Presentation

The Holy Qur’an,the sacred text of all Muslims,continues to be memorised and recited aloud. It is also a work that has been copied by hand more than any other book in the Muslim world. The Holy Qur’an as the foundation of Muslim faith and practice has also played a vital role in Muslim civlisations as the inspiration for several art forms.

The aim of this international colloquium is to bring together scholars with varied interests in the areas of architecture, metalwork, woodwork, numismatics, textiles, ceramics and anthropology, in addition to manuscripts, calligraphy and illumination, to discuss their research on the Qur’an as a source of artistic inspiration for the material culture of Muslims from around the world and through the ages. All events are to be held at The Ismaili Centre, South Kensington, London. As places are limited, please register early to avoid disappointment. The final date for registration is 20th September 2003.

Participants

Muhammad Abbas, Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo Refat Abdul Azim, Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo Miriam Ali de Unzaga, University of Oxford Doris Behrens-Abouseif, School of Oriental and African Studies, London Sheila Blair, Boston College, MA Sheila Canby, The British Museum François Déroche, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris Heather Ecker, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery,Washington DC Paraskévi Efthymiou, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris Annabel Teh Gallop, The British Library Alain George, University of Oxford Oleg Grabar, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ Duncan Haldane, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London Robert Hillenbrand, University of Edinburgh Ismaheel Jimoh, University of Ibadan, Nigeria Joanna Kirkpatrick, Bennington College, VT Amin Mahdavi, University of Edinburgh Alnoor Merchant, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London Venetia Porter, The British Museum Nazleh Rahmani, Reza Abbasi Museum, Tehran Anne Regourd, University of Leeds Emilie Savage-Smith, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford Tim Stanley, Victoria and Albert Museum Yasser Tabbaa, Oberlin College, OH Huism Tan, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore Hülya Tezcan, Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul Luke Treadwell, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford and The Ashmolean Museum Ayse Turgut, Independent Curator and Scholar, New York Amirhossein Zekrgoo, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation, Malaysia

(Source Ismaili Institute)