The Aga Khan University (International) - Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC), in collaboration with the Academy of Science (Portugal), is pleased to announce an advanced training course entitled Manuscripts for Research: An Advanced Course in Arabic Manuscript Studies, which will be held at the prestigious Library of the Academy of Science of Lisbon (founded on 24 December 1779). The course will take place from 22-25 July 2025.
During this workshop, participants will delve into the vibrant manuscript collection at the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon. This remarkable collection encompasses a diverse array of subjects and regions. The course will include interactive lectures on philology, as well as hands-on sessions centred around a selection of manuscripts from this invaluable collection.
Course Pre-requisite
This intensive four-day training course is designed for researchers, librarians, curators, and anyone engaged with Islamic manuscripts. As an advanced course, it primarily targets those who have experience with manuscripts or archival documents. All participants should possess a solid reading knowledge of Arabic and/or Persian.
Please note that the hands-on sessions are limited to 15 persons (to be divided into two groups) for conservation and pedagogical reasons. All instructions will be in English.
Learning outcomes
- Understanding the history of Arabic manuscripts.
- Understanding the different methods of composition and authorship traditions.
- Understanding of the text layout and paratextual elements.
- Learning the main steps to start editing a manuscript.
Course Faculty
Professor Walid Ghali has designed the course. He is a Professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at AKU-ISMC and a specialist in Arabic manuscripts studies. He also leads the Aga Khan Library in the United Kingdom. He received his PhD in 2012 from Cairo University, Faculty of Arts in Arabic manuscripts traditions. He completed coursework for a master’s in Islamic studies. He is currently Chairing the Board of the Islamic Manuscript Association. He also teaches various subjects for MA students, including Introduction to Sufism, Arabic Literature, and Muslim Thinkers in the 19th Century.
Dr Éléonore Cellard holds a PhD in Arabic Language and Literature from INALCO (2015). Her doctoral thesis, entitled “La Transmission manuscrite du Coran: Étude d’un corpus de manuscrits datables du 2e H./8e siècle J.-C.,” was supervised by Georgine Ayoub (INALCO) and François Déroche (EPHE). After completing her PhD, she served as a research and teaching assistant at the Collège de France for the ‘History of the Qur’an’ chair (2015-2018), later working as a post-doctoral researcher leading a project on a significant Qur’anic manuscript attributed to the Caliph Uthman (forthcoming monograph, 2024). She has engaged in several international research projects (Coranica and Paleocoran), led training courses in manuscript studies, and published a monograph (Codex Amrensis 1, 2018) along with several reference articles.
Dr Juan Acevedo is a co-convenor, a graduate in Classics from the Universidad de Los Andes (Mérida, Venezuela) with a PhD in History of Philosophy from the Warburg Institute (London). After years of working as an editor on Islamic Studies and Comparative Religion, he is currently a Research Fellow at the Inter-University Centre for the History of Science and Technology (CIUHCT), University of Lisbon, studying early modern technoscience across Eurasia, in particular Arabic manuscripts on Indian Ocean navigation. His main research interest is in conceptual and cultural history, especially at the foundations, where cultures come together, and metaphysics and craftsmanship overlap through shared cosmological principles.
Course fees:
Professionals £450
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Agencies and Academy of Science staff £400
Students £350
Note:
- The programme fees cover course materials, refreshments, and a group dinner. Participants are responsible for all other expenses, including but not limited to flights, accommodation, meals, insurance, and additional personal costs.
- Please note that the course fees are non-refundable.In the event of a Portugal visa refusal, failure to receive a timely visa response, or inability to secure a visa appointment, 50% of the payment will be refunded only after providing the evidence. These scenarios will be treated the same way for refund purposes.
- For any enquiries, please contact at shortcourse.ismc@aku.edu.
