Manuals, Handbooks and Bibliographies
For additional titles see Arabic Script Palaeography and Reading Lists
Déroche, François, et al. Manuel de codicologie des manuscrits en écriture arabe. [Paris] : Bibliothèque nationale de France, c2000
-------. al-Madkhal ilá ʻilm al-kitāb al-makhṭūṭ bi-al-ḥarf al-ʻArabī. Landan : Muʼassasat al-Furqān lil-Turāth al-Islāmī, 2005.
-------. Islamic Codicology: An Introduction to the Study of Manuscripts in Arabic Script. London: Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, 2006.
------- and Valentina Sagaria Rossi. I manoscritti in caratteri arabi. Roma : Viella, 2012.
Gacek, Adam. "A Select Bibliography of Arabic Language Publications Concerning Arabic Manuscripts." Manuscripts of the Middle East (MME) 1 (1986): 106-108.
-----. The Arabic Manuscript Tradition: A Glossary of Technical Terms and Bibliography. Leiden: Brill, 2001
-----. The Arabic Manuscript Tradition: A Glossary of Technical Terms and Bibliography – Supplement. Leiden: Brill, 2008
-----. Arabic Manuscripts: A Vademecum for Readers. Leiden: Brill, 2009
Ghelichkhani, Hamid Reza (Ḥamīd Riz̤ā Qilīchʹkhānī). Zarʹafshān : farhang-i iṣṭilāḥāt va tarkībāt-i khūshnivīsī, kitābʹārāyī va nuskhahʹpardāzī dar shiʻr-i Fārsī = Zar afshān: a dictionary of terms relating to calligraphy, ornament, and the making of manuscripts as found in classical Persian poetry. Tihrān: Farhang-i Muʻāṣir, 2013.
--------. A Handbook of Persian Calligraphy and Related Arts, edited by Shervin Farridnejad and translated by Rebecca Stengel. Leiden: Brill, [2021].
al-Ḥalwajī, ʻAbd al-Sattār. Naḥwa ʻilm makhṭūṭāt ʻArabī. al-Qahirah: Dar al-Qahirah, 2004.
Mikhaĭlova, I B and A B Khalidov. Bibliografii︠a︡ arabskikh rukopiseĭ. Moskva: Nauka, Glavnai︠a︡ redakt︠s︡ii︠a︡ vostochnoĭ literatury, 1982.
Roper, Geoffrey, Ed. World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts. London: Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, 1992-1994. (Available online via Al-Furqan Digital Library Portal "World Collections")
Ṣafarī Āqʹqalʻah, ʻAlī. Nuskhahʹshinākht: pizhūhishnāmah-ʼi nuskhahʹshināsī-i nusakh-i khaṭṭī-i Fārsī [= Handbook of Persian codicology: an introduction to the study of Persian manuscripts] bā muqaddamah-ʼi Īraj Afshār. Tihrān: Markaz-i Pizhūhishī-i Mīrās̲-i Maktūb, 2011.
al-Sāmarrāʾī, Qāsim. ʻIlm al-iktināh al-ʻArabī al-Islāmī. al-Riyāḍ: Markaz al-Malik Fayṣal lil-Buḥūth wa-al-Dirāsāt al-Islāmīyah, 2001.
Sayyid, Ayman Fuʾād. al-Kitāb al-ʻArabī al-makhṭūṭ wa-ʻilm al-makhṭūṭāt. al-Qāhirah : al-Dār al-Miṣrīyah al-Lubnānīyah, 1997.
Important Journals
Āfāq al-thaqāfah wa-al-turāth = آفاق الثقافة والتراث
Dubayy: Idārat al-Baḥth al-ʻIlmī wa-al-Nashāṭ al-Thaqāfī bi-Markaz Jumʻah al-Mājid lil-Thaqāfah wa-al-Turāth, 1993-
ʻĀlam al-makhṭūṭāt wa-al-nawādir = عالم المخطوطات والنوادر
al-Riyāḍ: ʻĀlam al-Kutub, 1996-
Chroniques du manuscrit au Yémen = حوليات مخطوطات اليمن
"Créée en 2006 par Eric Vallet et Anne Regourd, Chroniques du manuscrit au Yémen est une revue du CEFAS consacrée à l’étude des manuscrits. Elle est diffusée exclusivement en ligne, ses articles sont en français et en anglais, accompagnés d’une traduction en arabe. « Manuscrit » est compris dans un sens extensif, sans distinction de période. L’ensemble des disciplines du manuscrit sont prises en compte (édition de textes, codicologie, histoire de l’art, catalogage, numérisation, conservation, etc.). Les n°1 à 18 (2006-2014) sont disponibles sur le site revue.org de OpenEdition."
