Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies

An extremely provocative text, Bishara pleads the case of the Arab-American to be seen and treated as equal members of American society. An insightful peek into Arab-American self-identity around the turn of the 20th century, Bishara’s essay is of interest to ethnographer and historian alike.

Alert to the implications of Egyptian politics to the world of the Middle Ages, Muir offers a detailed look at the rule of the slave-soldier caste known as the Mamelukes who ruled Egypt from 1260 to 1517. Each ruler of the Bahrite and Circassian dynasties is given a full chapter, and the role of the Mamelukes under the Ottoman Empire is reviewed.

Until now this first insider-history of Tur Abdin has been unavailable to non-Semitic readers. Written by Patriarch Ignatius Aphram Barsoum in Syriac, this history of the mountainous region in southeastern Asia Minor called Tur Abdin has not found wide readership because of language barriers. This new edition produced by Gorgias Press is a trilingual edition: the original Syriac, Arabic, and English translations.

This book is as timely today as when it was written. Maulvi Muhammad Ali, noted Quran scholar, presented this study of Christian positions about Jesus from a sympathetic Islamic perspective. The concepts of miracles, sinlessness, and the birth, call, death, and second coming of Jesus are all considered.

Steinschneider’s first section is a dictionary of Jewish Arabic authors. This includes a careful study of Jewish names. The Second section is a study of the lives and literatures of Jews, and Christians, within Muslim society.

Herein a 13th century Alexandrian Jewish convert to Islam records his understanding of the truth of Islam over Judaism. Dr. Sidney A. Weston edits, translates and comments on this text making it accessible to the scholar and enthusiast alike.

Al-Ghazzali’s contributions to Muslim theology cannot be overestimated and Professor MacDonald brings to life the thoughts and experiences of this medieval theologian, philosopher, and mystic, with special attention to his religious experiences and opinions.

This handbook of foreign loan words in the Arabic of the Quran is set up in dictionary format. Each word is given in Arabic and in transliteration, followed by an extensive definition. As useful today as when it was first published, this volume will be welcomed by students of Arabic and especially those who are concerned with its relationship to foreign languages.

Published for the first time in this book is the History of the Governors of Egypt by Abu Umar Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Kindi (d. 870). Edited from a single manuscript by Nicholas Koenig, this study is as close as possible to a critical edition when only one manuscript survives.

This edition of the Syriac-Arabic glosses of Isho Bar Ali is a publication difficult to locate. These glosses are located in the second part of Bar Ali’s lexicon, as the first part had been previously published. Bar Ali, a physician as well as a lexicographer, produced this noted Syriac-Arabic dictionary showing the meanings of Syriac words in Arabic. This historic step in the development of Syriac lexicography is analyzed here according to the glosses of the numerous manuscripts cited in the forward.

Written in the days when textual criticism was still relatively new, and the great mass of manuscripts commonly used by present-day biblical scholars had not yet been plumbed, Lagarde spent many years making these exotic manuscripts available to scholars who previously had no access to them. In this volume are combined two manuscripts: the Pentateuch translated into Coptic, and the Gospels translated into Arabic. Despite the relatively recent dates of the manuscript sources for both collections, the material contained in these translations dates back to earlier days. Each of these translations is introduced in German with some critical notes about the readings included.

This essay provides a detailed description of each manuscript the author acquired during this sojourn among the Jews of Persia. A discussion of the rituals of the Jewish people which the author met offers great insight into their liturgical life.

The heretofore unpublished Kitab al-Zina, virtually unknown in western scholarship, is a glossary of important Islamic terms by the 9th/10th-century Ismaili polymath Abu Hatim al-Razi. Some lament that Razi’s historical approach to etymology failed to catch on and that had it done so, the face of Arabic dictionary writing might have been altered for the better. His organization of material was uniquely Ismaili as he took pains to synthesize contradictory information into a harmonious whole. This study examines sections of Razi’s work with a view towards his contributions to the field of grammar and linguistics.

Originally compiled by Destur Hoshangji Jamaspji Asa, this historic dictionary was revised and enlarged by Martin Haug. This edition of the glossary represents the first time that the Pahlavî-Pâzand, or Saanian Farhang, was published in its ancient form and arrangement. The dictionary is of an Aramaic translation into Middle Persian, in Pahlavi script. A substantial introductory essay on Pahlavi begins the work; entries are translated into English, occasionally reaching substantial essays. A truly historic attempt to document a language far removed from many European and new world scholars, Haug has produced an indispensable historic dictionary.

This historical dictionary contains an English translation of the Frahang-I Oim-evak, an antique Avestan and Middle Persian dictionary. A collaboration between Martin Haug and Destur Hoshengji Jamaspji, this rare glossary provides the Pahlavi translations for almost 900 Avestan words. Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language used by the Zoroastrian Avesta. It represents one of the earliest known Iranian languages. This dictionary was one of the earliest attempts to present the material to a western readership. Still considered a historic entry-point into the language, Haug’s glossary has become a rare find. Gorgias Press is pleased to bring it back into circulation as a part of our Historical Dictionary series.

