IRCICA Newsletter Issue 77

Editorialwould like to begin my words with congratulations to allI Muslims on the advent of the new Hijri Year 1430 and wishall our readers a happy and prosperous Year 2009. In thisseason the beginning of years in the Hijra and the Gregoriancalendars have coincided; may this prove to symbolise an era ofrapprochement between peoples adhering to the different faithsand augur the evolution of an understanding of a shared destinyof all humankind on Earth. As always, our efforts are aimed atcontributing to dialogue, peace and well-being for peoples of theworld and IRCICA in particular shall continue to work in thisdirection by promoting international cultural relations.Presently, as we take stock of the progress of our activitiesduring 2008 and embark on our 2009 work program that hasbeen recently approved by the relevant OIC bodies, a quickglimpse at our Centre’s network of cooperative relationswith governments, universities, international and regionalorganisations, etc. reveals that over the past year these relationswere diversified considerably and new linkages were activatedwithin and outside the OIC member countries. These linkagesbore fruit in the holding of congresses, architectural studies andart events, signing of cooperation agreements, joint publications,etc. During 2008, activities were realised in the OIC membercountries with the cooperation of government authorities and/or universities in Al-Quds, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Oman,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda,and the United Arab Emirates. The visits to IRCICA, during thesame year, of the President of The Sudan H.E. Omar al-Bashirand the President of Senegal H.E. Maître Abdoulaye Wade, andMinisters from various countries, mostly from African MemberStates, opened new avenues of cooperation. The holding ofthe Eleventh Islamic Summit Conference in Dakar, Senegal,last March, was an occasion for us to establish new contactsin the region. As to our relations with Governments, culturalauthorities and/or academic institutions outside the membercountries, new relations were established and existing ones werereinforced, on the occasion of various events held during theyear: the exhibition of historical photographs we organised inTokyo last June on the occasion of the state visit of H.E. AbdullahGül, President of Turkey, to Japan; the congress we organised inUfa, Bashkortostan (Russian Federation), on which we report inthis issue, and, the symposium organised jointly by the Councilof Europe and IRCICA on the latter’s premises, also covered inthis issue. These new contacts also helped us further diversifyour Centre’s subjects of focus.As to what is foreseen in our work program for 2009, in additionto the on-going work, including the publication of the papersof several congresses held recently, we are undertaking newprojects. One of them is the preparation of a second book in theline of reprints of historical copies of the Holy Quran: after havingpublished the facsimile edition, accompanied by a comparativetechnical study, of the Quran copy attributed to the time ofCaliph Othman which is preserved in the library of TopkapıPalace Museum in Istanbul, we now undertook a new projectto publish a facsimile edition and study of another Quran copyattributed to the time of Caliph Othman, the Mashhad ImamHussein copy that is located in Cairo, at the Central Library ofIslamic Manuscripts affiliated to the Ministry of Awqaf of Egypt.The study will involve technical comparisons with other copiesdating from the same period. Another project to be launched in2009 is the Eighth International Calligraphy Competition. Thecompetition will be dedicated to the Syrian master calligrapherBadawi al-Dirani (1894-1967), in continuation of our traditionto name each competition after an eminent calligrapher, toencourage younger artists to learn from and follow theirexample. We are currently drawing up specifications relating tothe competition.Recently we have had the honour and the pleasure of expressingour gratitude to H.E. Mr. Muammer Güler, the Governor ofIstanbul, for the patronage and support that have been extendedto the many events and activities organised by IRCICA overthe years at different venues in Istanbul including those heldon its own premises, in particular, the congresses, festivals, theartistic and documentary exhibitions, which have all encouragedencounters and interactions of specialists and artists from allover the world in the historically multicultural environment ofIstanbul. Mr. Muammer Güler graciously received the IRCICAAward for Patronage of International Cultural Cooperation,a symbol of our gratitude. Furthermore, during the last fourmonthperiod IRCICA completed two separate award programs:the fifth group of IRCICA Award for Excellence in Researchwas presented to six scholars and researchers in recognition ofoutstanding achievements in studies related to Islamic civilisationand Muslim cultures. Besides, the competition on the restorationof Islamic architectural monuments – a competition dedicated tothe memory of the late Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saud for his remarkable endeavours in support of preservationof Islamic cultural heritage – was finalised, and the awards werepresented to the winners. We have the pleasure to begin the sectiondevoted to these scholarly and research awards with an article onOIC Secretary General Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu’s receivingthe Alexander Koyré Medal of the International Academy ofthe History of Science, a distinction which is considered as theNobel of history of science. The medal, expressing recognitionof Prof. Ihsanoğlu’s outstanding contributions in the field ofhistory of science and among others, his founding the TurkishSociety for History of Science, was presented to Prof. İhsanoğluat the Academy’s headquarters in Paris, on 12 December. Onbehalf of IRCICA and myself, I would like to renew our heartfeltcongratulations to His Excellency on this occasion.Five congresses/symposiums were co-organised by IRCICAduring October-December in different regions of the worldjointly with Governments, international organisations and/oruniversities on a variety of subjects. We are publishing outlines oftheir proceedings in this issue. We thank you for your interest.Dr. Halit ErenSeptember -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter

Science, Scholarship and ResearchAWARDSOIC SECRETARY GENERAL PROF. EKMELEDDIN İHSANOĞLU,FOUNDER OF THE TURKISH SOCIETY FOR HISTORY OF SCIENCE,HAS BEEN AWARDED THE ALEXANDRE KOYRÉ MEDAL OF THEINTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE (PARIS)The Secretary General of the OIC Professor Ekmeleddinİhsanoğlu, who is the founding Chairman of the TurkishSociety for the History of Science, has been awarded theAlexandre Koyré Medal of the Paris-based InternationalAcademy of the History of Science. The Koyré Medal is adistinction award granted once every two years since 1968 foroutstanding achievements in history of science studies. It isawarded for pioneering and innovative works contributing tothe evolution of studies in history of science. The recipient ofthe award is elected by vote by the members of the Acedemy.Professor Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu is the first Turkish scholarto be awarded this medal. Among his achievements cited forthe award is his editorship and coordination of a 15-volumework on the history of science during the Ottoman periodpublished by IRCICA.Professor İhsanoğlu received the medal from the Presidentof the Academy Prof. Eberhard Knobloch, in a ceremonyheld at the Academy, in Paris, on 12 December 2008. In hisaddress, Prof. Knobloch declared that İhsanoğlu was foundworthy of this distinction not for one work only but for allthe contributions he made to the history of science from thebeginning of his career until the present.An outline of Prof. İhsanoğlu’s career and contributions inthe field was given by Prof. Robert Halleux, member andarchivist of the Academy, who qualified İhsanoğlu’s workas “exemplary” and said “his knowledge of cultures andhis deep sense of the human are amazing, and he does notneglect scholarly activity either.” Quoting Rabelais in hisstatement “Science without conscience is the ruin of the soul”,Prof. Halleux said that “this is why Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu’sscholarly work is valuable to us today, as it never separatessciences from human values. It is because in his thought andhis line of action, İhsanoğlu draws from a double tradition.In the great Ottoman tradition, he is aware of the unlimitedriches of a respectful multiculturality. In the great traditionof the Muslim scholars, he knows that science is alwaysenlightened by faith and that science leads one to God.”In his address of thanks Prof. İhsanoğlu recalled the landmarkevents in his career which had acquainted him with leadingscholars and major works in history of science and guidedhim to engage in highlighting the science of the 600-year2Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77Ottoman period. He explained in particular the aims andmethodology of the research program of immense scope thathad resulted in the 15-volume work on Ottoman science.The International Academy of History of Science, founded in1929, will thus celebrate its 80th anniversary in the comingspring. The Alexandre Koyré medal was granted for thefirst time to Derek Thomas Whiteside who compiled IsaacNewton’s works. Guy Beaujouan was the immediate pastawardee before Prof. İhsanoğlu.Prof. İhsanoğlu, who was the Driector General of IRCICAfrom 1980 until his taking the office at the head of the OICGeneral Secretariat in January 2005, had served as a facultymember in faculties of science before becoming the firstprofessor and founding Head of the Department of Historyof Science at Istanbul University. He wrote numerous books,articles and papers in English, Arabic and Turkish onscience, history of science, Islamic culture, relations betweenthe Muslim world and the Western world, and Turkish-Arabrelations, some of which were translated into Russian, French,Japanese, Malay, Korean and Bosnian. He was conferredmedals and orders by Heads of State around the world.From the left: Prof. Eberhard Knobloch, President of the Academy;Prof. İhsanoğlu; Prof. Robert Halleux,member and archivist of the Academy

