Past events

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2014   March - February - January
2013   November - October - September - August - July - June - May - April - March - February

March 2014

March

Petra. Wonder in the Desert
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

Petra, capital city of the ancient Nabataean people, is one of the wonders of the ancient world. With its monumental structures, temples, royal tombs and luxurious villas all hewn from the red rock, Petra is among the world’s finest in cultural history and archaeology.
The exhibition displays over 150 archaeological and architectonic highlights from Petra, showing you the most stunning locations in the city. The siq, a narrow canyon, gives way to the city. Inside, we find buildings such as sanctuaries, villas, the treasury of al-Khazneh and a luxurious residence, all built on the slopes of the Umm al-Biyara massif. The exhibition’s displays exude the atmosphere of the awe-inspiring ruins and the desert to introduce visitors to the Nabataeans and their architecture, culture, art and religion. Never before have so many objects from Petra been on display in The Netherlands.

This exhibition lasts until 23 March 2014

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...more information

March

Longing for Mecca - the journey of the pilgrim
Exhibition Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden

'Longing for Mecca – the journey of the pilgrim' is the first extensive exhibition devoted to the subject of Hajj in the Netherlands. For a quarter of the world’s population, Mecca is the place you must have been once in the course of your life. Believers from all over the world head off to the holy city to pray every day, and millions set off each year on the true pilgrimage to Mecca. For many hundreds of years, this has been a spiritual ideal. Mecca, a city that is only open to Muslim believers, has grown into a mysterious phenomenon.
Today there are close to one million Muslims living in the Netherlands, for whom the pilgrimage to Mecca is a very important ritual within their religion. The Netherlands is a culturally diverse society in which Islam is taking a prominent role in the lives of many. Therefore Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde aims to provide a polyphone image on Hajj and Islam to create understanding and respect. We want our visitors (Muslim and Non-Muslim) to experience the exhibition as an impressive personal journey, both spiritually and religiously, in order to provide them with an accurate and image of the meaning of this tradition.

This exhibition lasts until 9 March 2014

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...more information

March

Excellence and Dignity - 400 Years of Arabic Studies in the Netherlands
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

This exhibition on 400 years of Arabic studies in the Netherlands is organized in cooperation with Leiden University Libraries and the Academisch Historisch Museum, Leiden. It sketches the history of a scholarly tradition at the hand of the portraits of mainly Leiden professors of Arabic and their legacy. Many rare books, prints and manuscripts will be on view.

In May 2013 it was 400 years ago that the first professor of Arabic at Leiden, Thomas Erpenius (1584–1624), gave his inaugural speech on the ‘Excellence and Dignity of the Arabic Language’. Arabic studies at Leiden are a deeply rooted tradition that enjoys worldwide fame with scholars such as Scaliger, Erpenius, Golius, De Goeje and Snouck Hurgronje.

Behind the Leiden professors and the university there was a full fledged local infrastructure of Oriental printers such as Elzevier and Brill, booksellers and auctioneers.

Arabic studies at Leiden aptly symbolize the view of the ‘other’ over the centuries, and they testify to the cosmopolitan curiosity of scholars in search of the exotic world of Islam.

This exhibition lasts until 2 March 2014

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...more information

February 2014

February

Petra. Wonder in the Desert
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

Petra, capital city of the ancient Nabataean people, is one of the wonders of the ancient world. With its monumental structures, temples, royal tombs and luxurious villas all hewn from the red rock, Petra is among the world’s finest in cultural history and archaeology.
The exhibition displays over 150 archaeological and architectonic highlights from Petra, showing you the most stunning locations in the city. The siq, a narrow canyon, gives way to the city. Inside, we find buildings such as sanctuaries, villas, the treasury of al-Khazneh and a luxurious residence, all built on the slopes of the Umm al-Biyara massif. The exhibition’s displays exude the atmosphere of the awe-inspiring ruins and the desert to introduce visitors to the Nabataeans and their architecture, culture, art and religion. Never before have so many objects from Petra been on display in The Netherlands.

This exhibition lasts until 23 March 2014

---

...more information

February

Longing for Mecca - the journey of the pilgrim
Exhibition Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden

'Longing for Mecca – the journey of the pilgrim' is the first extensive exhibition devoted to the subject of Hajj in the Netherlands. For a quarter of the world’s population, Mecca is the place you must have been once in the course of your life. Believers from all over the world head off to the holy city to pray every day, and millions set off each year on the true pilgrimage to Mecca. For many hundreds of years, this has been a spiritual ideal. Mecca, a city that is only open to Muslim believers, has grown into a mysterious phenomenon.
Today there are close to one million Muslims living in the Netherlands, for whom the pilgrimage to Mecca is a very important ritual within their religion. The Netherlands is a culturally diverse society in which Islam is taking a prominent role in the lives of many. Therefore Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde aims to provide a polyphone image on Hajj and Islam to create understanding and respect. We want our visitors (Muslim and Non-Muslim) to experience the exhibition as an impressive personal journey, both spiritually and religiously, in order to provide them with an accurate and image of the meaning of this tradition.

This exhibition lasts until 9 March 2014

---

...more information

February

Excellency and Dignity - 400 Years of Arabic Studies in the Netherlands
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

This exhibition on 400 years of Arabic studies in the Netherlands is organized in cooperation with Leiden University Libraries and the Academisch Historisch Museum, Leiden. It sketches the history of a scholarly tradition at the hand of the portraits of mainly Leiden professors of Arabic and their legacy. Many rare books, prints and manuscripts will be on view.

In May 2013 it was 400 years ago that the first professor of Arabic at Leiden, Thomas Erpenius (1584–1624), gave his inaugural speech on the ‘Excellence and Dignity of the Arabic Language’. Arabic studies at Leiden are a deeply rooted tradition that enjoys worldwide fame with scholars such as Scaliger, Erpenius, Golius, De Goeje and Snouck Hurgronje.