Sanaa, Yemen : Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa, 2006-
(available freely online in French and Arabic)
Gazette du livre médiéval
"The GAZETTE DU LIVRE MÉDIÉVAL has been published since 1982 by a group of medievalists from different countries. While bringing together a diversity of scientific interests, they share the conviction that the history of the book ought to encompass all aspects of this outstanding witness of medieval cultural life, and deserves to be treated as an autonomous discipline. They hope to remove the artificial barrier that tends to separate the manuscript and the incunable, and to extend the field of study and reflection to non-occidental civilisations, envisaging eventually a comparative synthesis.
The GLM has been conceived of as something more than a newsletter, but different from an academic review. The first half of each fascicle is devoted to short contributions that summarize recent activity in different areas of research, that reflect on methodological problems, or that present points of view on topical issues. The remainder of the journal offers the reader technical notes, short book reviews, a listing of recent bibliography, announcements or summaries of colloquia, seminars and exhibitions, information concerning research and documentation projects, and other news."
Paris: Éditions CEMI, 1982-
(some articles indexed in Index Islamicus ; contents listings - alphabetical and chronological - and select content available online)
Guzārish-i Mīrās̲ = Gozāresh-e Mirās. Bimonthly Journal of Textual Criticism, Codicology, and Iranology
گزارش میراث
Tihrān : Markaz-i Pizhūhishi-yi Mīrās̲-i Maktūb, 1384 [2005]-
(some contents listings online ; indexed by Noormags)
Journal of Islamic Manuscripts
"The Journal of Islamic Manuscripts explores the crucial importance of the handwritten book in the Muslim world. It is concerned with the written transmission of knowledge, the numerous varieties of Islamic book culture and the materials and techniques of bookmaking, namely codicology. It also considers activities related to the care and management of Islamic manuscript collections, including cataloguing, conservation and digitization. It is the journal’s ambition to provide students and scholars, librarians and collectors – in short, everyone who is interested in Islamic manuscripts – with a professional journal and functional platform of their own. It welcomes contributions in English, French and Arabic on codicology, textual studies, manuscript collections and collection care and management. Papers will be peer-reviewed to maintain a high scholarly level. The Journal of Islamic Manuscripts is published on behalf of the Islamic Manuscript Association Limited, an international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting Islamic manuscripts and supporting those who work with them. For enquiries and submission of articles for the Journal please contact the editor, Prof. Jan Just Witkam in Leiden"
Leiden: Brill, 2010-
(indexed in Index Islamicus ; online version available via subscription)
al-Khizānah : majallah ʻilmīyah niṣf sanawīyah tuʻná bi-al-turāth al-makhṭūṭ wa-al-wathāʼiq =
الخزنة : مجلة علمية نصف سنوية تعنى بالتراث المخطوط والوثائق
Karbalāʼ : Markaz Iḥyāʼ al-Turāth al-tābiʻ li-Dār Makhṭūṭāt al-ʻAtabah al-ʻAbbāsīyah al-Muqaddasah, [2017]-
(archive available online)
Majallat Maʻhad al-Makhṭūṭāt al-ʻArabīyah = مجلة معهد المخطوطات العربية
al-Qāhirah: Maʻhad al-Makhṭūṭāt fī Jāmiʻat al-Duwal al-ʻArabīyah, 1955-
(see online)
Makhṭūṭātunā = مخطوطاتنا
Baghdād : al-ʻAtabah al-ʻAlawīyah al-Muqaddasah, Qism al-Shuʼūn al-Fikrīyah wa-al-Thaqāfīyah, Shuʻbat Iḥyāʼ al-Turāth wa-al-Taḥqīq, [2014]-
Majallat al-wathāʼiq wa-al-makhṭūṭāt = مجلة الوثائق والمخطوطات
Ṭarābulus [Libya]: Markaz Dirāsat Jihād al-Lībīyīn Ḍidda al-Ghazw al-Īṭālī, 1986-
Manuscripta. A Journal for Manuscript Research.