IRCICA AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH 2008PRESENTED TO SIX SCHOLARSIRCICA Awards for Excellence in Research, acknowledging remarkable achievements in research and scholarship in thestudy of Islamic civilisation and Muslim cultures, has been presented to six awardees from various fields of specialisation.This was the fifth group of awards after those presented in 1990, 1997, 2000 and 2003 respectively. The award ceremony washeld within the framework of the opening session of the Symposium on “Baghdad (Madinat al-Salam) in Islamic Civilisation”organised by IRCICA jointly with Marmara University, Istanbul, on 7 November 2008 which provided a very fitting scholarlyenvironment for the purpose.The awardeesAbd al-Rahman Ibrahim Abd al-Tawwab(Egypt)Architect Abd al-Tawwab (b. 1916, Egypt) is a leadingspecialist of Islamic architecture and archaeologyand an authority in the conservation of architectural andarcheological heritage. He fulfilled a large number of missionscontributing remarkably to the development of field studies,restoration and conservation, and academic research in hisfields. As a result of the excavations he undertook in Aswan,1600 epitaphs (tomb stone) were discovered. The FrenchScientific Institute is publishing them and until now threevolumes have been completed. In the past he also participatedin the committee of French scientists to study the houses andpalaces of Cairo and the City of Rashid. Furthermore, hereceived the Agha Khan Award for his services during therestoration of the Prince Methqal Mosque by the GermanInstitute. Until the present he serves as consultant at theAssociation of Egyptian Monuments.For many years he taught and supervised graduate studiesat the universities of Asyut, Ain Shams, Cairo, Halwan, andZagazeg. Most well known among his publications are hisbooks titled Our Water Installations though the Ages, SultanQaitbay, and his translation of Dr. Ahmed Fakhri’s book TheBegs. He also put the plan of the book Bases of ArchitecturalDesign and he joined in preparing its scientific material.The award was presented in appreciation of Professor al-Tawwab’s contributions to the assessment and recording,the study and research of the architectural and archeologicalheritage of Egypt, particularly the Islamic and Ottomanperiods, and his valuable services in promoting teachingin this field and developing the latter within the academicdisciplines.Professor Tawwab was not able to travel to Istanbul due tomedical reasons. His spouse, Professor Amal Ahmed HassanAl-Emari, received the award certificate on his behalf.Halil Sahillioğlu (Turkey)Prof. Halil Sahillioğlu (b. 1924, Turkey) is an eminentscholar of economic history of the Muslim world andspecialist of the Archives of Ottoman official documents.His research and teaching as a professor of economic historycontributed concretely and significantly to the increase ofknowledge and interpretation of the sources on economicand social history of the Muslim world, particularly onmonetary history during the period of the Ottoman State.After his PhD thesis on monetary history of the OttomanEmpire from its foundation until the end of 17th century,Sahillioğlu wrote numerous books and articles most of whichhave uncovered previously unknown aspects of central andprovincial financial administration in the Muslim world. Inthe early 1960s he attended the seminars of Fernand BraudelThe award certificate for Prof. al-Tawwab was presented presented byProfessor Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary General of the OIC.The award certificate was presented to Prof. Sahillioğlu byProf. Necla Pur, President of the University of Marmara.September -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter3

UNESCO. He served and is serving as chief editor or memberof the editorial board of more than ten academic journals inJordan and various countries. Prof. Bakhit also serves as amember of the advisory boards of world congresses such asthe Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES), MainzUniversity, Germany; the International Congress for Asianand Northern African Studies (ICANAS). He is a memberof the Board of Experts of Al-Furqan Islamic HeritageFoundation, London. He is the Chairman of the CommitteeEntrusted with the Study of the Contents and Significance ofthe Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran Scrolls and Editor-in-Chiefof the Jordanian Journal for History and Archaeology, bothattached to the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education andScientific Research; he is also member of the Royal Al AlbaitInstitute for Islamic Thought and member of the Board ofTrustees of the Royal Jordanian Hashemite DocumentationCenter, Jordan, among others.Professor Adnan al-Bakhit has published extensively andcoordinated projects particularly on the history of Bilad al-Sham region. He holds the following medals and decorations:Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Decoration for Arts and Culture presentedby the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the University ofJordan Silver Medal, the Arab Historian Decoration of theUnion of Arab Historians, the Jordan Independence Medal,First Grade; the Jordan State Prize for Social Sciences.The award was presented to Professor Bakhit in gratitudefor his contributions to studies in history, particularly thehistory of Bilad al-Sham, institutionalising these studies andpromoting international cooperation in the area.Machiel Kiel (The Netherlands)Prof. Machiel Kiel (b. 1938, Netherlands) is a specialistin Islamic architecture and an authority particularly instudies on Ottoman architectural heritage in the Balkans.From the early 1990s Prof. Kiel taught Islamic architecture inthe University of Utrecht, the University of Durham, Harvard-USA and Moscow State University. He is a contributor tothe Encyclopaedia of Islam published in Turkish since 1991.In 1998 he was appointed to Advisor to UNESCO for thereconstruction of the historical monuments of Bosnia-Herzegovina. His services to the field include the following:since 2003 he is the Vice-President of the Committee forInternational Congresses of Turkish Arts. From December2003 to February 2007 he was the Director of the NetherlandsHistorical-Archaeological Institute, Istanbul. He has aHonorary Doctorate from Ege University, İzmir, and since1997 is a scholarly advisor to the periodicals Muqarnas, andEJOS.The work of Prof. Kiel is based on extensive field surveysincluding his research travels to North Africa, Turkey and Iranfrom 1959 onwards and his traveling to the Balkans every yearduring 1969-1990 to document Ottoman architecture in theregion. He published 12 books and more than 220 articles andencyclopaedia entries on the Ottoman architecture and urbanhistory of the Balkans. He is the author of the book IslamicArchitecture in Albania published by IRCICA. In addition toThe award certificate was presented to Professor. M. Kiel byMr. Mehmet Ali Yıldırım, the District Governor of Umraniye, Istanbul.his research, teaching and authorship, he intervened by wayof collaborative international actions in the restoration ofOttoman buildings in the Balkans including the mausoleumof Sarı Saltuk Dede in Babadag (Romania), the Ghazi EvrenosImaret in Komotini (Greece), the Tomb of Mustafa DolmaBaba and adjecent historical Bektashi cemetery in Kruja(Albania), the Mosque of Fatih Sultan Mehmed in Kostendil(West Bulgaria) and the 14th century Eski Cami of Yambol(Bulgaria), saving them from destruction.The award was presented to Professor Kiel in appreciationof his contributions to the recording of Islamic architecturalmonuments and settlements in the Balkans and SoutheastEurope and collection of information on this heritage,including a considerable amount of non-extant buildings,and his initiatives and contributions to the restoration andconservation of Islamic architectural monuments in theBalkans region.Gholam Ali Haddad Adel (Iran)Dr. Gholam Ali Haddad Adel (b. 1945, Iran), educatedin physics and philosophy, is the President of theIranian Academy of the Persian Language and Literature;Chairman of the Cultural Committee of the IslamicConsultative Assembly (Iranian Parliament); ManagingDirector of Encyclopedia Islamica Foundation in Iran underthe patronage of Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader ofthe Islamic Republic of Iran; and, Professor of Philosophy atTehran University. Dr. Haddad Adel was the Speaker of theIslamic Consultative Assembly from 2004 to 2008. Presidentof the Academy of Persian Language and Literature (1995-2005); Deputy Minister of Education (1982-1993); DeputyMinister of Culture and Islamic Guidance (1978-79). Dr.Haddad Adel is the Editor of The Encyclopedia of the Worldof Islam of which 12 volumes have been published until now.Having been educated in both physics and philosophy, heauthored books on education, philosophy, religion some ofwhich were translated into Arabic and Turkish includingthe following titles: Pathology of Religious Education (2005);Lessons from Quran (2005); Hajj, the Grand Prayer (2003,2007) which was also translated into Arabic and Turkish andSeptember -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter5