Behind the Leiden professors and the university there was a full fledged local infrastructure of Oriental printers such as Elzevier and Brill, booksellers and auctioneers.

Arabic studies at Leiden aptly symbolize the view of the ‘other’ over the centuries, and they testify to the cosmopolitan curiosity of scholars in search of the exotic world of Islam.

This exhibition lasts until 2 March 2014

---

...more information

January 2014

January

Petra. Wonder in the Desert
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

Petra, capital city of the ancient Nabataean people, is one of the wonders of the ancient world. With its monumental structures, temples, royal tombs and luxurious villas all hewn from the red rock, Petra is among the world’s finest in cultural history and archaeology.
The exhibition displays over 150 archaeological and architectonic highlights from Petra, showing you the most stunning locations in the city. The siq, a narrow canyon, gives way to the city. Inside, we find buildings such as sanctuaries, villas, the treasury of al-Khazneh and a luxurious residence, all built on the slopes of the Umm al-Biyara massif. The exhibition’s displays exude the atmosphere of the awe-inspiring ruins and the desert to introduce visitors to the Nabataeans and their architecture, culture, art and religion. Never before have so many objects from Petra been on display in The Netherlands.

This exhibition lasts until 23 March 2014

---

...more information

January

Longing for Mecca - the journey of the pilgrim
Exhibition Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden

'Longing for Mecca – the journey of the pilgrim' is the first extensive exhibition devoted to the subject of Hajj in the Netherlands. For a quarter of the world’s population, Mecca is the place you must have been once in the course of your life. Believers from all over the world head off to the holy city to pray every day, and millions set off each year on the true pilgrimage to Mecca. For many hundreds of years, this has been a spiritual ideal. Mecca, a city that is only open to Muslim believers, has grown into a mysterious phenomenon.
Today there are close to one million Muslims living in the Netherlands, for whom the pilgrimage to Mecca is a very important ritual within their religion. The Netherlands is a culturally diverse society in which Islam is taking a prominent role in the lives of many. Therefore Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde aims to provide a polyphone image on Hajj and Islam to create understanding and respect. We want our visitors (Muslim and Non-Muslim) to experience the exhibition as an impressive personal journey, both spiritually and religiously, in order to provide them with an accurate and image of the meaning of this tradition.

This exhibition lasts until 9 March 2014

---

...more information

January

Excellence and Dignity - 400 Years of Arabic Studies in the Netherlands
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

This exhibition on 400 years of Arabic studies in the Netherlands is organized in cooperation with Leiden University Libraries and the Academisch Historisch Museum, Leiden. It sketches the history of a scholarly tradition at the hand of the portraits of mainly Leiden professors of Arabic and their legacy. Many rare books, prints and manuscripts will be on view.

In May 2013 it was 400 years ago that the first professor of Arabic at Leiden, Thomas Erpenius (1584–1624), gave his inaugural speech on the ‘Excellence and Dignity of the Arabic Language’. Arabic studies at Leiden are a deeply rooted tradition that enjoys worldwide fame with scholars such as Scaliger, Erpenius, Golius, De Goeje and Snouck Hurgronje.

Behind the Leiden professors and the university there was a full fledged local infrastructure of Oriental printers such as Elzevier and Brill, booksellers and auctioneers.

Arabic studies at Leiden aptly symbolize the view of the ‘other’ over the centuries, and they testify to the cosmopolitan curiosity of scholars in search of the exotic world of Islam.

This exhibition lasts until 2 March 2014

---

...more information

December 2013

December

Petra. Wonder in the Desert
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

Petra, capital city of the ancient Nabataean people, is one of the wonders of the ancient world. With its monumental structures, temples, royal tombs and luxurious villas all hewn from the red rock, Petra is among the world’s finest in cultural history and archaeology.
The exhibition displays over 150 archaeological and architectonic highlights from Petra, showing you the most stunning locations in the city. The siq, a narrow canyon, gives way to the city. Inside, we find buildings such as sanctuaries, villas, the treasury of al-Khazneh and a luxurious residence, all built on the slopes of the Umm al-Biyara massif. The exhibition’s displays exude the atmosphere of the awe-inspiring ruins and the desert to introduce visitors to the Nabataeans and their architecture, culture, art and religion. Never before have so many objects from Petra been on display in The Netherlands.

This exhibition lasts until 23 March 2014

---

...more information

December

Longing for Mecca - the journey of the pilgrim
Exhibition Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden

'Longing for Mecca – the journey of the pilgrim' is the first extensive exhibition devoted to the subject of Hajj in the Netherlands. For a quarter of the world’s population, Mecca is the place you must have been once in the course of your life. Believers from all over the world head off to the holy city to pray every day, and millions set off each year on the true pilgrimage to Mecca. For many hundreds of years, this has been a spiritual ideal. Mecca, a city that is only open to Muslim believers, has grown into a mysterious phenomenon.
Today there are close to one million Muslims living in the Netherlands, for whom the pilgrimage to Mecca is a very important ritual within their religion. The Netherlands is a culturally diverse society in which Islam is taking a prominent role in the lives of many. Therefore Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde aims to provide a polyphone image on Hajj and Islam to create understanding and respect. We want our visitors (Muslim and Non-Muslim) to experience the exhibition as an impressive personal journey, both spiritually and religiously, in order to provide them with an accurate and image of the meaning of this tradition.

This exhibition lasts until 9 March 2014

---

...more information

December

Excellence and Dignity - 400 Years of Arabic Studies in the Netherlands
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

This exhibition on 400 years of Arabic studies in the Netherlands is organized in cooperation with Leiden University Libraries and the Academisch Historisch Museum, Leiden. It sketches the history of a scholarly tradition at the hand of the portraits of mainly Leiden professors of Arabic and their legacy. Many rare books, prints and manuscripts will be on view.

