The Eleventh Islamic Manuscript Conference
Sufism and Islamic Manuscript Culture
13–15 September 2016, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, UK
Workshops
Exploring Painted Works: The Islamic Painted Page Database
Presented by Mr Stephen Serpell,
Independent Researcher, UK
Tuesday, 13 September, 14.15–15.45
Wednesday, 14 September, 13.30–15.00
The Islamic Painted Page is a searchable database of Arab, Indian, Ottoman, and Persian paintings dating from 700 to 1750 CE and drawn from over 240 manuscript collections worldwide. It includes illuminations, decorated Qur'an pages, bookbindings, and figurative paintings. With 15,000 references and links to almost 9,000 online images it is the most comprehensive index of Islamic painting and illumination.
In this workshop, the creator of the database and independent scholar, Mr Stephen Serpell, will discuss the history of the database; how he developed and manages it; and the specific challenges faced when creating a database, such as data sets, issues with authority naming, transliteration, presentation, and methodology. The workshop will also include a demonstration of the database and time for participants to complete a series of practical exercises using the resource. Following this practical session, participants will be given an opportunity to share their feedback on the database.
Participants who wish to take part in the practical session must bring their own laptop.
The workshop is free of charge. Persons wishing to attend one of the sessions can reserve a place via the online registration form. There is a limit of twenty participants per workshop.
An Introduction to TEI for the Description of Islamic Manuscripts
Presented by Yasmin Faghihi,
Head of Near and Middle Eastern Department, Cambridge University Library, and Co-Chair, FIHRIST board, UK,
and Huw Jones,
Digital Content Specialist, Cambridge University Library, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Thursday, 15 September, 09.00–10.30
TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) is a widely used metadata standard for the description of manuscripts. This workshop is an introduction to TEI and the advantages of using it for manuscript description, based on the instructors' own experience with large projects and day-to-day cataloguing. The workshop will also explore the possibilities opened up by TEI in terms of collaborative work, analysis, and the joining of library data with research output.
This workshop is free of charge. Registration for the workshop will be offered on a first come, first served basis at the conference.
Preparing Critical Editions of Work on Islamic Mysticism: The Example of Al-Futuhat Al-Makkiya
Presented by Sheikh Kilany Khalifa,
Director, The Sunna Project, Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation, Cairo, Egypt
Wednesday, 14 September, 09.00–10.00
This workshop is a spotlight on the methods of editing Sufi books, through presenting The Islamicus Foundation's experience editing Al-Futuhat Al-Makkiya.
Customizing Imaging Supports for Manuscript Digitization
Presented by Cliff Cheney,
Head of Imaging, Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation & Dar Al Kutub Manuscript Project, Cairo, Egypt
Tuesday, 13 September, 16.10–17.00
Thursday, 15 September, 14.45–15.30
This workshop show how to design and build specialised cradle supports for difficult manuscript imaging projects using free software and open source hardeware products.