published in Beirut and Istanbul; Cultureof Nakedness, Nakedness of Culture (1980)translated into several languages and alsoin Arabic and published in Beirut. Hewrote sixteen different school textbooksin various social sciences, on Persianlanguage and literature, and history, andmore than 200 articles on philosophy,literature, social and political subjects.His translation of the Holy Quran intoPersian and a collection of scholarlyarticles titled With Compliments anddedicated to various professors areforthcoming. His translation of Kant’sProlegomena to Any Future Metaphysics(1988) won the Book of the Year Award ofthe Islamic Republic of Iran in 1989. Healso translated Justus Hartnack’s Kant’sTheory of Knowledge (1999, 2001). Dr.Haddad Adel has Honorary Doctoratesfrom Aligarh Muslim University, Indiaand Baku State University, Azerbaijan. He was awarded theSecond Grade Medal of Honour in Education, Iran.This eminent cultural personality of the Islamic Republicof Iran has supported and assisted the development ofcooperation between the governmental, academic andcultural institutions of Iran and IRCICA.The award was presented to Dr. Gholam Ali Haddad-Adelfor his outstanding contributions to learning in Islamiccivilisation through his directorship of The Encyclopedia ofthe World of Islam and his scholarly endeavours in variousfields of culture that contributed remarkably in increasingthe knowledge and promoting the awareness on the cultural,scientific and intellectual riches of Islam.IRCICA Awards presented in the past years:1. IRCICA Award for Excellence in Research was presentedprecedently in 1990, 1997, 2000, and 2003, respectively, toAnnemarie Schimmel (Germany), Stanford Shaw (USA,Turkey), Oktay Aslanapa (Turkey), Roshdi Rashed (France),İzzet Hasan (Morocco), Muhammed Hamidullah (India,France), Hakim Muhammed Said (Pakistan) (1990), LeilaSabbagh (Syria), Geza Fehervari (Hungary), Kemal Karpat(USA), M. Taib Osman (Malaysia), Abdurrahman Badawi(Egypt) (1997), S. Naquib al-Attas (Malaysia), Iraj Afshar(Iran), Yusuf İbish (Lebanon), William Graham (USA)(2000); Ahmad Hasan Dani (Pakistan), Andreas Tietze(Austria), André Raymond (France), Mahmoud Zouber(Mali), Anas Baqi Khalidov (Tatarstan) (2003).2. IRCICA Award for Patronage in the Preservation of CulturalHeritage and Promotion of Scholarship, aiming to honourpersons and institutions for their patronage and supportextended to cultural and scholarly activities and preservationof cultural heritage, was presented in 2000 and 2003,respectively, to: Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed al-Qassimi(Emir of Sharjah), Sheikh A. Zaki Yamani (Chairman, al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation), Sheikha Hussa al-The award certificate was presented to Dr. Haddad-Adel byProfessor Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu,Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Conference.Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (Kuwait), Hakim Abdul Hamid(India) (2000); Qadi İsmail Aqwa (Yemen), El LegadoAndalusi Museum (Spain), Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia,Sadberk Hanım Museum, Sakıp Sabancı Museum (2003).3. IRCICA Award for Patronage of Inter-Cultural Dialoguewas instituted in 2007 and presented to H.E. Mr. RecepTayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey,in gratitude for his endeavours contributing to culturalaffinities among nations within and outside the Muslimworld; his support of studies on Islamic civilisation andinstitutional endeavours in this regard in national, regionaland international levels, and particularly his support of theactivities of the OIC and IRCICA in their building interculturaldialogues on world scale.Each group of awards in the first two categories werepresented to their recipients in international ceremonies heldwithin the framework of either meetings and anniversarycommemorations organised by IRCICA (its tenth anniversaryin 1990 and its twentieth anniversary in 2000) or ministerialmeetings of the Member States of the Organisation of theIslamic Conference (sessions of the Standing Committeefor Economic and Commercial Cooperation which operatesunder the chairmanship of the President of the Republic ofTurkey).On the occasion of the award presented to the Prime Ministerof Turkey, a special ceremony was held on 2 February 2007with an audience including the President of Tatarstan,Russian Federation, who had visited IRCICA the same day,and the participants in two scholarly meetings involving theIslamic countries being held in Istanbul, namely the meetingon “Islamophobia” convened under the chairmanship ofthe Secretary General of OIC and the Third Meeting of theGroup of Strategic Vision for Russia and the Islamic World.The awards draw interest in academic circles concerned,press and public for their significant contribution in makingknown exemplary figures and highlighting their services inIslamic studies and towards promoting a better understandingof Islam and its civilisation in the world.6Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77

International Cultural CooperationTHE GOVERNOR OF ISTANBUL H.E. MR. MUAMMER GÜLERHAS BEEN PRESENTED WITH THE IRCICA AWARD FOR PATRONAGE OFINTERNATIONAL CULTURAL COOPERATIONFor nearly thirty years now IRCICA has been organisinginternational events including congresses, art festivalsand exhibitions where researchers, artists, collectors of thewritten and artistic heritage and other professionals fromall around the world come together to present their works,perform or display their arts. These events and activitiesprovide the grounds for encounters and exchanges betweenpeoples from different fields, different countries andcultures.Some of these events are held in Istanbul, the seat of IRCICA,and others in the OIC-IRCICA member countries andelsewhere around the world. Several academic congresses,lectures and exhibitions on various themes, as well asevents relating to IRCICA Awards, architectural and artcompetitions, are organised by IRCICA each year and heldin different halls and galleries of Istanbul. A representativeexample of such events is the international “IslamicCountries Cultural Week”, which was held in November2005 in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of IRCICA.It was a large-scale festival held with the contributions ofthe Municipality of Greater Istanbul. It included musicalconcerts, folkloric shows, painting exhibitions, films, andround-tables on architecture and urbanism. The Governor ofIstanbul H.E. Mr. Muammer Güler has extended his supportand encouragement to all these events and officiated a largenumber of them, expressing, on each occasion, his firm beliefin the key role played by cultural cooperation in promotinginternational relations.Lastly, H.E. the Governor graciously accepted the invitationto attend the opening of the symposium organised jointlyby the Council of Europe and IRCICA on “Globalisationand images of the Other: challenges and new perspectivesfor history teaching in Europe”, on 30 November 2008, atIRCICA’s conference hall. The symposium, which alluded topeoples’ images of each other, offered a matching occasionfor IRCICA to pay a warm tribute and express its gratitudeto H.E. the Governor by presenting him with the IRCICAAward for Patronage of International Cultural Cooperation.The opening ceremony was held in the presence of thenearly one hundred participants from the Council of Europemember countries .Dr. Halit Eren, Director General of IRCICA, presented theaward certificate to H.E. Mr. Muammer Güler, expressing hisgratitude for “his support of rapprochement and cooperationamong the Muslim countries and with peoples of othercultures through his patronage of international events thatdisplay the arts and sciences of Muslim countries, highlighttheir share in universal civilisation, and at the same time,underscore the importance of Istanbul at the crossroads ofworld’s cultures and in the history of Islamic civilisation,and in this context, for his patronage and interest extendedto scholarly congresses and culture festivals IRCICA holdsin Istanbul”. The Director General gave the informationthat this award corresponds to one of the three categoriesof awards IRCICA has been presenting since 1990 togetherwith the Award for Excellence in Research and the Award forPatronage of Preservation of Cultural Heritage.H.E. Mr. Muammer Güler was presented a certificate of gratitudeSeptember -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter7