In May 2013 it was 400 years ago that the first professor of Arabic at Leiden, Thomas Erpenius (1584–1624), gave his inaugural speech on the ‘Excellence and Dignity of the Arabic Language’. Arabic studies at Leiden are a deeply rooted tradition that enjoys worldwide fame with scholars such as Scaliger, Erpenius, Golius, De Goeje and Snouck Hurgronje.

Behind the Leiden professors and the university there was a full fledged local infrastructure of Oriental printers such as Elzevier and Brill, booksellers and auctioneers.

Arabic studies at Leiden aptly symbolize the view of the ‘other’ over the centuries, and they testify to the cosmopolitan curiosity of scholars in search of the exotic world of Islam.

This exhibition lasts until 2 March 2014

---

...more information

14 December

Salon Joussour
concert

Salon Joussour introduces Arabic music to a culturally interested audience of all backgrounds, as well as musicians and artists in the Netherlands. Through a short lecture led by a master musician from the Arab world, followed by a concert, we aim to unlock the essence of the Arab art. Salon Joussour also aims to craft a bridge bonding Western and Arabic music by connecting renowned Dutch musicians (e.g. Tony Overwater and Rembrandt Friedrichs) with Arab guests in a musical collaboration.

This concert is organised by Leiden University and Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and will be held in the museum's central hall, in front of the beautiful Temple of Taffeh.

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...more information

November 2013

November

Petra. Wonder in the Desert
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

Petra, capital city of the ancient Nabataean people, is one of the wonders of the ancient world. With its monumental structures, temples, royal tombs and luxurious villas all hewn from the red rock, Petra is among the world’s finest in cultural history and archaeology.
The exhibition displays over 150 archaeological and architectonic highlights from Petra, showing you the most stunning locations in the city. The siq, a narrow canyon, gives way to the city. Inside, we find buildings such as sanctuaries, villas, the treasury of al-Khazneh and a luxurious residence, all built on the slopes of the Umm al-Biyara massif. The exhibition’s displays exude the atmosphere of the awe-inspiring ruins and the desert to introduce visitors to the Nabataeans and their architecture, culture, art and religion. Never before have so many objects from Petra been on display in The Netherlands.

This exhibition lasts until 23 March 2014

---

...more information

November

Longing for Mecca - the journey of the pilgrim
Exhibition Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden

'Longing for Mecca – the journey of the pilgrim' is the first extensive exhibition devoted to the subject of Hajj in the Netherlands. For a quarter of the world’s population, Mecca is the place you must have been once in the course of your life. Believers from all over the world head off to the holy city to pray every day, and millions set off each year on the true pilgrimage to Mecca. For many hundreds of years, this has been a spiritual ideal. Mecca, a city that is only open to Muslim believers, has grown into a mysterious phenomenon.
Today there are close to one million Muslims living in the Netherlands, for whom the pilgrimage to Mecca is a very important ritual within their religion. The Netherlands is a culturally diverse society in which Islam is taking a prominent role in the lives of many. Therefore Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde aims to provide a polyphone image on Hajj and Islam to create understanding and respect. We want our visitors (Muslim and Non-Muslim) to experience the exhibition as an impressive personal journey, both spiritually and religiously, in order to provide them with an accurate and image of the meaning of this tradition.

This exhibition lasts until 31 March 2014

---

...more information

November

Excellence and Dignity - 400 Years of Arabic Studies in the Netherlands
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

This exhibition on 400 years of Arabic studies in the Netherlands is organized in cooperation with Leiden University Libraries and the Academisch Historisch Museum, Leiden. It sketches the history of a scholarly tradition at the hand of the portraits of mainly Leiden professors of Arabic and their legacy. Many rare books, prints and manuscripts will be on view.

In May 2013 it was 400 years ago that the first professor of Arabic at Leiden, Thomas Erpenius (1584–1624), gave his inaugural speech on the ‘Excellence and Dignity of the Arabic Language’. Arabic studies at Leiden are a deeply rooted tradition that enjoys worldwide fame with scholars such as Scaliger, Erpenius, Golius, De Goeje and Snouck Hurgronje.

Behind the Leiden professors and the university there was a full fledged local infrastructure of Oriental printers such as Elzevier and Brill, booksellers and auctioneers.

Arabic studies at Leiden aptly symbolize the view of the ‘other’ over the centuries, and they testify to the cosmopolitan curiosity of scholars in search of the exotic world of Islam.

The exhibition is part of the European project ‘Cultural Encounters,’ initiated by the academic partnership ‘Humanities in the European Research Area’ (HERA).

This exhibition lasts until 2 March 2014

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...more information

28/29 November

Hajj: Global Interactions through Pilgrimage
International Symposium , Museum of Ethnicity, Leiden

On 28 and 29 November, the National Museum of Ethnicity in Leiden is hosting an international symposium on the occasion of the exhibition Longing for Mecca: the Pilgrim’s Journey.
The symposium starts with a reflection on the ‘Theory & Practice’ of the pilgrimage to Mecca from religious, anthropological, and material culture perspectives. This introductory session will contextualize two subsequent sessions: one involving case-studies concerning global interchange and interactions in material culture spurred by the Hajj, like the production of the kiswa (the textile covering the Ka’ba), pilgrim’s certificates and Hajj wall-paintings. Another session will be dedicated to case studies concerning transnational & local, social & political dimensions of the Hajj as well as issues concerning the meanings of pilgrimage for the religious lives and identity politics for individuals.
The symposium will be concluded by an in-depth on-stage interview with two Dutch Hajjis and the 3rd Adrian Gerbrands lecture by Finbarr Barry Flood (New York University) on 29 November.

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...more information & registration

17 November

Arabic and Islamic Leiden
Leiden city tour

To honor the 400th birthday of the study of Arabic in Leiden, a city tour has been created in which the relationship between Leiden and the Middle East is omnipresent.