St. Louis, MO: Knights of Columbus, Vatican Film Library, St. Louis University via Brepols Publishers, 1957-
Manuscripta Orientalia. International Journal for Oriental Manuscript Research.
St. Petersburg: Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oriental Studies, 1995-
(indexed in Index Islamicus and FRANCIS, contents listings for several issues available online)
Manuscripts of the Middle East. A Journal Devoted to the Study of Handwritten Materials of the Middle East.
Leiden: Ter Lugt Press, 1986-1992.
(indexed in Index Islamicus ; available online via Prof. Jan Just Witkam's Islamic manuscripts reference library)
manuscript cultures
Hamburg: Center for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, 2008- (newsletter) ; 2011- (scholarly journal)
(ISSN 1867-9617 ; available online ; from issue 24 = 2024 hosted by Hamburg University Press ; issues 1-23 hosted by the CSMC )
Mirʼāt al-turāth = مرآة التراث
al-Rabāṭ: al-Rābiṭah al-Muḥammadīyah lil-ʻUlamāʼ, Markaz al-Dirāsāt wa-al-Abḥāth wa-Iḥyāʼ al-Turāth, 2011-
(contents listings also available online)
Nāmah-ʾi bahāristān : majallah-i muṭālaʻāt va taḥqīqāt-i nuskhahʹhā-yi khaṭṭī (Nāmeh-ye Bahārestān) = نامه بهارستان
Tihrān : Kitābkhānah, Mūzih va Markaz-i Asnād-i Majlis-i Shūrā-yi Islāmī, 1379- [2000-]
Nouvelles des manuscrits du Moyen-Orient
accompanied by Fichier des Manuscrits Moyen-Orientaux Datés (FiMMOD)
Paris: École pratique des hautes études, 1992-2001.
(partially indexed in Index Islamicus ; available via ILL or Prof. Jan Just Witkam's Islamic manuscripts reference library ; the planned electronic version of the FiMMOD, using the Kabikadj software, has not yet appeared)
Nuskhah-hā-yi khaṭṭī : nashrīyah-i Kitābkhānah-i markazī-i Dānishgāh-i Tihrān = Bulletin de la Bibliothèque Centrale de l'Université de Tehran
نخسههای خطی
Tihrān : Intishārāt-i Dānishgāh Tihrān, 1961-
Pizhūhishʹhā-yi nuskhahʹshināsī : Majalah-i baynʹ almillalī-i muṭāliʻāt va taḥqīqāt dar qalamraw-i nuskhahʹhā-yi Islāmī-Īrānī = Codicological studies the international journal of research on Islamic and Iranian manscripts
پژوهش های نسخه شناسی : مجله بین المللی مطالعات و تحقیقات در قلمرو نسخه های خطی اسلامی
Tihrān : 1395 [2016]-
Turāthīyāt = تراثيات
al-Qāhirah: Dār al-Kutub wa-al-Wathāʼiq al-Qawmīyah, Markaz Taḥqīq al-Turāth, [2003]-
Yazmabilim: Yazma Eser Araştırmaları Dergisi = Yazmabilim: Journal of Manuscript Studies
İstanbul: Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf Üniversitesi (FSMVÜ) Yazma Eserler Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi, 2025- (available online open access)
Databases and Online Reference Works
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AATA Online (Abstracts of International Conservation Literature)"AATA Online is a comprehensive database of over 121,000 abstracts of literature related to the preservation and conservation of material cultural heritage. AATA now includes selected subject-specific bibliographies produced as part of the Getty Conservation Institute's own conservation and scientific research projects or as part of specific collaborative projects in which the Institute is involved."
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BCIN (Bibliographic Database of the Conservation Information Network)"BCIN, the Bibliographic Database of the Conservation Information Network, is the Web's most complete bibliographic resource for the conservation, preservation and restoration of cultural property."
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Index Islamicus (EBSCO)Indexes materials on Islam, the Middle East, and the entire Muslim world from periodicals, monographs, and other collections in European languages. Coverage of important periodicals such as Manuscripts of the Middle East, Manuscripta Orientalia and the Journal of Islamic Manuscripts.