The Award Winners:Site Conservation Category:Shaikh Ibrahim Center and Branches,Revitalisation Strategy for the Old City of Muharraq,Kingdom of BahrainOwner: May bint Mohammad Al-KhalifaArchitect: Ahmed BusheeryBuilding Contractors: Chapos ContractorsIn this project, the aim is to revitalise the old residentialstructures in the historical Muharraq city and re-programthem in the view of current social needs. This initiativestarted in 2002 is still ongoing. Until now, seven buildingswere renovated including the Shaikh Ibrahim Centerand Branches, which is associated with the name of thefounder of the first cultural council in Muharraq Island. Insearch for maintaining a valuable portion of the Muharraqheritage, Shaikh Ibrahim Council was revitalised as a centerfor cultural activities and historical studies. It acts as a linkbetween the past and present, providing cultural continuitythat would contribute in shaping a better future.Shaikha May bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa received the award fromOIC Secretary General Prof. İhsanoğluSingle Building Conservation Category:Great Mabeyn Kiosk (Daire-i Mabeyn-i Humayun), Istanbul, TurkeyOwner: Ministry of Tourism and CultureArchitect: Ahmet SelbesoğluBuilding Contractors: Alba Construction, Industry and Trade Inc.Great Mabeyn Kiosk was constructed in the eclectic style in 1866 by Balyan brothers at the order of Sultan Abdulaziz. TheKiosk was used until the last years of the Ottoman Empire as a place where foreign officials were received, state and inter-statematters were discussed. The Kiosk consists of two regular floors, one basement floor and a half basement floor with a classicalsymmetric plan scheme formed around a central hall (sofa) and iwan. The dimensions of the building are 28.4 m by 43.6m. Exterior walls are double layered with brick masonry inside and stone masonry outside; interior walls are brick masonrycovered with stucco plastering. The ceiling of the ground floor is covered with vaults, while the other floors are coveredwith timber construction. All interiorelements are richly decorated. Also,there are decorations on the ceilingspainted on canvas, as well as somedecorations in oil-paint.In 1977, the ceiling, the floor and thewalls of five different sections of thekiosk were destroyed by a fire; thereforerestoration work was necessary.The repair work was carried out inseveral phases. Before starting therepairs, restoration and conservationtechniques and the materials weretested by specialists for about one year.Also, all restoration activities wereconducted by leading specialists.Mr. Nazım Ekren, State Minister and DeputyPrime Minister of Turkey, presented theaward certificate to Mr. Delibalta, representingthe contracting company of the projectMr. Ahmet Tiktik, Undersecretary of StatePlanning Organization, presented theaward certificate to Mr. Orhan Düzgün,the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s CulturalAssets and Museums general manager,September -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter9

“History and cultures of Muslim Nations” research programINTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON ISLAMIC CIVILISATIONIN VOLGA-URAL REGIONUfa, 14-16 October 2008An international congress on Islamic Civilisation inVolga-Ural Region was held under the patronageof H.E. Murtaza Rakhimov, President of the Republicof Bashkortostan. It was jointly organised by IRCICA,Bashkortostan Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Language,History and Literature attached to the Ufa Science Centerof the Russian Academy of Sciences, Bashkortostan StateUniversity, and State Foundation of Culture and Arts. Theopening ceremony took place at Bashkortostan Art Galleryand the working sessions were held at Ufa Science Center ofthe Bashkortostan Republic’s Academy of Sciences.The congress drew nearly seventy specialists and researchersfrom Bashkortostan, China, France, India, Kazakhstan, Russia,Saudi Arabia, Tatarstan and Turkey. The papers presented anddiscussions held underscored the roleand place of Islam in the history of theregion, especially its cultural history inall areas including language, philosophyand sciences, and its contribution indeveloping multicultural coexistence.The congress was an occasion to appraisethe state of research on the theme andrelated subjects.This was the third congress on the themeof Islamic Civilisation in Volga-UralRegion after the first two congresseswhich were held in Kazan, TatarstanRepublic, under the patronage of thePresident of Tatarstan H.E. MintimerShaimiev, in 2001 and 2005 respectively.The Volga-Ural region historicallyincludes the territories of modernRepublic of Tatarstan, Republic of Bashkortostan, Republicof Chuvashia, Republic of Mari El, Republic of Udmurtia,Republic of Mordovia, the areas situated on Volga and inUral. At the same time, a number of important historicalcities of Islamic culture and learning, such as Ufa, Kazan,Astrakhan, Orenburg and Trotsk are located in this region.Islam started to spread in the region in the middle of 9thcentury.In his comprehensive address at the opening ceremony,President of Bashkortostan H.E. Murtaza Rakhimovunderlined the main traits of Bashkortostan Republic’s statepolicy directed to strengthening international and interreligiousmutual understanding and agreement, friendshipand cooperation between different nations and religions.He said that the 450th anniversary of Bashkiria’s voluntaryjoining the Russian state was celebrated in 2007 and that forCONGRESSESmany centuries friendship between all nations and religionswas preserved and was still being strengthened. Bashkortostanlies at the very center of the Eurasian continent where flowsof Turkic, Slavic and Finno-Ugric nations are inseparablyinterlaced. For many years religious leaders were influentialin shaping spiritual life and providing moral support forthe society. Many Muslim scholars took part in Bashkirintellectual movements; they were teachers and enlighteners,such as Miftahetdin Akmullakh, Muhammad Umetbaev, ZiaKamali, Zainulla Rasulev and others, who became integralparts of Bashkir culture and history. The President said thatBashkortostan and Ufa are important as one of the leadingEurasian spiritual-cultural centers of the Russian Federation.Alluding to the Central Islamic Department which ensurescoordination of the Muslim communities, he said that itsimportance in defining the position ofRussian Muslims and activating dialoguebetween the state and regional Muslimcommunities cannot be overestimated.Of the 927 mosques operational inBashkortostan today, 527 are underthe jurisdiction of the Central IslamicDepartment. The President concludedhis words by stressing that the presenceof Muslims, Christians and people ofother religions will further contributeto strengthening peace, friendship andagreement between nations for thegood of Bashkortostan and the whole ofRussia.Director General of IRCICA Dr. HalitEren, in his address, expressed hisgratitude to President Rakhimov forgraciously extending his patronage to the event and foraddressing the ceremony. He also expressed his appreciationof the collaboration extended by Bashkortostan Academy ofSciences, Bashkortostan State University, and the Instituteof Language, History and Literature attached to the RussianAcademy of Sciences. He reviewed the program of historycongresses organised by IRCICA. IRCICA’s cooperationwith Volga-Ural region had proved to be one of the fastestdevelopingand most fruitful geographical orientations ofits activities. The relations dated long back; mutual visitswere taking place during the 1990s between universities andcultural institutions of the region, especially Bashkortostanand Tatarstan, and IRCICA, but the main drive had startedwith the launching of the congress on Islamic Civilisationin Volga-Ural Region, in 2001, under the patronage of H.E.President Shaimiev, followed by the second congress, held in10Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77