The tour is in mainly in Dutch but English explanation is possible

Date: Sunday 17 November
Start: 14.00 hrs
Registration is necessary

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...more information & registration

16 November

The Learning and Teaching of Arabic in Early Modern Europe
One-day Conference at Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

This international symposium will explore and celebrate the methods, the scholarly significance and the institutional background of Arabic teaching and learning at early modern European academies and universities.  Two keynote lectures on the Learning of Arabic in the Netherlands and in England will frame a series of presentations by leading authorities in the history of European Arabic studies.

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...more information

12 November

Over het nut van Arabisch

Lecture by Dr. Arnoud Vrolijk on if and why one should study Arabic.

(lecture will be in  Dutch)

In Leiden wordt al vierhonderd jaar Arabisch onderwezen. Dat is bijna net zo lang als het onderwijs in Grieks, Latijn en het Bijbelse Hebreeuws, maar heel veel langer dan Nederlands, Frans of Engels, en laat staan Japans of Chinees. Arabisch studeren gebeurde niet uit intellectuele nieuwsgierigheid naar de Arabische taal en cultuur. Integendeel, de kennis van Arabisch moest worden ingezet voor de eigen behoeften. Het diende als hulpwetenschap bij de studie van het verwante Hebreeuws, als middel om de islam te weerleggen en voor de handel met Azië. In grote lijnen is dat nog steeds zo. Een hoogleraar Italiaans hoeft niets te weten over Berlusconi, maar een hoogleraar Arabisch moet een mening klaarhebben over de 'Arabische Lente'.  En als je Arabisch studeert wordt er nog steeds gevraagd waarom.

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...more information

10 November

Arabic and Islamic Leiden
Leiden city tour

To honor the 400th birthday of the study of Arabic in Leiden, a city tour has been created in which the relationship between Leiden and the Middle East is omnipresent.

The tour is in mainly in Dutch but English explanation is possible

Date: Sunday 10 November
Start: 14.00 hrs
Registration is necessary

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...more information & registration

5-6 November

Films of Change from the Middle East
at Leiden International Film Festival

In 2006, the Leiden International Film Festival (LIFF) started as an initiative of four friends to improve cinematic offerings in Leiden. In seven years, the festival has grown to be an annual event with 27.500 visitors and a strong place on the Dutch festival circuit. From the very start of the festival, the focus of the LIFF has been on films which examine the border between art-house and mainstream. 
We are excited to announce that the 8th edition of the Leiden International Film Festival will feature a mini Arab film festival showing 4 movies from the Middle East by prize winning directors.

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...more information

2-3 November

Arabic in Context
congress at Leiden University

The year 2013 marks the 400th anniversary of Leiden’s chair in Arabic Language and Culture.  To celebrate this memorable event, the Leiden Institute for Area Studies and the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics will convene a congress that will bring together Arabicists, Semiticists, historians, and epigraphists to discuss original research on the pre- and early history of Arabic. 

Registration is open.

...more information

1 November

Launch 'Cityguide through Islamic Leiden'  &  Arabic wall poem

Leiden is full of memorabilia from it's long and interesting history of the study of Arabic, the Islam and its dealings with the Middle East. These are easily spotted, as long as one knows where to look.
Leiden specialists in the field of Arabic and Islamic history, language and culture created a  city tour, introducing you to traces of dealings with the Middle East since the late 16th century. Brill Publishers and Leiden University are happy to officially present the beautifully bound an illustrated version of this tour today.

Leiden University will also use this occasion to unveil a new, Arabic (of course) wall poem.  Stichting TEGEN-BEELD is currently preparing a Leiden wall for painting this wonderful addition to an already great oeuvre of wall poems.

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...more information

October 2013

October

Longing for Mecca - the journey of the pilgrim
Exhibition Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden

'Longing for Mecca – the journey of the pilgrim' is the first extensive exhibition devoted to the subject of Hajj in the Netherlands. For a quarter of the world’s population, Mecca is the place you must have been once in the course of your life. Believers from all over the world head off to the holy city to pray every day, and millions set off each year on the true pilgrimage to Mecca. For many hundreds of years, this has been a spiritual ideal. Mecca, a city that is only open to Muslim believers, has grown into a mysterious phenomenon.
Today there are close to one million Muslims living in the Netherlands, for whom the pilgrimage to Mecca is a very important ritual within their religion. The Netherlands is a culturally diverse society in which Islam is taking a prominent role in the lives of many. Therefore Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde aims to provide a polyphone image on Hajj and Islam to create understanding and respect. We want our visitors (Muslim and Non-Muslim) to experience the exhibition as an impressive personal journey, both spiritually and religiously, in order to provide them with an accurate and image of the meaning of this tradition.

This exhibition lasts until 31 March 2014

---

...more information

October

Excellence and Dignity - 400 Years of Arabic Studies in the Netherlands
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

This exhibition on 400 years of Arabic studies in the Netherlands is organized in cooperation with Leiden University Libraries and the Academisch Historisch Museum, Leiden. It sketches the history of a scholarly tradition at the hand of the portraits of mainly Leiden professors of Arabic and their legacy. Many rare books, prints and manuscripts will be on view.

In May 2013 it was 400 years ago that the first professor of Arabic at Leiden, Thomas Erpenius (1584–1624), gave his inaugural speech on the ‘Excellence and Dignity of the Arabic Language’. Arabic studies at Leiden are a deeply rooted tradition that enjoys worldwide fame with scholars such as Scaliger, Erpenius, Golius, De Goeje and Snouck Hurgronje.

Behind the Leiden professors and the university there was a full fledged local infrastructure of Oriental printers such as Elzevier and Brill, booksellers and auctioneers.

Arabic studies at Leiden aptly symbolize the view of the ‘other’ over the centuries, and they testify to the cosmopolitan curiosity of scholars in search of the exotic world of Islam.