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Middle Eastern and Central Asian StudiesAn index of research, policy and scholarly discourse on the countries and peoples of the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa
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JSTORProvides full-text access to the archives of core scholarly journals in the arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences.
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PASCAL and FRANCISMultidisciplinary, multilingual bibliographic databases, produced by the Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (INIST-CNRS) in France, that together index over 4,200 scholarly journals as well as conference proceedings, books, reports, dissertations and theses.
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Historical Abstracts with Full Text (EBSCO)Covers the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and more.
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International Bibliography of ArtAn index to scholarly literature on Western art and art history, incorporating journal articles, monographs, essay collections, and conference proceedings.
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Mandragore, base des manuscrits enluminés de la BnFDatabase of painted decoration and illustration in manuscripts from the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Browse and search by manuscript, thematic classification, keywords
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Islamic Painted Page"a huge free database of Persian, Ottoman, Arab and Mughal paintings, illuminations, decorated Qur'an pages, and book bindings from over 310 collections worldwide. The database now shows images wherever possible, and includes works published online as well as in print."
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Brill Online Reference WorksIncluding Brockelmann Online, the Encyclopaedia of Islam (EI, EI2, EIThree), Encyclopaedia of the Qur’ān, Encyclopedia of Arabic Language & Linguistics, etc.
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Encyclopaedia of IslamPlatform for cross-searching Encyclopaedia of Islam titles, including: Encyclopaedia of Islam, First Edition (1913-1936) (EI), Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition (EI2), Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE, Historical Atlas of Islam
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Brockelmann in English: The History of the Arabic Written Tradition OnlineEnglish translation of Brockelmann's famous Geschichte der Arabischen Litteratur (GAL). Brockelmann's work offers bio-bibliographic information about works written in Arabic and their authors, with an emphasis on the classical period
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Grove encyclopedia of Islamic art and architectureCovers all aspects of Islamic art and architecture from the Middle East and Africa to Central and South East Asia. The A-Z entries cover every subject area and theme including artists, rulers, writers, ceramics, sculpture painting, calligraphy, and textiles.
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Persian Manuscript Materials (Mandana Barkeshli & Sadra Zekrgoo)"...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."
Additional databases and other resources for manuscript notes, seals, terminology, etc on the Manuscript Description page of this research guide
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Manuscript Description (Islamic Manuscript Studies)Resources for structuring descriptive elements, examination, and terminology as well as for work with seals / seal impressions, manuscript notes, etc
Islamic Manuscripts Reference Library (Prof. J J Witkam)
[Update: it appears that as of early 2024, it has been necessary to take down the site --- versions of the site from February 2007 to December 2023 are available via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine]
Professor Jan Just Witkam has compiled an incredibly valuable digital library of reference material relevant to Islamic manuscript studies:
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Islamic manuscripts reference library (Witkam) [now archived but accessible via Wayback Machine]“This part of the Islamic manuscripts site contains many out of print publications which are nowadays often difficult to find. The section is continually being expanded. Among other things it contains the full contents of Manuscripts of the Middle East (MME), the journal published by Ter Lugt Press in Leiden in the 1980's and 1990's.
This section also contains recent publications some of which may still be in print. These have usually been included with the permission of the owners of the copyright, sometimes with mention of the websites where such publications can be purchased.
This section of the site also contains older catalogues of Islamic manuscripts, which are now out-of-print, and a great number of other relevant publications...”
Online Dictionaries
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Lane onlineLane, Edward William. Arabic-English Lexicon. London: Willams & Norgate, 1863
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A dictionary of modern written Arabic (Hans Wehr)1961 edition available for browse and download via MENAdoc. English entries are searchable.
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Arabic Almanac iPhone App (Hans Wehr)Digital version of the famous Hans Wehr dictionary, searchable in Arabic by root. Also available for Android.
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Searchable Wehr, Lane, Hava, etcPlatform to search and cross-search root-based Arabic dictionaries
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Digital Dictionaries of South AsiaSearchable editions of standard dictionaries for numerous South Asian languages
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Steingass (A Comprehensive Persian-English dictionary)Fully searchable. Steingass, Francis Joseph. A Comprehensive Persian-English dictionary, including the Arabic words and phrases to be met with in Persian literature. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1892.