Following the plenary, the participants were guided to a visitto the Research Institute of History, Language and Literature,Academic G. Husainov Manuscripts Fund.The secretarial coordination was done by Ms. Ayna Askarova(IRCICA) and Mr. Narkas Khubitdinova (IIRL).H.E. President Rakhimovreceived Dr. Halit Eren at the Presidential OfficeMoscow State University on 5 June 2006 in the presence of theSecretary General of OIC Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, theeditor of the original edition, Prof. Michael Meyer, Directorof the Institute of Asian and African Studies, Moscow StateUniversity, Editor of the Russian edition, and officiated byMr. Aslambek Aslankhanov, Advisor to the then Presidentof Russia Mr. Vladimir Putin and Mr. Timour Akoulov, StateAdvisor for International Affairs to H.E. Mintimer Shaimiev,President of Tatarstan. During the opening ceremony ofthe Ufa congress, the Russian edition was presented to theparticipants.Following the opening ceremony, a special exhibitionopened on the occasion of the congress was visited by theparticipants with great interest. It was the exhibition of thearchive of the first Religious Administration of Muslimsin Russia which was established in 1788 at the order ofTsaritsa Katherina II. On display were the official records ofthe Administration, copies of the Shura journal which wasone of its publications, and various books and documentsin Russian, Turkish, Persian and Arabic. The exhibition wasopened by Dr. Firdous G. Khisamitdinova, Director of theInstitute of History, Language and Literature.The working sessions started ith the plenary, with lecturesby Prof. I.G. Khusainov from the Bashkortostan Academy ofSciences, who spoke of the “Influence of Islam on BashkirCulture”, and Prof. G.B. Davletshin from Kazan StateUniversity, on “Science in Boljskaya Bulgharia”.The working sessions heard the papers listed below, followedby discussions.Session 1Nadir DevletIslamic Institutions and Activities in the Volga-UralRegion during the 1917 Revolution PeriodKazi SufiurrahamanNiches in the Muslim Organizations, Religious Leadersand Intellectuals of the Volga-Ural Regions (1861-1925)Abuzar KhairiCivilizational Ties Between Volga-Ural Region andCentral AsiaAina AskarovaIslamic Press in the Volga-Ural Region between 1905-1917M. GabdulgafarovaIslam among TatarsSession 2Ramil IstamgalinIslamic Communities and their Cultural Principles in theVolga-Ural RegionSalavat KhussainovIslamic Reform in the Volga-Ural Region during the 18thCentury: Its Characteristics and Historical MeaningGulnara GabdrahmanovaThe Development of Islamic Economy in RussiaSession 3Musa YıldızA Linguistic and Literary Analysis of Musa JarullahBigiev’s Adabiyat ArabiyyaFirdous KhisamitdinovaIslamic and Bashkort MythologyRobert BayimovNaqshi Shaykh and IslamGiniyat KunafinArt in Bashkortostan, 12th-16th Centuries12Mr. Ildus Ilishev, Deputy Prime Minister andMinister of Culture and National Policy,Bashkortostan RepublicNewsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77Session 4Svetlana IskandarovaPoems in Islam and Diyanat JournalsGuzel SitdikovaMadonna in IslamNarkas KhubbittinovaIslamic Traditions in T. Balyaev’s Kuz-Kurpyac StoryAinur KhujakhmetovIslamic Motifs in Gaysa Husainov’s Novels

Session 5Aisulu YunusovaBashkir Moslem Leader Mukhamed-GabdulkhaiKurbangalyev as the «The Great Imam» of the Far EastTeyfur ErdoğduThe Impact of Zeki Velidi Togan on TurkismIlyas KamalovThe Influence of the Golden Horde on RussiaMarat DavletshinIslamic Civilisation in the Golden Horde According toG.A. Fedorov-Davidov’s WorksSession 6Salavat TaimasovThe Religious Cooperation of Bashkorts and Kazakhs inthe 18th CenturyDilara AkbashevaHumanistic Principles of Islam and Their Effects onBashkort SocietyNarkas AkhmadievaReligious Life of Bashkortostan MuslimsGennadii GarustovichThe Beginning of Invitation to Islam in BashkortostanSession 7Özkul ÇobanoğluAn Analysis of the Origin Myth of Bashkorts and itsVariants in the Actual and Historical Contexts of theTurkic WorldAbdüreşit Celil QarluqThe Effect of Jadid Movement on Uyghursİsmail TürkoğluThe Relations between Russian Muslims and Ottomans(1876-1917)İbrahim MaraşAn Analysis of a Survey on the Past after the BolshevikRevolutionP. ShableiOrenburg Muslim Religious Board and Kazakhstan asregards State and SocietySession 8Ali ArslanA Comparison of the Development of the Volga-Ural andOttoman MadrasasM. FarkhshatovAhuns in the Official Hierarchy of the Volga Ural Ulama(18-19th Centuries)A. AkhatovIslam in the Volga Ural Region and the Education ofMuslims in the Second Half of 19th CenturyG. SultangalievaActions of the First Mufti of Orenburg Muslim ReligiousBoard in Kazakhstan SteppesSession 9Mohd SanaullahThe Timurid Lyceum: Kaleidoscopes of Historicism andHagiography on the Timurid Legacy in Oriental andOccidental SourcesAbdullah GündoğduPilgrim and Traveler: Hajnamas from Volga-Ural RegionMustafa GülerThe Fact of Pilgrimage in the Volga-Ural Region and theApproach of the Ottoman State towards the Pilgrimsfrom Volga-UralMehmet TezcanAbout the Volga-Region and its Muslim People at theBeginning of the 18th Century According to the Journeysof John Bell of Antermony, a Scottish Physician under theService of RussiaRima SuleimanovaThe Problem of Women’s Rights in the Works of MuslimIntellectualsSession 10Mustafa EravcıThe Image of Nogais in the Steppes of the Caspian Sea inthe 19th Century According to English TravelsHasan Kara, Alper BaşerAstrakhan in the View of English and French Travelers inthe First Quarter of 19th CenturyA. SibgatullinaPilgrimage in the Volga Ural Region at the Beginning of19th CenturyR. BulgakovRızaaddin b. Fakhraddin’s Turkish Manuscripts in theArchive of the Ufa Branch of the Russian Academy ofSciences and Its Effects on Islamic Studies in the SovietEraSession 11A. GazizovaRasulia Madrasa: A Work of Sufi Shaykh Zainulla RasulevB. AkhmetshinThe Highest Level of Perfection: Zainulla Rasulev in theMemory of GenerationsM. NadergulovWritten Sources on Zaynulla-IshanG. HusainovaSayings of Akkujins about Zainulla IshanB. PaluanovThe Historical Origins of Bashkorts and KarakalpaksSeptember -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter13

