Middle East, Islamic, and African Studies - Brill Publishing

17/02/2025

Message on the Occasion of the Death His Highness the Aga Khan

From the Editor of Muqarnas, Professor Gülru Necipoğlu

Upon learning of the death of His Highness the Aga Khan, I was deeply saddened and filled with a great sense of loss. He was a humanitarian leader of global dimension, a wise and eloquent public speaker, and above all a visionary. His worldwide initiatives promoted pluralism and improved communal wellbeing through philanthropic contributions, particularly in the fields of health (hospitals) and education (schools, universities). A 1959 Harvard College graduate, His Highness endowed in 1979 the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The endowment reflected his vision to enhance the connection between contemporary architectural practice and scholarship on the history of art and architecture. I was grateful to be one of the earliest beneficiaries of the Program, having enrolled as a graduate student that year in Harvard’s Department of History of Art and Architecture.

Throughout my career as a student, professor, and eventually the Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Architecture, I have witnessed the growth and evolution of the Program thanks to the continuing support of His Highness. Its many students, post-doctoral fellows, associates, and visiting lecturers owe an immense debt of gratitude for the academic opportunities his generosity and vision made possible. The endowment also enabled the publication of the journal Muqarnas, which is celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year.

I had the honor and pleasure of interacting with His Highness during his campus visits, and while serving on the Steering Committee of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. It is with appreciation and admiration that I will always remember our benefactor, whose memory and legacy will endure over the generations through his generous philanthropy. On behalf of the Aga Khan Program at Harvard’s History of Art and Architecture Department, I extend my sincere condolences to the family, associates, and community of His Highness the Aga Khan.

Gülru Necipoğlu
Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Architecture
Department of History of Art and Architecture
Harvard University

13/02/2025

Acquisitions Editor Teddi Dols is attending the College Art Association Annual Conference in snowy and cold ❄️ NYC this week.

The CAA is the largest convening of art historians, artists, designers, curators, and visual art professionals.

This year's program boasts over 300 sessions, workshops, and events.

Please check out our stand with a great selection of recent publications in Islamic and Asian art history, and drop by to talk to us about your book projects and research projects!

Some special achievements to celebrate this year are

- the publication of the 40th volume of “Muqarnas” edited by Gulru Necipoglu, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University.

- the relaunch of the series “Asian Art & Archaeology”, a book series founded by Brill in 1969 with the publication of the book “Japanese Art - Transcultural Perspectives”
Editors: Melanie Trede, Heidelberg University, Christine Guth, and Mio Wakita, MAK - Museum für angewandte Kunst.

- the 10th anniversary of the Brill Journal “Asian Diasporic Visual Cultures and the Americas” edited by Alice Ming Wai Jim, Concordia University.

05/02/2025

It is with great sadness that De Gruyter Brill has learned of the passing of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, a major philanthropist and spiritual leader invested in improving the lives of individuals and communities across the world through the Aga Khan Development Network.

The Aga Khan was also deeply engaged in the arts, and in academic and cultural matters. He established important programs and initiatives to support and promote architecture, collection building, music, conservation, and pioneering studies on the visual and material cultures of the Muslim world.

Since the 1980s, De Gruyter Brill has been the proud publisher of the first academic periodical on Islamic art and archaeology, "Muqarnas", sponsored by the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, now in its 41st year. In 2020 we launched the Open Access "Journal of Material Cultures of the Muslim World", in partnership with the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto and the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC), an immediate success and now in its 5th year.

Early 2023 De Gruyter Brill and the Aga Khan Library partnered to support the UK-based work of one of De Gruyter Brill's most important publications: Index Islamicus, the major, international bibliography of publications on all aspects of Islam and the Muslim world.

On behalf of everybody at De Gruyter Brill, we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the Aga Khan, the Ismaeli community, and to all our colleagues and partners in the wider network of Aga Khan organizations.