This exhibition lasts until 2 March 2014

---

...more information

October

Petra. Wonder in the Desert
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

Petra, capital city of the ancient Nabataean people, is one of the wonders of the ancient world. With its monumental structures, temples, royal tombs and luxurious villas all hewn from the red rock, Petra is among the world’s finest in cultural history and archaeology.
The exhibition displays over 150 archaeological and architectonic highlights from Petra, showing you the most stunning locations in the city. The siq, a narrow canyon, gives way to the city. Inside, we find buildings such as sanctuaries, villas, the treasury of al-Khazneh and a luxurious residence, all built on the slopes of the Umm al-Biyara massif. The exhibition’s displays exude the atmosphere of the awe-inspiring ruins and the desert to introduce visitors to the Nabataeans and their architecture, culture, art and religion. Never before have so many objects from Petra been on display in The Netherlands.

This exhibition lasts until 23 March 2014

---

...more information

19/20 October

Arabic Culture Weekend
music, tales from '1001 Nights', workshops and more

Leiden University and Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde invite you to a weekend filled with Arabic language and culture.
Sit yourself down on a comfortable cushion in our Arabic tent, have some tea and a snack and listen to Arabic music, a tale from '1001 Nights' or the ins and outs of Middle Eastern hiphop.
You can also participate in speed courses of  Arabic by Leiden University students, get a henna tattoo and do or learn much, much more.

Location: Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde.
Time: Saturday 19 October from 12 till 17 hrs. Sunday 20 October from 10 till 17 hrs.

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...more information

September 2013

September

Longing for Mecca - the journey of the pilgrim
Exhibition Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden

'Longing for Mecca – the journey of the pilgrim' is the first extensive exhibition devoted to the subject of Hajj in the Netherlands. For a quarter of the world’s population, Mecca is the place you must have been once in the course of your life. Believers from all over the world head off to the holy city to pray every day, and millions set off each year on the true pilgrimage to Mecca. For many hundreds of years, this has been a spiritual ideal. Mecca, a city that is only open to Muslim believers, has grown into a mysterious phenomenon.
Today there are close to one million Muslims living in the Netherlands, for whom the pilgrimage to Mecca is a very important ritual within their religion. The Netherlands is a culturally diverse society in which Islam is taking a prominent role in the lives of many. Therefore Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde aims to provide a polyphone image on Hajj and Islam to create understanding and respect. We want our visitors (Muslim and Non-Muslim) to experience the exhibition as an impressive personal journey, both spiritually and religiously, in order to provide them with an accurate and image of the meaning of this tradition.

This exhibition lasts until 31 March 2014

---

...more information

September

Excellence and Dignity- 400 Years of Arabic Studies in the Netherlands
Exhibition Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

This exhibition on 400 years of Arabic studies in the Netherlands is organized in cooperation with Leiden University Libraries and the Academisch Historisch Museum, Leiden. It sketches the history of a scholarly tradition at the hand of the portraits of mainly Leiden professors of Arabic and their legacy. Many rare books, prints and manuscripts will be on view.

In May 2013 it was 400 years ago that the first professor of Arabic at Leiden, Thomas Erpenius (1584–1624), gave his inaugural speech on the ‘Excellence and Dignity of the Arabic Language’. Arabic studies at Leiden are a deeply rooted tradition that enjoys worldwide fame with scholars such as Scaliger, Erpenius, Golius, De Goeje and Snouck Hurgronje.

Behind the Leiden professors and the university there was a full fledged local infrastructure of Oriental printers such as Elzevier and Brill, booksellers and auctioneers.

Arabic studies at Leiden aptly symbolize the view of the ‘other’ over the centuries, and they testify to the cosmopolitan curiosity of scholars in search of the exotic world of Islam.

This exhibition lasts until 2 March 2014

---

...more information

September

Summer Exhibition 'Plants from the Arabian Nights'
Botanical Garden Leiden

The Hortus Botanicus has an Arabic theme in 2013, linking up with the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Chair of Arabic Language and Culture at Leiden University.
You can make acquaintance with the plants from the Arabian Nights in the Hortus. A special route has been set out to take you past plants from Arabian poems and plants mentioned in the ancient Pharmacopeia Dioscorides. You can also discover herbs and ingredients from Arabic cuisine in the Arabic garden, which has been specially created for this exhibition.

This exhibition lasts until 1 October 2013

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...more information

21 September

Farida and The Iraqi Maqam Ensemble
concert

Leiden University and Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde are proud and honoured to present a concert by the legendary Farida and The Iraqi Maqam Ensemble on Saturday 21 September at 15.00 hrs.

"The Iraqi singer Farida Mohammad Ali [...] is one of only a handful of artists to have mastered the ancient musical discipline of maqam – a lifetime's pursuit, as the singer must develop not only a command of complex melodies and scales but also the scripture and philosophy behind them..."

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...more information

August 2013

August

Summer Exhibition 'Plants from the Arabian Nights'
Botanical Garden Leiden

The Hortus Botanicus has an Arabic theme in 2013, linking up with the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Chair of Arabic Language and Culture at Leiden University.
You can make acquaintance with the plants from the Arabian Nights in the Hortus. A special route has been set out to take you past plants from Arabian poems and plants mentioned in the ancient Pharmacopeia Dioscorides. You can also discover herbs and ingredients from Arabic cuisine in the Arabic garden, which has been specially created for this exhibition.

This exhibition lasts until 1 October 2013

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...more information

31 August

Arabic cuisine blind taste test for children

Children have a unbelievable gastronomic fearlessness. Kids are happy, healthy eaters as long as you intrigue them by telling stories about the food's origin and history.
The Hortus Botanicus hosts a blind taste test for children presented by Marjolein de Vlaam.
Marjolein is the author of 'Wereldeters', an educational cookbook for kids and their parents.

The workshop will be in Dutch but non-Dutch speaking children can certainly participate.

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...more information

25 August

Arabic and Islamic Leiden
Leiden city tour

To honor the 400th birthday of the study of Arabic in Leiden, a city tour has been created in which the relationship between Leiden and the Middle East is omnipresent.

