Manuscripts
The Nawab, the Surgeon, and the Parrot: A Persian Manuscript Between Arcot and Northumbria
The manuscript reveals the overlooked role played by colonial intermediaries, such as surgeons, in moving Persianate objects into European collections.
2 August 2026
An Audience with the Sultan's Shaykh
A conversation between Vani Effendi and Sir Thomas Baines shows a willingness to understand theological differences between Islam and Christianity in 1676
26 January 2026
Discovering Hidden History: A Lost Archive Book on Ottoman-British Relations
An Ottoman Turkish source discovered in the Leipzig University Library stands before us as a treasure trove in reshaping our understanding of the early periods.
1 July 2025
‘Not many Bookes’? Persian Literary Culture in Early Modern European Travel Writing
The manuscript text was everywhere in Persia, and it was highly prized and respected.
10 February 2025
The State Archives of Türkiye: A Short Introduction
This very brief introductory blog will help early-career researchers in the real or digital shelves of the Ottoman Archives.
25 March 2024
Emigrating to God: A Morisco’s Extraordinary Journey in the Mediterranean and Beyond
Even though al-Ḥajarī left his birth home in pursuit of religious freedom, he saw the whole world as his home, so long as he could worship God.
27 February 2024
Ḥayy ibn Yaqdhān and the Disappearing Qur’ān - Part 4 – The Three English Translations Compared
It may be inferred that attracting the readers’ attention to the Qur’ān is no longer needed or desirable.
3 July 2023