On 16 March, Kristof D’hulster presented his paper “Language Matters in the Mamluk Sultanate, or what Turkic Had that Arabic and Circassian Did Not” at Wolfson College, Oxford, at the invitation of James White (AMES). The talk was part ...

#Jobangebot: Deine Chance, bei uns durchzustarten! 🚀 Werde Teil unseres engagierten Teams und gestalte mit uns gemeinsam die Zukunft. Wir suchen drei Bibliotheksreferendar:innen! Erfahre mehr und bewirb dich jetzt 👉 sbb.berlin/8x8or

Metadata regarding the #provenance of a handwritten document is also a central focus of the #Qalamos project and portal. The “Provenance” module (presented as "History of the object") contains metadata on an object’s history ideally in chronological order: From its creation to its current location.

Spaziert mit uns durch #Berlin: Auf den #Provenienzspaziergängen am heutigen Tag der #Provenienzforschung geben unsere Forscher:innen und die vieler anderer Berliner Institutionen euch Einblicke in ihre Arbeit. Alle Infos und wo ihr heute mitlaufen könnt 👉 blog.sbb.berlin/termin/spure...

Best wishes for the upcoming Easter holidays with this beautiful miniature of the Resurrection (#Qalamos shelfmark Minutoli 291, dated 1450, from the village of Harhoc near Lake Van). ..../1

📢 The latest Document of the Month is live on our project website. 📚 Read Jawid Mojaddedi's exploration of Firuzkuh 3 “Whoever Places the Hand of Good Actions in the Circle of Chivalry”: A Homily in the Jawānmardī Mystical Tradition at bit.ly/DotMMar26 #medievalmonday #manuscriptmonday #firuzkuh

My latest publication as a follow-up to an earlier one: "Nineteen Addenda to a Preliminary Handlist of Manuscripts from the Library of al-Ashraf Qāytbāy," Journal of Islamic Manuscripts 2017 (2026): 195-203. One of the tangible results of a great/frustrating research trip to Cairo last year.

Call for Papers: Workshop on Biography and Hagiography in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish From 17–19 February 2027, the workshop “Exemplary Lives in the Pre-Modern Islamic World: Biography and Hagiography in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish”, jointly organised ...

Commentaries and glosses functioned as vehicles for the study of astronomy. @nadineloehr.bsky.social presents "Reflections on the Many Forms of Commentary in Astronomical and Astrological Manuscripts" in this week's Gotha Manuscript Talk 📆 Wednesday, 1 April 2026, 6:15 CET 1/2

Lecture on "Translation as a Cultural Technique" in Kyoto On 30 March, Philip Bockholt presented "Translation as a Cultural Technique" at the Goethe-Institut Villa Kamogawa in Kyoto, Japan. His lecture dealt with translation practices within the Ottoman Empire, focusing on ...

⚠️Nutzungsinformation: An vier Tagen rund um #Ostern von #Karfreitag, 3. April bis #Ostermontag, 6. April 2026, bleibt die #Stabi geschlossen. Alle Infos zur Bereitstellung von Medien findet ihr hier 👉 blog.sbb.berlin/ostern-2026/

The Afterlife of a Medieval Persian Text: The Qalandar-nama of Abdullah Ansari www.medievalists.net/2026/03/medi... #history #medieval

This Arabic text on coping with the death of loved ones and children was written in 1547 CE by the Lebanese author Zayn al-Dīn al-Shahīd al-Thānī, the "Second Martyr" of Shīʻī Islam. Copied in 1710 CE, it is now in the collection of Mumtāz al-ʻUlamā Library in Lucknow, India: https://bit.ly/4rpp2Iv

#GutenMorgen ☕ Unser Programm der Woche: ☀️ Mi, 1. April: Podcaststudio Einführungskurs Alle Termine im Kalender 👉 blog.sbb.berlin/termine/

The international project Midrash (Migrations of Textual and Scribal Traditions via Large-Scale Computational Analysis of Medieval Manuscripts in Hebrew Script) is pioneering for the analysis of the paleography and text recognition of #Hebrew_manuscripts. www.midrash.eu

In our new essay, "Buddhism and AI: Another Look," @alicecasalini.bsky.social reflects on her transition from AI optimism to "neo-Luddism," arguing that Buddhism and AI are fundamentally incompatible. Read more on our blog: 🔗 digitalorientalist.com/2026/03/24/b...

