is led by an interdisciplinary team of humanities, computer science, and digital humanities co-principal investigators from Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, Northeastern University’s NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks, the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London, and the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities at the University of Maryland, College Park. We are proud to partner with the SHARIAsource project of the Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School and the eScripta project of Université Paris Sciences et Lettres for the technical development portion of the project.

The primary technical goal of the first phase of OpenITI AOCP is to achieve ≥97% character accuracy rates (CARs) for OCR on the most used Persian and Arabic print typefaces. 

The second major deliverable of OpenITI AOCP is an open-source and user-friendly digital text production pipeline for Persian and Arabic texts."

Digital archive : Middle East Women’s Activism

"Middle East Women’s Activism digital archive is a collection of interviews with 96 women of different generations in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, which form the basis of a monograph, entitled, Embodying Geopolitics: Generations of Women’s Activism in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. All interviews were conducted by Nicola Pratt, University of Warwick, in 2013-2014 as part of a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship exploring the relationship between gender and geopolitics in the context of the Middle East."

AMBULO (Arabic Manuscripts in the Bologna University Library Online)

AMBULO (Arabic Manuscripts in the Bologna University Library Online

"AMBULO" Project (acronym of Arabic Manuscripts in the Bologna University Library Online) is promoted by the King Abdulaziz Chair for Islamic Studies – University of Bologna. The project is carried out under the supervision of Prof. Ahmad Addous, and coordinated by Dr. Valentina Sagaria Rossi. "AMBULO" has actually started in September 2017 and it envisages the revaluation of one of the most important and richest collections of Arabic manuscripts hosted in a public library in Italy: the Oriental Manuscripts Fund of the University"

Persian Manuscript Materials

 

Persian Manuscript Materials

"This website is dedicated to the study of the material technology of Persian manuscripts. Our goal is to investigate the intricate materials utilized in historical Persian manuscripts, shedding light on the methods and techniques derived from historical recipes mainly between the Taimurid to Qajar dynasties of Persia (15th-19th centuries).

Accompanied by images captured during the reconstruction process following the historical recipes, we aim to provide an immersive exploration into the material heritage of Persian manuscripts."

Ibn Gabirol Digital Project

Ibn Gabirol Digital Project

This project endeavours to provide a comprehensive overview of the philosophy of Ibn Gabirol, an 11th-century Jewish philosopher from Andalusia. Within this framework, both his biographical details and philosophical writings are examined on this website through the use of multiple digital methodologies. Categorized under the domain of Digital Humanities, the project aims to expand the accessibility of Ibn Gabirol's philosophical ideas to a broader audience. By adopting this multifaceted approach, the project aims to offer a comprehensive and scholarly view of Ibn Gabirol's life and works, enriching both contemporary and future scholarship in the realm of philosophy.

The project is sponsored by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK).

Visit the User Manual for detailed instructions to improve your experience.

User Manual

 

 

LAMINE 4. An Armenian Futūh Narrative: Łewond’s Eighth-Century History of the Caliphate

LAMINE 4. An Armenian Futūh Narrative: Łewond’s Eighth-Century History of the Caliphate

Sergio La Porta and Alison M. Vacca

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Series Editors: Antoine Borrut and Fred M. Donner

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The History of the Armenian priest Łewond is an important source for the history of early Islamic rule and the only contemporary chronicle of second/eighth-century caliphal rule in Armenia. This volume presents a diplomatic edition and new English translation of Łewond’s text, which describes events that took place during the century and a half following the Prophet Muḥammad’s death in AH 11/632 CE. The authors address Łewond’s account as a work of caliphal history, written in Armenian, from within the Caliphate. As such, this book provides a critical reading of the Caliphate from one of its most significant provinces. Reading notes clarify many aspects of the period covered to make the text understandable to students and specialists alike. Extensive commentary elucidates Łewond’s narrative objectives and situates his History in a broader Near Eastern historiographical context by bringing the text into new conversations with a constellation of Arabic, Greek, and Syriac works that cover the same period. The book thus stresses the multiplicity of voices operating in the Caliphate in this pivotal period of Near Eastern history. 

Syriac Manuscripts in the British Library: A New Digital Edition of Wright’s Catalogue

Syriac Manuscripts in the British Library: A New Digital Edition of Wright’s Catalogue

Editors: David A. Michelson and William L. Potter

"Syriac Manuscripts in the British Library (SMBL) is a digital enhancement of William Wright's Catalogue of Syriac Manuscripts in the British Museum acquired since the year 1838 (London, 1870-1872), published by Syriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portal in partnership with the British Library as an open access online resource. Using new methods of digital representation, SMBL enables users to engage with the manuscript collection from diverse perspectives, facilitating exploration of the collection according to new and multiple criteria..."