This collection of the Divans of Ennabiga, Antara, Tharafa, Zuhair, Alqama, and Imruulqais is a rare find. Among the earliest known writers of Arabic poetry, these authors are essential components of Arabic history and literature. This study, long out of print, is the acknowledged starting point for the study of these poets. Their Divans are presented in Arabic, along with a substantial introduction by Ahlwardt, a list of variant readings and corrections, considerations of discrepancies in the manuscripts, and appendices of the fragments.

Commissioned by the Indian government to prepare a descriptive catalogue of the Arabic manuscripts of the Library of India Office in London, Loth produced this reference work. A total of 1,050 manuscripts are covered in the catalogue. At the time of the composition of Loth’s work, only one of the items in the catalogue had even been the subject of an edition, indicating that the vast majority of items were unknown until the late 1870s.

This catalogue presents the Islamic, Oriental Christian, Judaic and Samaritan manuscripts in the University library of Leipzig’s collection. The largest part of the material is Islamic, and it is presented here according to categories. Manuscripts are described by title (if known) and a brief summary of the contents. Dimensions for most of the pieces are given as well. The Christian material includes manuscripts in Arabic, Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, and Georgian. A numerical concordance adds to the utility of this important manuscript collection.

This volume records and describes the 483 Turkish manuscripts in the British Museum at the time of the author. Most of the manuscripts are in Western Turkish, and a few in Eastern. The material is helpfully categorized according to the area of particular concern to the manuscript. Various aspects of Islamic religious practice are covered by several manuscripts. Other general areas represented are history, sciences, the arts, philology, and poetry. The Eastern Turkish materials are given their own section. Each manuscript is meticulously described, and the volume contains useful indices of titles, personal names, and subjects. A must have for any Turkologist, this historic catalogue is once again available.

The introduction to the Arabic language by the renowned linguist Georg Freytag is fast becoming difficult to find. Written in German, this precise presentation is intended for a general readership which has no background in previous Semitic language study. The Arabic period covered for this historic grammar is that of Mohammed and later. In some ways an unconventional approach Freytag introduces topics such as Arabic names and the history of the Arabs, even prior to Mohammed’s time. An outline of the Arabic language and its dialects is presented. A period piece that retains its functionality, this introduction to Arabic is more than a grammar, it is a view into the life of the Arabian world.

For the student of ancient Iranian documents, this time-honored source for using the sacred texts of the Zoroastrians, this glossary and index is an historical dictionary of an unusual sort. The materials from three works provide the basis for this glossary: the Pahlavi text of Arda Viraf, the tale of Gosht-I Fryano, the Hadokht Nask, and extracts from the Din-Kard and Nirangistan. All of these documents pertaining to Zoroastrian belief and practice are facilitated by this historic glossary. Based on the edition of E. W. West, the text was revised by Martin Haug. A work of scholarly erudition in the nineteenth century, this book, now difficult to find, has now claimed a place among Gorgias Historical Dictionaries.

An original exploration into the governors of Egypt under the caliphs, this seminal study of Wüstenfeld has remained essential reading on the topic since its original publication in the 1870s. Originally published in four parts, this edition contains the entire study in its original German. A thorough and meticulous record of the rulers of Egypt during the period of the caliphs, this book should not be overlooked by students of the Islamic culture of Egypt. Written from a lifetime of study in the field, Wüstenfeld’s sharp outlines of the governors and their influence in the growth and development of Egypt under Muslim leadership hold an authority and insight that make the book a desirable addition to the library of Arabists and scholars of Egypt alike.

In an historic attempt to map out the major tribes and families of the Arabic world, Wüstenfeld prepared this work based on three major types of documents. Taken together these sources provide a wealth of information on family names. Wüstenfeld has organized the entries for his register alphabetically, providing a starting point for current day researchers on the Arabic past.

The Parsis, descendants of the ancient Persians, are a Zoroastrian people that have survived into modern times. Dauphine Menant’s classic study on the history of the Parsis in India is made available in its first French edition. In the style of the travelogue, the study contains illustrations of parts of the Parsis life in the late nineteenth century. Twenty-one plates as well as illustrations within the text serve the valuable function of enabling the reader to visualize this swiftly disappearing culture. This basic introduction to the history and life of the Parsis will appeal to those interested in the state of religious minorities in Asia, as well as those who are researching the living traditions of Zoroastrianism

An early example of Islamic history, the Kitab al-ma'arif (“Book of Knowledge”) of ibn Qutayba (ibn Coteiba) has a prominent place. Born in Kufa, in present-day Iraq, ibn Qutayba was a teacher in Baghdad and he was among the first formal historians. This particular work ambitiously covers topics from the beginning of creation and facts about the period before the appearance of Islam (jahiliyya) to the names of the companions of the prophet Mohammed, famous jurists and masters of the oral tradition associated with the prophet (hadith). Presented here in the original Arabic, along with an introduction by Wüstenfeld, this early manual of history is sure to be of interest to anyone considering Islamic outlooks from the ninth century.