Session 12Z. Minibaeva- Z. KhabibovaMagical Stick of Muslim SaintsGuzel Valeeva-SuleimanovaTransformation of Tatar Art in the Early 20th CenturyE. GibadullinaThe Architectural Characteristics of Samara Mosques inthe 19th and 20th CenturiesA. ShirgazinAn Unknown Work of Islamic Architecture: The WoodenMosque in Yanbaris Village, Bashkortostan RepublicSession 13Z. RakhmatullinaThe Effects of Islam on Bashkort CultureL. YamaevaSufism among BashkortsF. FatıkhovaSome Judicial and Traditional Norms in the Domesticand Marital Traditions of BashkortsZ. M. DavletshinaThe Effects of Islam on Bashkort’s Daily LifeSession 14E. MigranovaThe Effects of Islam on the Traditional Bashkort CuisineM. SuleimanovaIslam and Traditional Bashkort BelieversYa. AbsalyamovaAwliyas (Muslim Saints): The Status of Muslim Saints inBashkorts, Examples of South OrenburgI. MinulinSufism in Tatarstan: Problems of Continuity in the SovietEraAzalia IlimbetovaThe Tradition of “Iuiz-koyimagi” of BashkortsSession 15I. SharapovaIslamic Festivals in Bashkort Traditional CultureE. KosikhDomestic and Inheritence Relations of Bashkorts in theRussian EmpireАibulat YanguzinFreedom in the Philosophy of MysticismR. UrazmanovaTraditions and Feasts of Tatars of Volga–Uraldialogue of peoples of different faiths. These features createdfavourable grounds for the evolution of a rich and diversifiedscientific, cultural and artistic production in the Volga andUral region for a millennium. This accumulated civilisationalheritage has not been studied and made known thoroughlyyet; therefore researches need to continue on its variousaspects. Discussions during the symposium underlined thatMuslims in Volga-Ural and all over the Russian Federationare endowed with the means and capacities to study, protectand disseminate information on their Islamic values andheritage. Achievements made and gaps and deficienciesobserved in the study and teaching of Islamic history andculture were pointed out including the need for specialists insome areas of history and theology, problems experienced,possibilities of cooperation. These and other remarks of theparticipants were compiled in the form of a declaration, whichcalled for measures towards expanding and disseminating towider public the researches on history, sociology, ethnology,theology and language. To this aim, among others, a federalalmanac titled “Islamic civilisation in Russia: past, presentand future” will be instituted and prepared jointly by thethe Institute of Language, History and Literature and theIslamic University of Russia. The declaration also called forthe establishment of a museum of Islamic culture and artsin the region. Furthermore, the declaration pointed to theneed of giving continuity and periodicity to the symposiumand enhancing its international character. In this regard,the participants welcomed the invitation by H.E. PresidentRakhimov to organise the fourth symposium in Ufa.Within the framework of the cultural programs of thecongress, a visit was organised to the house where theprominent Bashkir orientalist and nationalist activist AhmetZeki Velidi (Validov) Togan (1890-1970) was born. Thehouse is now preserved as a museum. Educated in Kazan(Tatarstan), Togan published extensively, mostly in Turkishand German, on the history of the Turkic peoples, includinghis own memoirs (Hatıralar). During the Soviet period hisname was associated with reactionary Bashkir nationalism.In the early 1990s his name was rehabilitated in his homeland,where he is now recognised as the father of today’s Republicof Bashkortostan.The symposium participants formulated concluding remarks,in which they underlined the unifying and constructiveimpact of Islam as a religion of peace and justice and theestablished tradition and understanding of Islam in Russiareflecting moderation, support of the peaceful coexistence and14Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77Shura journal published by the first Religious Administrationof Muslims in Russia

SYMPOSIUM ON BAGHDAD (MADINAT AL-SALAM)IN ISLAMIC CIVILISATIONIstanbul, 7-9 November 2008Baghdad, founded in the 8th century A.D. as the capital ofAbbasids, was populated by different races, colours andcreeds. Situated at the crossroad of commercial and culturalactivities, it produced countless scientists, philosophers,historians and authors and housed the Bayt al-hikma (houseof wisdom); remarkable madrasas, booksellers and libraries.Knowledge in all fields brought from the east and the westwere melted in a pot, developed and enriched with newcontributions. So the city became a major link in the chain ofevolution of world sciences and cultures and contributed touniversal civilisation in this way until the Mongol destructionafter which this role and status it had assumed graduallyweakened. The deep sadness felt for Baghdad by peoples ofthe world since 2004 is coupled by grief over the loss of atreasure of scientific and philosophical heritage.The symposium which was jointlyorganised by The Faculty of Theology ofthe University of Marmara, UmraniyeMunicipality of Istanbul and IRCICAproposed a reflection on the memoryof Baghdad in the light of historical andpresent-day experiences subsequentto its glory. The meeting drew paperson politics, economy, science andeducation, religious trends, social andreligious life, the status of non-muslims,architecture, art and literature in thefollowing periods:- Baghdad from its establishmentto the Mongol destruction,- From Mongol destruction to theOttoman period,- Baghdad during the Ottomanperiod,- Baghdad after the Ottoman period up to today.The opening ceremony heard the addresses of Mr. HasanCan, the Mayor of Umraniye Municipality in Istanbul, cosponsorof the symposium; Dr. Halit Eren, Director Generalof IRCICA; Assist. Prof. Mustafa Budak, Deputy DirectorGeneral of the State Archives of Turkey; Prof. Raşit Küçük,Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Marmara University; Prof.Necla Pur, President of Marmara University; and, H.E. Prof.Ekmeleddin Ihsnanoğlu, Secretary General of the OIC.Eighty-two social scientists from thirteen countries, includingIraq itself and the host country Turkey itself, participated inthe symposium.Director General of IRCICA Dr. Eren outlined the aim ofthe symposium: generating new researches and reflectionstowards a deeper understanding of the role of Baghdad inthe shared history of the Muslim world and entire humancivilisation. He said that in the present reconstructionprocess after what befell Baghdad in the global politics oftwenty-first century, such reconsideration of the memoryof Baghdad can deepen the knowledge of what a successfulapplication of the principles of pursuit of science and butalso of multi-cultural tolerance meant, as was achieved in thehistory of Baghdad under the Abbasid caliphate. It can showhow these principles found one of their best expressions inthis city following the examples of the Islamic spiritual andpolitical capitals beginning with Madina, abode of the firstIslamic state, Makkah and Al-Quds, the two other holy citiesin Islam, and the capitals of the successive Muslim statesbefore and contemporary to Baghdad including Damascus,Cordoba, Cairo, and Istanbul. Under their governancepeoples of different faiths and cultures coexisted in thelands of Islam. Translating the precepts of Islam in real lifethese cities became leaders in intellectual advancement ofhumankind and also in achieving adialogue of cultures much sought intoday’s world. Baghdad contributedsignificantly in this historical process.The Mayor of Umraniye district ofIstanbul Mr. Hasan Can expressed thebelief that the symposium, which drewparticipants from around the world,will convey through them a message forawareness of the glorious civilisationalhistory of Baghdad, its course of progressand prosperity which was interruptedby the Moghol invasion, then regainedits glory during the Ottoman period,but saw another large-scale destructionat the beginning of 21st century, and forthe need to reconstruct the city and andrestore its glory.Then, the Deputy Director General ofthe State Archives of Turkey Assist. Prof. Mustafa Budak wasinvited ot the floor to give information on the exhibition ofselected historical documents on Baghdad and Iraq whichwas put up on this occasion next to the conference hall. Dr.Budak spoke of the constructive civilisations and detructivecivilisations in history, referring to the constructive measuresand activities implemented during the Ottoman period. Theexhibition comprised mostly documents dating from thereign of Sultan Abdulhamid II and relating to the buildingof infrastructure such as bridges, school buildings, the Hejazrailway, and letters sent by notables of Baghdad to the Sultanupon proclamation of the Second Constitution (1908).In his address, the Dean of the Faculty of Theology ofMarmara University Prof. Raşit Küçük recalled that the greatcivilisations of the world had established urban centers ofimportance commensurate with their greatness and evolvedfrom within and around these centers. The terms “city” and“civilisation” are generally used together and in relation withSeptember -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter15