In the Arabic colophon of the Greek Psalter Sinai gr. 32, the commissioner is called "ambā Zaḫaryā al-ʔIskāf" (the word "al-ʔiskāf" end of l. 4). The scribe Michael the Priest (al-Qissīs) calls himself "tilmīḏ ambā Filūta". The latter might actucally have been the ascetic writer Philotheus of Sinai.

Our new article is part III of "At the Dawn of Digital Studies on Arabic Script in France" by Ilyes Mechentel (@unibe.ch). In part III, Ilyed explores why Arabic Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) adoption lags behind Latin scripts despite achieving technical parity. Read more on our website!

📢 Vacancy! We're looking for a doctoral researcher to join our ‘Turning Rock into Pixels’ project group and explore the rich cultural heritage of the Jewish cemetery in Hamburg-Altona. More info here:

Please admire this complete, small-format Qur'an from the collection of the Max Freiherr von Oppenheim Foundation (shelfmark Hs. Opp. or. 90), bound in green leather and housed in a slipcase of the same material. .../1

Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete Vol. 71, No. 2 (2025) www.degruyterbrill.com/journal/key/... @dgb-ancientstudies.bsky.social

#Arabic phrase of the day: حقا ان لباس النعلين مضادده لمن يصعد في السلم ḥaqqan ʔanna libās an-naʕlayn muḍādada li-man yaṣʕad fī s-sullam "Wearing sandals is, indeed, counterproductive for anyone climbing a ladder" (from anon. Ar. Enc. for Mt Sinai)

In his new essay, Leon Woltermann argues that Indonesian literature cannot be separated from its dynamic system of circulation, which shapes audiences, reading practices, and the nature of literature itself. Read more on our blog! (links below ⬇️)

In addition to our regular articles, we also publish the proceedings of our annual conferences and reports from workshops and conferences in the Digital Humanities hosted by our colleagues. Check out the conference proceedings and reports on our website! Links below⬇️

#Jobangebot: Deine Chance, bei uns durchzustarten! 🚀 Werde Teil unseres engagierten Teams und gestalte mit uns gemeinsam die Zukunft. Wir suchen eine:n Bibliotheksmitarbeiter:in Periodika Katalogisierung! Erfahre mehr und bewirb dich jetzt 👉 sbb.berlin/1fzba #Stellenangebot #freieStelle

@stabiberlin.bsky.social preserves an important collection of 111 Coptic and 2 Old Nubian manuscripts. The collection began as early as 1677–1679, when the widow of orientalist Theodor Petraeus sold Coptic texts—mainly copies of biblical books and scholarly treatises—to the library.

Islamic Intellectual Traditions Vol. 1, No. 1 (2026) brill.com/view/journal... #openaccess @degruyterbrill.bsky.social @czargar.bsky.social

Discussing Ottoman Translations in Indonesia On 10 March, Tobias Sick held a lecture at the Faculty of Islamic Studies at the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) in Depok, Indonesia.

We’re excited to be attending #AAS2026 Annual Conference in Vancouver! #CrossAsia @stabiberlin.bsky.social is looking forward to meeting colleagues and connecting with the Asian Studies community. From March 13-14 you'll find us at Booth 203 shared with @degruyterbrill.bsky.social Please drop by!

Arabic #WOTD: لحية liḥya "beard" as in anonym. Ar. Encomium for the Summit of Mt Sinai, quoting Psalm 133:2 (Sin. ar. 513, f. 127r:16): شبه ذلك العطن السايل من الراس وعلى اللحيه لحيه هرون "this is like the oil (?) running down from the head and onto the beard, the beard of Aaron"

📚️ Von Digital #Textual Studies, Digital Humanities in #India bis #Gaming Cultures: Unsere aktuellen #DH-Neuerwerbungen des Monats Februar 👉️ lab.sbb.berlin/neuerwerbung...

Digitization & cataloging is complete for the collection of the Armenian Church, Diocese of Aleppo: 174 manuscripts relocated from the Armenian Holy Forty Martyr’s Church in Aleppo. A rare survival from one of the most volatile centers of #Armenian Christianity. Learn more: https://bit.ly/49V9yXa

Newly Discovered Document Confirms a ‘Legendary’ African King www.medievalists.net/2026/03/newl... #history #AfricanHistory #Nubia

#GutenMorgen ☕ Unser Kulturprogramm der Woche: ☀️ Do, 12.3.: „Schätze des Wissens – arabische Handschriften im Dialog“: Wenn Kopisten nicht kopieren. Die verborgenen Koautoren von Kalila und Dimna Alle Termine im Kalender 👉 blog.sbb.berlin/termine/