Maurits van den Boogert, Chief Publishing Officer
Chunyan Shu, Publishing Director Area Studies
Teddi Dols, Acquisitions Editor
Abdurraouf Oueslati, Acquisitions Editor

27/01/2025

The 1890s gold mining industry in Southern Africa was rife with speculation, mismanagement, and financial manipulation. Investors lost more to Randlords than to the Boer government, yet many histories overlook this economic dimension in the lead-up to war. Ian Phimister sheds new light on the financial forces behind the Jameson Raid and the outbreak of war in 1899 in 'Bulls, Bears, Boers and Brits – Finance & War'. Find out more: https://brill.ws/asc44

25/01/2025

From Old Aramaic to modern dialects, Stefan Bruweleit examines how Aramaic verbs function—whether they express aspect, tense, or mood. This study not only clarifies Biblical Aramaic’s participle usage but also traces the roots of North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic dialects back to a common ancestor. Highly recommended for linguists, historians, and anyone interested by the evolution of language. Find out more: https://brill.ws/ho1-187

24/01/2025

'The Church Fathers in Arabic Translations' explores how Middle Eastern Christians translated, preserved, and engaged with the Church Fathers in Arabic. From Palestine to Antioch, discover lost texts, Patristic heritage, and unexpected influences on Islamic thought. It presents texts from Gregory of Nazianzus, Ephrem the Syrian, and a rare Patristic treatise: the Noetic Paradise. Find out more: https://brill.ws/repa2

03/01/2025

New and in Open Access: 'Eighteenth-Century Indian Muraqqaʿs', edited by Friederike Weis. This book offers a detailed look at Indo-Persianate albums, showcasing stunning paintings, calligraphy, and decorative borders, created for the Mughal nawabs of Awadh, local elites, and Europeans. Through fourteen insightful essays, it sheds light on the production, collecting practices, and diverse audiences of these beautiful works. Download the e-book: https://brill.ws/imb23_

30/12/2024

Discover the untold story of Indonesian Islam in museums with 'Legacies of Colonialism in Museum Collections' by Mirjam Shatanawi. This book reveals how Dutch colonialism marginalized Indonesian Islamic heritage in collections and exhibitions. By tracing the journey of objects from their origins to their reinterpretation in Dutch museums, it highlights the enduring impacts of colonialism and charts pathways for decolonization. A transformative read for today’s museum world. Find out more: https://brill.ws/aaiw22

27/12/2024

'Constantinople Through the Ages' offers a fascinating look at the long history of one of the world’s most iconic cities. From its founding to present-day Istanbul, the book explores how the city’s past is visible in its present form. With contributions from leading experts, it examines how later generations have interacted with and interpreted the legacy of earlier ones. A thought-provoking exploration of the continuity and change embedded in the city’s tangible and intangible heritage. Find out more:

23/12/2024

'The Wolf Era Ends, and The Sheep Era Starts' by Pooriya Alimoradi studies the Maʿnī-yi Vahman Yasht, the most important Zoroastrian text in the apocalyptic genre. Pooriya Alimoradi provides a critical edition, translation, and commentary, shedding light on its distinct origins and resolving decades-old debates on its characters and events. A vital resource for anyone studying Zoroastrianism, Iranian apocalypticism, or the Arab conquests in 6th–9th c. CE. Find out more: https://brill.ws/ais16_

21/12/2024

New and in Open Access: 'Key Classical Works on Islamic Ethics' by Mutaz al-Khatib presents analytical readings of sources spanning the 3rd/9th to 8th/14th centuries. It bridges disciplines such as Qurʾān, ḥadīth, Sufism, philosophy, and more, showcasing the richness of ethical traditions in Islamic heritage. Download the e-book here: https://brill.ws/sie7_

20/12/2024

'The Persian Miniatures Collection of the Rijksmuseum, A Hidden Treasure Trove' by Forough Sajadi showcases the finest and rarest Persian folios (13th–20th century) in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, explored in-depth for the first time. From intricate designs to rich histories, this work is a great read for enthusiasts of Persian art and history. Find out more: https://brill.ws/spch20_

14/12/2024

We warmly congratulate Tahera Qutbuddin for winning at the Sheik Hammad Translation Awards (category: Arabic to English Translation, third place) with 'Nahj al-Balāghah: The Wisdom and Eloquence of ʿAlī'. This book was published in April this year and is available in Open Access.