each other. The study of the history of civilisations involvesthe study of the history of cities. Such study also involvesremembrance, better understanding, and perhaps payinga tribute, centuries later, to the memory of the numerousphilosophers, scientists and artists who lived in those citiesand contributed to the progress of civilisation. In the differentregions Islam spread, at different epochs of its history, majorcities were established where a harmonious, often friendlyand brotherly coexistence of peoples of different racesand faiths was achieved. Baghdad is one of those cities. Itsymbolizes, from many angles, Islam’s spirit and principlesreflected in the civilisational history of Baghdad. One ofthe main reasons for chosing Baghdad as the topic of thesymposium is that this city has been in the world agendain the past and at present; it has seen occupations anddestruction as well as periods of glory. Part of its multisideddestiny will be highlighted in this symposium. Dr. Küçükplace in the surface of the world. What happened in Baghdadhad implications and effects on what happened elsewhere. TheSecretary General said that the symposium theme evoked theglories of Baghdad when the fate of the city once more haddeep resonances on fate of the region as well as the modusoperandi of the world affairs at large. He expressed his hopethat though the concerns continue, gradual improvementin the overall situation in Iraq will contribute to provide thenecessary conditions for the social, cultural and intellectualreconstruction of Baghdad in the long run. The SecretaryGeneral reviewed the steps taken by the OIC to make a positiveimpact to overcome the problems relating to the unfortunatedisaster Iraq and Baghdad faced in the recent years: theconvening a conference of reconciliation in Makkah on 20thOctober 2006 between Iraqi Sunnites and Shi’ites whichissued the Makkah Document on Iraq signed by Sunni andShi’ite scholars in Iraq; opening of a representative office inProf. Necla Pur,President of Marmara UniversityMr. Hasan Can, the Mayor of UmraniyeMunicipality in IstanbulProf. Raşit Küçük, Dean of the Faculty ofTheology, Marmara Universityexpressed the hope that this symposium will be the first of aseries of meetings on the subject.H.E. Prof. Necla Pur, President of Marmara University, saidthat a feeling of deep sadness accompanied the appreciationof the symposium’s academic importance, a feeling ofsadness and compassion for Baghdad in the face of itspresent situation. The image of Baghdad in our minds, shesaid, has always been one of culture, arts and sciences, in allits glory at the time of the Abbasids, and later on accountof the magnificent cultural and artistic achievements of theOttoman period. In the coverage of the different epochsof Baghdad’s history, reference is made to the Mogholinvasion, but the destruction that has been inflicted on thecity today by the USA is far deeper, far more alarming thanthe invasion by Moghols. Prof. Pur expressed her belief thatthe last sessions of this symposium, which will highlight thesuccessive epochs in Baghdad’s history, will cover, in a mostobjective manner, the present situation of Baghad under allits aspects.H.E. Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary General of theOIC, said, in his address, that for him as an academicianof history of science, Baghdad meant much more than anordinary city, and at a very critical period in the rise of theIslamic civilisation it was the centre of education, culture andcommerce. It was the House of Wisdom, a most intellectualBaghdad in July 2008 in a bid to contribute to the promotionof national reconciliation, putting an end to sectarian violence,and establishing security and stability in Iraq, participation inthe meetings of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Iraq`sNeighbouring Countries initiated by Turkey as well as inthe last three Ministerial expanded meetings of the ForeignMinisters with the Permanent members of the UN SecurityCouncil. In these meetings the OIC`s role in support of Iraqwas acknowledged and appreciated. In addition, upon theOIC’s initiative, these political meetings called on IRCICA andother institutions such as UNESCO, ISESCO and ALECSOto take initiatives in the field of preservation of the culturalheritage of Iraq. The Secretary General Prof. İhsanoğlu saidthat the OIC General Secretariat and all OIC institutions willcontinue to endeavour to extend all possible forms of assistanceto Iraq in order to achieve lasting peace and development inthis brotherly country and one of the founding members ofthe OIC.In the latter part of the opening ceremony, the six awardeesof the IRCICA Awards for Excellence in Research 2008 wereannounced and invited to the floor to receive their awardcertificates.The keynote speech of the symposium was given by Prof.Ömer Faruk Akün from the Faculty of Letters, IstanbulUniversity.16Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77

The titles of the sessions and the papers (either in English,Turkish or Arabic) were as follows:FOUNDATION OF BAGHDADGhade Musa Ruzuki al-SlikThe Round [City of] Baghdad in the year 1250İsmail YiğitSome Remarks on Narrations Concerning theEstablishment of BaghdadAntrim Zayde GordonConnectivity and Creativity: Baghdad in the Discourse ofPlace, 3rd/9th - 5th/11th CenturiesSubhi al-AzzawiSymbolism in the Architecture of BaghdadPOLITICAL-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS in BAGHDADMehmet Bahaüddin VarolImpacts of Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Bayt’s Policies on theSocial and Political Life in BaghdadAhmet GünerSome Images from Baghdad during the Shiite Century orthe Buwayhid AgeVanessa Van RenterghemSocial and Urban Dynamics in Baghdad during the SeljuqPeriod (mid. 11th mid. 12th c.)CULTURAL FORMATIONS in BAGHDADOliver LeamanThe Ideology of Madinat al Salam and the Concept ofBaghdad in Arab CultureHusniddin MamadalievBaghdad between the 9th-10th Centuries and its Place inCultural Life of Central Asian PeoplesMehmet Mahfuz SöylemezCultural Links between Baghdad and MarwShamsiddin KamoliddinOn the Origin of Ibn al-NadimMONGOL INVASION and BAGHDAD - IH. Ahmet ÖzdemirFor How Many Days Mongols Plundered Baghdad? AnAnalysis of a NarrationFatih Yahya AyazEarly Mamluk Historians’ Narrations and Interpretationsabout Invasion of Baghdad by MongolsJawad AbbasiReconstruction of Baghdad after the Mongol Invasion:‘Ata’ Malik Juwayni’s Tenure of Office (1259-1282)MONGOL INVASION and BAGHDAD - IINoori Abdul Hameed KhaleelThe Role of Baghdad in the Acquisition of Islamic Cultureduring the Mogol PeriodTia WheelerBaghdad during Timur’s Conquestsİlhan ErdemBaghdad during the Aq-Qoyunlus [1469-1508]NON-MUSLIMS in BAGHDADBahjat Kamil Abdullatif IrhaymIndications of Co-Existence of Muslims and Christiansduring the Early Abbasid Period [145–221/762–835]Nuh ArslantaşBaghdad as a Religious and Administrative Center ofJewish Communities of Middle AgesMuhittin MacitThe Christian Translators of Baghdad in the 9th and 10thCenturiesINTELLECTUAL FORMATIONS in BAGHDADMustafa DemirciAll Roads Lead to Baghdad: Transmission of Science andThought of AntiquityMohammad Mukhtar Derar al-MuftyContributions of Muslim Scholars on the ThoughtMovements in Baghdad: the Example of Khatib al-Baghdadi’s (d. 463/1076)Tarikh al-BaghdadSabah Ibraheem Said al-ShaikhliScientific Travels during theLate Abbasid Period andBaghdadi DoctorsNajiyah Abdullah Ibraheemal-ArabiThe Scholarly Efforts of theDirector of MustansirriyaLibrary (Hazin al-Kutub)Historian İbn as-Sa’i al-BaghdadiSeptember -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter17