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Hayyim (New Persian-English dictionary)Fully searchable. Hayyim, Sulayman. New Persian-English dictionary, complete and modern, designed to give the English meanings of over 50,000 words, terms, idioms, and proverbs in the Persian language, as well as the transliteration of the words in English characters. Together with a sufficient treatment of all the grammatical features of the Persian Language. [Teheran, Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim] 1934-1936.
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Osmanlıca SözlüklerSearchable selection of Ottoman dictionarries
Online Date Conversion
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Muqawwim.com Calendar Converter for Near East Historians (T. S. Beers)"This is a simple calendar conversion utility that displays a given date according to five primary standards: Gregorian, Julian, Hebrew, Islamic, and Persian (i.e., Solar Hijri)..."
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Iranian Calendar Converter (Iranian Chamber Society)Jalali / Jalaali / solar Hijri, Gregorian, Hijri
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Conversion of Islamic and Christian dates (Johannes Thomann)Hijri, Gregorian
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Conversion of Maliyya, Islamic and Christian dates (Johannes Thomann)Maliye, Hijri, Gregorian, Julian
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Calendar Conversion (Tadayoshi Funaba)Gregorian, Julian, Hijri, Hebrew, Hindu, Coptic, Ethiopian, Jalaali / solar Hijri, etc
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Tarih Çevirme KılavuzuGregorian, Hijri, Rumi
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Kalenderrechner 2 Vergleich (Nikolaus A. Bär)Julian, Gregorian, Islamic, Hebrew, Coptic, Jalaali, etc.
In print, see Wüstenfeld-Mahler’sche Vergleichungs-Tabellen zur muslimischen und iranischen Zeitrechnung, miu Tafeln zur Umrechnung orient-christlicher Ären. Wiesbaden: Deutsch Morgenländische Gesellschaft, in Kommission bei F. Steiner Verlag, 1961.
Names
Encyclopaedia of Islam (EI, EI2, EIThree) Online (available through the Library's subscription to Brill online)
Beeston, A. F. L. Arabic Nomenclature: A Summary Guide for Beginners. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971. Available online
Bosworth, Clifford Edmund. The Islamic dynasties; a chronological and genealogical handbook. Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 1967.
_______. The new Islamic dynasties : a chronological and genealogical manual. Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 1996.
Müller, Christian and Sublet, Jacqueline. Onomasticon Arabicum. Prosopographie de l’islam médiéval. Mise en mémoire des données biographiques, Paris, IRHT, 2006 (Ædilis, Bases de données et logiciels, 3) available online
Schimmel, Annemarie. Islamic Names. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,1989.
Sublet, Jacqueline. Le voile du nom: essai sur le nom propre arabe. Paris: Presses universitaires de France, c1991
Zambaur, Eduard von. Manuel de généalogie et de chronologie pour l’histoire de l’Islam. Hanovre: H. Lefaire, 1927.
Zambaur, revised and enlarged Arabic ed. = Muʻjam al-ansāb wa-isrāt al-ḥākimah fī al-tārīkh al-Islāmī, Zakī Muḥammad Ḥasan Bakk and Ḥasan Aḥmad Maḥmūd, eds. [Cairo] : Maṭbaʻat Jāmiʻat Fuʾād al-Awwal, 1951.
Bouquet, Olivier. "Onomasticon Ottomanicum : identification administrative et désignation sociale dans l’État ottoman du xixe siècle." Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée, 127 (juillet 2010), mis en ligne le 05 janvier 2012
Kunt, M. "Ottoman Names and Ottoman Ages." Journal of Turkish Studies 10 (1986): 227-234.
Türkischer biographischer Index [=Turkish biographical index]. München: Saur, 2004
Selection of other online guides relevant to Islamic manuscript studies
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Guide to Research in Islamic Art and Architecture (András Riedlmayer)See especially "Miniature Painting, Calligraphy & Other Book Arts" and "Museums and Collections"
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Resources for the History of Islamic Books (Dagmar Riedel)"This systematic bibliography is a work in progress that has its origin in the exploration of teaching projects on the history of the Islamic book in fall 2012... First published, 9 February 2013. Last updated, 28 September 2020"