More about the awards (in Arabic): https://brill.ws/3ZA46CX.
Download the e-book here: https://brill.ws/ITS15

13/12/2024

09/12/2024

Have you seen this “taqsireh” jacket? 🔎

In 1922, a stunning ensemble of Bethlehem textiles—featuring exquisite embroidery and a silver and gold chin-chain—was gifted to Princess Mary for her wedding. Representing Palestine’s “national dress,” this garment carried deep political significance.
But where is this priceless “thob al-malak” now?

After years of searching, Brill author Moya Tönnies shares her findings in her book "Colonial Diplomacy through Art. Jerusalem 1918–1926" and is now turning to you to help her find this garment.

Read the full story on our blog and join the quest to uncover the whereabouts of this remarkable piece of history!

👉middle https://brill.ws/toennies

05/12/2024

*New Book Series Arabian Heritage*📚 📚 📢
Announcement and Call for Manuscripts

It is our
pleasure to launch an exiting new Brill book series with a strong focus on archaeology, epigraphy, heritage and art history:

ARABIAN HERITAGE (AHE)

The Series is edited by Jérémie Schiettecatte, CNRS, UMR 8167 Orient & Méditerranée, Paris,
Irene Rossi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale (CNR-ISPC), Naples,
and Abdullah Alzaharani, Majlis al-Shura, Heritage Commission, KSA

Arabian Heritage (AHE) focuses on the study of the heritage of the Arabian Peninsula over a long period of time, from the prehistory to the end of the Ottoman period. It includes the study of material culture and intangible heritage in a broader sense. To reflect the current rapidly expanding research activities and collection building in the region, the series at present mainly covers archaeology, history, epigraphy, philology, art history, ethnography, (ancient) crafts and techniques, anthropology, and the study of manuscripts and collections. Interdisciplinary studies on relevant topics are very welcome, as well as relevant research in the field of museum and heritage studies.

The series is open to monographs, edited volumes, conference proceedings, and text editions. Books will be published simultaneously in full colour, in print and in electronic format. The series is open to co-publications and publications in Open Access.

English is encouraged, as well as bilingual monographs Eng/Ar. Arabic manuscripts must be accompanied by translations. French and German are also accepted.

An inclusive, international advisory board of scholars will be established asap.
The first volume in Arabian Heritage is to be expected in 2025.

ISSN: 3050-7421

Call for Manuscripts:
Authors and Editors are cordially invited to submit proposals and/or full manuscripts by e-mail to Acquisitions Editor Teddi Dols: [email protected]

Readership:
Scholars, curators, and other professionals in the fields of Archaeology, (Art) History, Material and Visual Culture, Heritage, including Intangible Heritage, Ethnography, Anthropology, Epigraphy, Museum Studies & Heritage Education. Scholars and students of Philology, Middle Eastern Studies, Islamic Studies, Religious Studies, Ottoman Studies, the Ancient Near and Middle East, East Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.

28/11/2024

The second book launch of 'Contemporary Moroccan Thought', with the author Mohammed Hashas, is happening on 6 December in Berlin (at Divan - Das Arabische Kulturhaus) . Entrance is free! More information and registration: https://brill.ws/h1186

27/11/2024

Dive into 'The Book for the Completion of Musical Knowledge', a rare 11th-century treatise by practicing musician al-Kātib. Complementing the 10th-century works of al-Fārābī and al-Iṣfahānī, it reveals how to set poetry to music, choose great teachers, and enhance vocal and instrumental performance. Packed with practical advice for breath control and musical ornamentation, this text is a must-read for anyone exploring the rich legacy of early Islamic music theory and practice.

Find out more: https://brill.ws/ihc215_