Oriental Manuscripts
The collection of oriental manuscripts in the Gotha Research Library primarily originated due to the activities of the scholar, Ulrich Jasper Seetzen. He travelled to the Middle East on behalf of the Dukes of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg in the early 19th century and acquired manuscripts. Today, the Gotha collection is considered the third largest of its kind, after those in Munich and Berlin. The collection represents a multi-facetted cross-section of Islamic scholarship over a period of 800 years, and contains manuscripts in Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, Persian and Syriac languages.
The collection is exceptional, not only because numerous manuscripts are unique. Its encyclopedic nature is also striking and reflects the intellectual horizon of Seetzen and his ducal sponsors influenced by the Enlightenment. It contains a wealth of private writings, documents, and recordings from scholars and unknown authors. Consequently, it provides a unique insight into pre-modern knowledge culture in the Middle East, particularly during the Ottoman period.
From the collection
Projects
Explore digital services
At a glance
- Collection homepage | Flyer
- Oriental manuscripts of the Gotha Research Library at the Qalamos portal
- Weitere Further catalogs and research tools
Insight into the collection of oriental manuscripts
UNESCO World Documentary Heritage
The Research Library preserves UNESCO World Document Heritage with the Arabic manuscript “Kitāb al-Aqālīm/al-Masālik wa-'l-mamālik” by Islamic scholar al-Iṣṭaḫrī from 1173.
Gotha Manuscript Talks
The “Gotha Manuscript Talks” promote international exchange on oriental manuscript cultures. This digital lecture series provides a platform for renowned researchers to engage with the academic community and the interested public.
Blog posts
- Wael Abbas: Mit Stolz und System: Wilhelm Pertsch und sein Katalog der Arabischen Handschriften der herzoglichen Bibliothek zu Gotha, in: Alte Kataloge in neuem Gewand. Blog des DFG-Projekts Orient-Digital, 26.03.2021.
- Feras Krimsti: Bücherkisten aus Kairo: Die Entstehung der orientalischen Handschriftensammlung der Forschungsbibliothek Gotha, in: Alte Kataloge in neuem Gewand. Blog des DFG-Projekts Orient-Digital, 26.02.2021.
- Feras Krimsti: „… den Liebhabern der Geographie einen Dienst erzeigen: Ulrich Jasper Seetzens Welterschließung mit orientalischer Reiseliteratur: in: Alte Kataloge in neuem Gewand. Blog des DFG-Projekts Orient-Digital, 11.06.2021.
Find more blog articles ->here
For further reading and viewing
- Orientalische Buchkunst in Gotha. Ausstellung zum 350jährigen Jubiläum der Forschungs- und Landesbibliothek Gotha, Gotha 1997, https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:547-202100265.
- Lecture by Feras Krimsti on the ->Oriental Manuscript Collection as part of a series hosted by the Juma AI-Majid Center for Culture and Heritage in Dubai, 2022.
- Six-part Al Jazeera documentary “Cuisine of Our Ancestors” in Arabic – more information can be found ->here .
Contact Information
University of Erfurt | Gotha Research Library
Friedenstein Palace
Schlossplatz 1
D-99867 Gotha
bibliothek.gotha(at)uni-erfurt.de