The tour is in Dutch

Date: Sunday 25 August
Start: 14.30 hrs
Registration is necessary

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20 August

Arabic and Islamic Leiden
Leiden city tour

To honor the 400th birthday of the study of Arabic in Leiden, a city tour has been created in which the relationship between Leiden and the Middle East is omnipresent.

The tour is in Dutch

Date: Tuesday 20 August
Start: 15.00 hrs
Registration is necessary

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7 August

Violets as a hangover cure
Hortus Botanicus Wednesday evening lecture

Remke Kruk, Professor Emeritus of Arabic language and culture will lecture on plants and herbs in (ancient) Arabic literature.

Lecture is in Dutch

Date: Wednesday 7 August
Start: 20.15 hrs
Location: Hortus Botanicus, Leiden
Registration is recommended. Please use this form

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1 August

Iftar - Breaking of the fast meal
Leiden University

Sheherazade, the student organisation of Leiden University's Middle Eastern studies, organizes its first iftar on Thursday evening, August 1.

Iftar is the meal that breaks the day of fasting during Ramadan, when Muslim families and communities eat together after sunset. Iftar is taken right after Maghrib time, which is around sunset. Traditionally but not mandatory, three dates are eaten to break the fast in emulation of the Prophet Muhammad, who broke his fast in this manner. Many Muslims believe that feeding someone iftar as a form of charity is very rewarding and that such was practiced by the Prophet Muhammad.

Sheherazade invites everyone to attend the iftar, no matter what religion, nationality, etc. As long as you are interested in witnessing and sharing the iftar 'experience' you are more than welcome.

Date: Thursday 1 August
Time: 20.30 hrs
Location: Pavilion of Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden
Registration is necessary

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July 2013

July

Summer Exhibition 'Plants from the Arabian Nights'
Botanical Garden Leiden

The Hortus Botanicus has an Arabic theme in 2013, linking up with the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Chair of Arabic Language and Culture at Leiden University.
You can make acquaintance with the plants from the Arabian Nights in the Hortus. A special route has been set out to take you past plants from Arabian poems and plants mentioned in the ancient Pharmacopeia Dioscorides. You can also discover herbs and ingredients from Arabic cuisine in the Arabic garden, which has been specially created for this exhibition.

This exhibition lasts until 1 October 2013

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31 July

'Plants of 1001 Nights' lecture
Hortus Botanicus Wednesday evening lecture

Gerda van Uffelen, collection manager at the Leiden Hortus Botanicus will tell you everything you always wanted to know about some of the items in the 'Plants of 1001 Nights' exhibition , but were afraid to ask.

Lecture is in Dutch

Date: Wednesday 31 July
Start: 20.15 hrs
Location: Hortus Botanicus, Leiden
Registration is recommended. Please use this form

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21 July

Arabic and Islamic Leiden
Leiden city tour

To honor the 400th birthday of the study of Arabic in Leiden, a city tour has been created in which the relationship between Leiden and the Middle East is omnipresent.

The tour is in Dutch

Date: Sunday 21 July
Start: 14.30
Registration is necessary

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10 July

Guided tour 'Tastes from the Middle East'
Botanical Garden Leiden

Humans have been collecting honey for over 8.000 years and used it for purposes beyond food preparation. The people from the ancient Middle East used it for embalming the dead or in other religious or medical contexts.
But most of all, honey was and still, is used as a sweetener in the kitchen. For centuries now,  it is a much used and loved ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine.
The Hortus Botanicus's beekeeper will guide you along plants much favored by bees and will explain something about the honey-making process. After the tour there will be a honey-tasting.

(the tour will be Dutch)

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June 2013

June

Summer Exhibition 'Plants from the Arabian Nights'
Botanical Garden Leiden

The Hortus Botanicus has an Arabic theme in 2013, linking up with the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Chair of Arabic Language and Culture at Leiden University.
You can make acquaintance with the plants from the Arabian Nights in the Hortus. A special route has been set out to take you past plants from Arabian poems and plants mentioned in the ancient Pharmacopeia Dioscorides. You can also discover herbs and ingredients from Arabic cuisine in the Arabic garden, which has been specially created for this exhibition.

This exhibition lasts until 1 October 2013

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May 2013

26 May

Start Summer Exhibition 'Plants from the Arabian Nights'
Botanical Garden Leiden

The Hortus Botanicus has an Arabic theme in 2013, linking up with the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Chair of Arabic Language and Culture at Leiden University.
You can make acquaintance with the plants from the Arabian Nights in the Hortus. A special route has been set out to take you past plants from Arabian poems and plants mentioned in the ancient Pharmacopeia Dioscorides. You can also discover herbs and ingredients from Arabic cuisine in the Arabic garden, which has been specially created for this exhibition.

This exhibition lasts until 1 October 2013

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25 May

Arab Astronomy & 1001 Nights - Museum Night Leiden
Sterrewacht and Botananical Garden Leiden

During the annual Museum Night on Saturday 25 May, you can get a taste of Middle Eastern astronomy, cuisine, music, belly dancing and more at Leiden's Observatory and Botanical Garden.

In the medieval period, scientists in the Islamic world made many contributions to the field of astronomy. While their work was based on ancient sources from Greece, Iran, and India, they updated methods for measuring and calculating the movement of heavenly bodies, and continued to develop models of the universe and the movements of the planets within it.
Dr. Rob van Gent (Utrecht University) introduces you to these groundbreaking methods at the best location possible: the historic Leiden Observatory (Sterrewacht)

The Botanical Garden lets you savor Middle Eastern snacks or smoke an Arabian water pipe in perfect  '1001 Nights' surroundings. For the more active among you: you can walk through the garden set around the theme of '1001 Nights' and there will be belly dance demonstrations and an actual workshop.