FID.Network is now live, highlighting how Germany’s FIDs strengthen research through collaboration, a strong sharing culture, and a commitment to Open Science — building an open, connected and sustainable information infrastructure for the scientific community: fid.network/en/ #fidnetzwerk #fid

Exploring a 19th c. Latin catalogue our colleague Dr. Gleb Sharygin discovered the deep passion of Indologists of Romantic era like A.W. Schlegel (1767-1845) who did not just study #Sanskrit but also hand-copied mss. to incorporate ancient wisdom into the Eur. scholarship. 1/2 doi.org/10.58079/15so6

*scholarship programs* For doctoral researchers, the Herzog August Library—together with private foundations—offers a range of funding opportunities to support scholarly work with its collections. Annual application deadlines: 1 April and 1 October www.hab.de/doktoranden-...

In der neuen Veranstaltungsreihe „Schätze des Wissens – arabische Handschriften im Dialog“ spricht Prof. Beatrice Gründler (#FUBerlin) am 12. März über die Überlieferungen der berühmten Fabelsammlung "Kalila und Dimna". Alle Infos 👉 sbb.berlin/6qf1l

Last Friday, approximately 60 people from the #SriGaneshaHinduTemple, Berlin, visited #StabiBerlin in order to admire Shivaji Maharaj's precious Deccani painting portrait on the occasion of the annual celebration (Shiv Jayanti) in honour of Shivaji Maharaj, ....../1

Only 10 #Manuscripts this week from the #Vatican www.wiglaf.org/vatican/2026... some Ge'ez (including music), an Arbor Philosophiae, a Formularium, some classical works and more (not much more) #MedievalSky #Skystorians

#GutenMorgen ☕ Unser Programm der Woche: ☀️ Mo, 2.3.: Datencafé – mit Einführung zum Thema „Automatische Texterkennung mit eScriptorium“ ☀️ Mi, 4.3.: (Breiter) Kanon im Kulturwerk: Ein Gespräch über die Ausstellung romantischer Autor:innen Alle Termine im Kalender 👉 blog.sbb.berlin/termine/

Indian manuscripts will now be regularly exhibited at #StabiKulturwerk (stabi-kulturwerk.de), such as this elegant Jain manuscript (Ms. or. fol. 1708, Uttarādhyayanasūtrāvacūri, digitised in #Qalamos) mimicking the shape of a palm leaf on which Indian texts were formerly written.

Stellenausschreibung: Mitarbeiter:in Wissensmanagementsysteme im Bereich #OpenAccess E11, Teilzeit 50%, befristet bis 30.04.2028. Bewerbungsschluss: 06.03.2026 blog.sub.uni-hamburg.de?p=41971

Ching, Chao-jung & Michaël Peyrot (eds.). 2026. Text, script and language in Bactria and Serindia. Papers on cultural and linguistic interactions in pre-Islamic Central Asia (Beiträge zur Iranistik 55). Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag. www.biblioiranica.info/text-script-...

Our latest post is an Editor’s Digest of our Middle Eastern Studies publications from February 2025 to February 2026, curated by Maria S. Thomas (@vuamsterdam.bsky.social ). Read the full articles on our blog! 🔗 digitalorientalist.com/2026/02/17/e... 2025-26 DO Middle Eastern Studies posts⬇️:

Visited the Cairo Geniza collection in the Cambridge UL for the first time today. Almost lost for words at the amount and diversity of materials, languages and scripts. Herewith my photo of a Hebrew primer used in 10th century Egypt to teach kids to write

Wie zeigt sich pflanzliches Leben in Sammlungen und Archiven? Die kommende Online-Sonderausstellung Plant Matters – Vegetal Art across Collections des 4A_Lab beleuchtet Geschichten hinter den Kunstobjekten und erzählt von ihren Verflechtungen mit Pflanzen. Eine Preview jetzt im #SPKMagazin

"The Early Illustrated 'Apollonius of Tyre' Studies of a Sinai Palimpsest" by Head of Research of the Old Books New Science Lab / CMS Alum, Jessica Lockhart, with Michelle P. Brown, is now available from Barkhuis Publishing. 📖 www.barkhuis.nl/product/the-...

We regularly publish overviews of available digital sources in our sub-disciplines. If you're a student or teacher of South Asian, Central Asian, or East Asian languages and civilizations, check out our latest guides: (links below⬇️)

A classical Sufi-inflected reading of Ramadan: Qur’an 2:183-186 links fasting to taqwa -- and unexpectedly to divine nearness. From the nafs’ “fuel” to the heart as a polished mirror, it traces how hunger can open a different kind of attention, culminating in Laylat al-Qadr and a return to fitra.