Date:  Saturdag 25 May
Time: 20.00 01.00. Please visit Museumnacht Leiden for a detailed programme of events
Location: Sterrewacht & Hortus Botanicus (same entrance), Leiden
Entrance fee: Euro 12,50 (access to all participating Leiden museums and their activities)

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12 May

Preview plants '1001 nights'
guided walk through the Botanical Garden

The Hortus Botanicus Leiden gives you a preview of the Botanical Garden's inspiration for 2013:  '1001nights'
Collection manager Gerda van Uffelen introduces you to plants in the Arabic Garden mentioned in Arabic poetry and the Pharmacopeia Dioscorides. Gerda also presents you to herbs and ingredients from Arabic cuisine in the Arabic garden, which has been specially created for this exhibition

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April 2013

7 april

Poetry afternoon
a sample of this summer's Arabic Culture Market

'400 years of Arabic' will be present at the Leids Dichtersgilde's Poetry Afternoon on 7 April.
Ali Rida Rizek (a graduate student at the American University of Beirut and a visiting student and teacher of Arabic Lanuage at Leiden University for the academic year 2012-2013) and Petra Sijpesteijn (professor of Arabic Language and Culture) will bring you original and translated Arabic poetry.

Date: Sunday 7 April
Time: 15.30 hrs
Location: Meneer Jansen, Nieuwe Rijn 21, Leiden

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March 2013

13 March

Islamitische religieuze "orthodoxie" en (natuur)wetenschappen: heden en verleden
Studium Generale lecture by Mohammed Ghaly (Leiden University)

NOTE: This lecture is in Dutch

De invloedrijke Hongaarse oriëntalist Ignaz Goldziher (gest. 1921) heeft in 1916 een belangrijke these geponeerd met betrekking tot de relatie tussen islam en wetenschap: de islamitische religieuze orthodoxie, vooral vanaf de 12de eeuw, was fel tegen het beoefenen van (natuur)wetenschappen die hun herkomst vinden in de Griekse traditie. Deze negatieve houding van de religieuze orthodoxie, zo veronderstelde Goldziher, heeft een einde gemaakt aan de “Golden Age” van de (natuur)wetenschappen in de islamitische beschaving.
Deze lezing zal zich focussen op de houding van de zogeheten “religieuze orthodoxie” ten opzichte van de (natuur)wetenschappen. De kernhypothese van deze lezing is dat de these van Goldziher en gelijkgestemde academici zeer controversieel is.

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6 March

De sterrenhemel in de islam & De aardcartografie van de islamitische wereld
Studium Generale lectures by Rob van Gent (Utrecht University) & Arnoud Vrolijk (Leiden University)

NOTE: Both lectures are in Dutch

De Sterrenhemel in de islam
Het Gouden Tijdperk van de islamitische sterrenkunde duurde van de 8ste eeuw tot in de 18de eeuw. Gedurende deze periode bestudeerden wetenschappers overal in de tot de islam bekeerde regio’s nauwlettend de posities en de bewegingen van de zon, de maan, de planeten en de sterren. Deels uit godsdienstige motieven maar ook vanwege astrologische, filosofische en puur wetenschappelijke redenen. Hierbij werden oudere teksten uit het Grieks, Middelperzisch en Hindi naar het Arabisch vertaald, geassimileerd, uitvoerig becommentarieerd en waar mogelijk met nieuwere waarnemingen en inzichten aangevuld.

De aardcartografie van de islamitische wereld
De cartografie van het islamitische cultuurgebied is door de eeuwen heen een bloeiende tak van wetenschap geweest. Niet omdat het maken van kaarten op zich zo’n interessante bezigheid is, maar omdat de heersers van de vaak immense islamitische rijken er alle belang bij hadden om precies te weten waar hun gebieden precies lagen, waar de grenzen waren, waar hun belastingplichtigen woonden en hoelang het leger er over zou doen om van A naar B te komen. Ook de religieuze ideologie speelde een rol, zoals blijkt uit een kaart waarin de Kaäba in Mekka in het middelpunt van de wereld wordt afgebeeld.
Het begin van de islamitische cartografische traditie is stevig geworteld in de hellenistische traditie. Maar het grote belang dat men aan kaarten toekende bracht ook met zich mee dat wetenschappers en hun beschermheren voortdurend openstonden voor technologische vernieuwingen. De meeste van die vernieuwingen waren afkomstig uit het Westen.

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1 March

A Revolution in Progress: The Case of Egypt

On Friday 1 March LUCIS will organise a special event about the current political situation in Egypt. A panel consisting of academics, journalists, and analysts will discuss the recent past and potential future of Egypt.

Time: 14.00-17.00 hrs.
Location: Lipsius, Cleveringaplaats 1, room 011, Leiden.

Open to all!

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March

Turcksche Boucken
The Oriental Collection of Levinius Warner

Cover of exhibition catalogue Turcksche Boucken

For the first time in a great many years, a magnificent collection of Oriental manuscripts is on public display in 'Turksche Boucken'. This exhibition is a collaboration project between Leiden University and Museum Meermanno, and is on display from 16 December 2012 until 3 March 2013.

In Turcksche boucken (‘Turkish Books’), Museum Meermanno follows Levinus Warner’s career as a book collector, from his student days in Leiden until his untimely death in Istanbul in 1665. This diplomat was assigned to represent Dutch interests at the court of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in 1655. Fascinated by the languages and cultures of the Middle East, he built up an enormous collection of manuscripts, bequeathing it on his death to the University of Leiden, where he had studied Oriental languages.

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February 2013

February

Turcksche Boucken
The Oriental Collection of Levinus Warner

Cover of exhibition catalogue Turcksche Boucken

For the first time in a great many years, a magnificent collection of Oriental manuscripts is on public display in 'Turksche Boucken'. This exhibition is a collaboration project between Leiden University and Museum Meermanno, and is on display from 16 December 2012 until 3 March 2013.

In Turcksche boucken (‘Turkish Books’), Museum Meermanno follows Levinus Warner’s career as a book collector, from his student days in Leiden until his untimely death in Istanbul in 1665. This diplomat was assigned to represent Dutch interests at the court of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in 1655. Fascinated by the languages and cultures of the Middle East, he built up an enormous collection of manuscripts, bequeathing it on his death to the University of Leiden, where he had studied Oriental languages.

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27 February

Wiskunde en islamitische cultuur
Studium Generale lecture by Jan Hogendijk (Utrecht University)

NOTE: This lecture is in Dutch

Wiskunde is voor een deel een cultuuroverstijgend en tijdloos vak. De stelling
van Pythagoras is in Babylon ontdekt, in de Griekse oudheid bewezen, en nog steeds in gebruik. Ook in de middeleeuws islamitische cultuur is veel wiskunde gedaan, en islamitische wiskundigen waren de leermeesters van middeleeuws Europa. We zullen ingaan op de vraag wat er "islamitisch" was aan deze wiskunde en de context ervan. Als voorbeelden gebruiken we de bepaling van de richting van Mekka, en de schitterende Islamitische mozaïeken en architectuur.
Het tweede deel van de lezing gaat over de huidige situatie in twee islamitische landen:
Iran en Saudi Arabië. We bespreken onder andere de Iraanse ‘huizen van wiskunde’; het departement wiskunde van de King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Dhahran, Saudi-Arabie), tegenwoordig no. 50 op de wereldranglijst; en internationale conferenties, zelfs in Mekka. Hieruit ontstaat geen eenduidig beeld: er zijn in de islamitische wereld remmende maar ook stimulerende factoren voor de bloei  van wiskunde. Technische wetenschappen staan daarbij op de voorgrond.

Interviews (in Dutch) with Jan Hogendijk about this topic are on the Media page of this website.

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20 February

Islamitische filosofie
Studium Generale lecture by Michiel Leezenberg (University of Amsterdam)

NOTE: This lecture is in Dutch

De klassieke islamitische filosofie is het beste tegenvoorbeeld tegen de wijdverbreide mening dat de islamitische wereld nog geen Verlichting zou hebben doorgemaakt. Al in de tiende eeuw van onze jaartelling kende de islamitische wereld een stadse beschaving waarin niet alleen wetenschappen en literatuur bloeiden, maar waarin ook seculiere filosofen en radicale vrijdenkers een plaats hadden.
In de twintigste eeuw zijn enkele islamitische denkers in de Arabische wereld herontdekt, vooral door Seculiere Arabische nationalisten, die zich zowel verzetten tegen westerse culturele overheersing als tegen de toenemende rol van de islam in de openbaarheid.

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13 February

Middeleeuws Arabische visies op levende natuur
Studium Generale lecture by Remke Kruk (Leiden University)

NOTE: This lecture is in Dutch

Is een spons een plant of een dier? Mag je als moslim giraffenvlees eten? Waar ligt de grens tussen mens en dier? Elke cultuur krijgt met dat soort vragen te maken en probeert ze te beantwoorden vanuit eigen basisprincipes over het functioneren van de natuur. In de Arabische wereld van voor plusminus de achttiende eeuw waren dat, net als in middeleeuws Europa, ideeën die afkomstig waren van de oude Grieken. Wie de moeite neemt om te begrijpen hoe dat werkte raakt gefascineerd door de manier waarop men ook  binnen zo’n heel ander systeem tot sluitende verklaringen en voorspellingen over de natuur kon komen.

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9 February

Controversial Figures in Islamic History
colloquium and book launch

statue of Ibn Hazm

Leiden University and Brill Publishers are happy to invite you to spend  a day with  'Controversial Figures in Islamic History' on Saturday 9 February 2013

The day will start of with a colloquium that will discuss 4 controversial characters in the history of Islam, followed by the launch of ' Ibn Hazm of Cordoba: The Life and Works of a Controversial Thinker' a new volume in the Brill Series 'Handbook of Oriental Studies'.

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PICTURES OF THE EVENT ARE IN THE PHOTO GALLERY

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8 February

Honorary Doctorate to Professors Crone and Cook

At Leiden University's Dies Natalis, a Honorary Doctorate will be conferred on Professor Patricia Crone, Andrew W. Mellon professor of Islamic History at the School of Historical Studies of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and Professor Michael Cook, Class of 1943 university professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.
                                                                                       

Laudatio Crone & Cook [download pdf]
PICTURES OF THE EVENT ARE IN THE PHOTO GALLERY

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6 February

Waar zijn de Nobelprijswinnaars uit het Midden Oosten?
Studium Generale lecture by Petra Sijpesteijn (Leiden University)

NOTE: This lecture is in Dutch

Gezien de huidige politieke verhoudingen zou het Nobelprijscomité vast niets liever willen dan de Nobelprijs voor de natuurkunde uitreiken aan een Iraanse, Syrische of Jemenitische wetenschapper. Waarom gebeurt dit dan niet en waarom is dit zo’n beladen vraag? In het debat over de stand van de academie in het huidige Midden-Oosten wordt de nadruk gelegd op het contrast met de dynamische en veelzijdige wetenschappelijke activiteiten in de Arabische middeleeuwen. En toch: een Iraanse atoombom, talloze nieuwe universiteiten in de Golfstaten, tienduizenden Arabische studenten en wetenschappers in buitenlandse universiteiten. Hoe meten we wetenschappelijke bloei en neergang en hoe verklaren we die?

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4 February

The Wisdom of the Arabs
lecture by Petra Sijpesteijn (Leiden University)

To celebrate the memorable fact of the 400th anniversary of the Chair of Arabic Language and Culture at Leiden University the Executive Board has the pleasure to invite you to the lecture The Wisdom of the Arabs: Four Hundred Years of Cross-Cultural Engagement by Professor Petra Sijpesteijn.

IMAGES TAKEN AT THE EVENT ARE HERE

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