ECONOMIC STRUCTURE OF BAGHDADAhmet Turan YükselCommercial Structure of Baghdad at the Time ofFoundation and its Commercial RelationsStefan HeidemannUnislamic Taxes and an Unislamic Monetary System inSeljuq BaghdadRecep UlusoyOttoman Monetary System and the Baghdad CurrencySUFISM in BAGHDADEkrem DemirliTasawwuf at the Capital: The Baghdad School and itsSignificance in the History of TasawwufAfshan BokhariBetween Shari’a and Tariqa: ‘Gendering’ Sufism inBaghdad and BeyondYakup ÇiçekBaghdadi Sufis in the Work Titled Tibyan al-wasaili’l-Hakaik fi Bayani Selasili’t-TaraikOTTOMAN-IRAN RELATIONS and BAGHDADFunda DemirtaşThe Detailed Panorama of Iraqayn Campaign in theNarrations of Celal-zade Mustafa ÇelebiRemzi KılıçThe Ottomans’ Take Over of Sovereignty in Baghdad andKanuni’s Activities in BaghdadKioumars GhereghlouThe Question of Baghdad in the Course of the Ottoman-Safavid Relations According to Safavid Narrative SourcesMesut AydınerThe Hard Days of Baghdad: The Eight-month Siege ofNadir ShahFIQH and ARABIC LANGUAGE in BAGHDADMurtaza BedirThe Rise and the Fall of the Hanafi School of Law inAbbasid BaghdadMehmet Nuri GülerFiqh Oriented by Mawali versus Fiqh Developed by ArapReaction during the Early Period of BaghdadHalil İbrahim KaçarThe Contribution of Baghdad School of Language andLiterature to Islamic CultureSalih Mahdi AbbasEfforts Towards Concord in Language in 4th-CenturyBaghdadOTTOMAN ADMINISTRATION in BAGHDAD - IMustafa EravcıNiyazi’s Zafer-Name and the Activities of Beylerbeyi AliPashaMustafa GülerSüleyman Pasha, Governor of Baghdad, and his Activities[1779-1802]18Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77Ebubekir CeylanThe Report of Abdurrahman Pasha, Governor ofBaghdad, Concerning IraqEyüp BaşOttoman Administration in Baghdad According toContemporary Arab HistoriansOTTOMAN ADMINISTRATION in BAGHDAD - IISalih Kh. MohammadThe Establishment and Activities of the British Consulatein Baghdad in the Ottoman PeriodMahmoud Masri, Nadheer Jabbar Hussein, Ali Shaker Ali“Arazi-yi Seniyye” in Baghdad during the Reign of SultanAbdulhamid II (1876–1909)Hulûsi YavuzA Prestigious Project of Sultan Abdulhamid II; BaghdadRailwayOTTOMAN ADMINISTRATION in BAGHDAD -IIIFazıl Mehdi BayatManifestations of Ottoman Administration in BaghdadProvince: a Historical Evaluation in the Light of OttomanSources and DocumentsFleiah Kaream al-Rekabi, Abdul-Wahied Mishaal AbidSocial Situation in Baghdad Province during the OttomanPeriodMehmet AkkuşTurkish Culture in Baghdad and its Surrounding Areaaccording to Hatibi’s Tezkire-i Şuara-i BagdadHisham Swadee HashemBaghdad Towards the End of 19th Century in the Lightof Ali Bey’s Travel to Iraq Between the Years 1300-1304/1882-1886PHILOSOPHY and LOGIC in BAGHDADMehmet BayrakdarThe Baghdad School of PhilosophyAli DurusoyA Turning Point in the History of Logic: the BaghdadSchool of LogicAmmar DjidelBaghdad: An intersection of Sciences or the University ofthe Muslim worldEmily J. CottrellFrom Baghdad and Rayy to Tabriz and Sivas, ThroughKhorassan: Reading the Classics in the 12th-13th CenturyKALAM in BAGHDADHatice ArpaguşMutazilite School of Baghdad: the Example of al-Qa’bîOsman AydınlıBaghdadian Mutazilites’ Contributions to IslamicSciences and ThoughtOsman DemirMutakallimun of Baghdad Mutazilite Sect (Bagdadiyyun)and their Influence on Intellectual and Political Shapingof the Age

FINE ARTS in BAGHDADŞeyda AlgaçThe Gilded Qurans of Yakut al-Musta’simi in Baghdad(669-696/1270-1297)Sheila BlairBaghdad: Calligraphy Capital under the MongolsYuka KadoiBaghdad and the East: A Sino-Mongolian ArtisticConnection up to 1400Zeren TanındıThe Painted Shahnama of the Daftardar of BaghdadARCHITECTURE in BAGHDADSuphi SaatçiMimar Sinan’s Works in BaghdadAbdüsselam UluçamSome Examples of Architectural Monuments in Baghdadduring the Ilkhans and Djalayirids PeriodsAhmad Abdulwahid Thanoon TahaArchitectural Features of Mustansirriya Medersa inBaghdadTRAVELLERS in BAGHDADAbdulwahid Thanoon TahaThe Baghdad Civilisation in the Light of the Traveloguesof Ibn Jubayr and Ibn BattutaMehmet ŞekerBaghdad According to Evliya Celebi’s TravelogueEsra DoğanBaghdad According to Travel Books of Iranian PilgrimsHatem Abdel-Rahman Hatem al-TahawyBaghdad and its Culture According to Chinese Sources:The Example of Chau Ju-KuaBAGHDAD in the MODERN PERIOD - IMahmoud Abdulwahid MahmoudBaghdad, 1869–1914: A New GlimpseDavut HutThe Formation of the Baghdad Branch of the Committeeof Union and Progress and Some Reflections of theProclamation of Second Constitution in Baghdadİsmail Nuri HamidiThe Attitude of Baghdadi People towards Ottoman Forcesduring the First World War (1914-1918)Osamah A. Noaman al-DooriThe Social Situation of Baghdad during the BritishOccupation (1917–1920)BAGHDAD in the MODERN PERIOD - IIWissam al-ZahawieThe Cultural Scene in Baghdad and its Socio-PoliticalBackdrop on the Eve of the Revolution of 1958: APersonal MemoirSalih BıçakçıFrom Madinat al-Salam to a New Baghdad: to be theOther in the New Order, and Security CultureUsama Nasır al-NaqshibandyAttacks on Iraqi Manuscripts during the OccupationPeriod (1991–2003)MUSIC in BAGHDADAhmet Hakkı TurabiA Theorist of Music in Baghdad: Ya’qub Ibn Ishaq al-Kindi (d. 261/874)Fazlı ArslanBaghdad and the Science of Music (Nasīr al-Dīn al-Tūsī,Safī al-Dīn al-Urmawī and Qutb al-Dīn al-Shirāzī)Mehmet Nuri UygunAn Artist and Scholar, Safī al-Dīn al-UrmawīEnlightening the City of Baghdad in the 13th CenturyHüseyin AkpınarBaghdad from the Point of View of Turkish MusicGüray KırpıkINSTITUTIONS in BAGHDADThe Foundation, Structure and Operation of BaghdadNizamiyya MadrasaSaid ÖztürkBaghdad Waqfs in the 16th CenturyNabila Abdulmunim DawoodScientific Mentality in Baghdad Medersas: theMustansirriya ExampleBilal AybakanThe First Mudarris of Baghdad’s Nizamiyya Madrasa;Abu Ishak al-ShiraziConcluding remarks were given in the last session by Prof.Raşit Küçük, Dean, Prof. Mustafa Fayda, and Prof. Ziya Kazıcı,members of the Faculty of Theology, Marmara University;Dr. Halit Eren, Director General of IRCICA, and Prof. SuphiSaatçi from Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts.An exhibition of documents reflecting part of the history ofBaghdad, selected and presented by the Directorate of theOttoman Archives in Istanbul, was opened on the occasionof the symposium.A book containing the reproductions and Arabic translationsof official Ottoman archive documents concerning Baghdadtogether with historical maps and photographs prepared byDr. Fadil Bayat from IRCICA was published and distributedto the symposium participants.A booklet introducing the recipients of the IRCICA Award forExcellence in Research 2008, as well as the award programsof IRCICA since their inception in 1990 and the awardees ofthe previous years, was also distributed to the participants.September -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter19

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON“ISLAMIC CIVILISATION IN SOUTH ASIA”Dhaka, 16-18 November 2008The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Governmentof the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and IRCICA,in association with Dhaka University, have organised asymposium on “Islamic Civilisation in South Asia”.H.E. Hon’able Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmad, Chief Advisor ofthe Government of Bangladesh, graciously extended hispatronage to the symposium.The opening ceremony started with a welcoming addressby Mr. Muhammad Imran, Director General (InternationalOrganisations), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.Mr. Imran underlined the importance of convening thisscholarly congress in Bangladesh as a result of fruitfulcooperation between the Ministry and IRCICA. He conveyedthanks to all those who contributed in its organisation.Then, IRCICA Director General Dr. Halit Eren thankedH.E. the Honourable Chief Advisor for having graciouslyextended his patronage to the event which “increases itssignificance and underlines the importance accordedby their esteemed Government to scholarly and culturalcooperation within the framework of international relations,in particular with the OIC Member States and theiracademic communities in the present context”. The DirectorGeneral also thanked University of Dhaka for the excellentcollaboration in conducting this symposium. He alluded toIRCICA’s cooperation with the cultural institutions, librariesand universities of South Asia, foremost among themBangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. He said one of thesignificant features of culture in South Asia is the abundanceof scholarly and scientific literature produced over thecenturies reflecting the long history of intellectual activity inthis region. Speaking of Islamic literature in particular, Urduhas been one of the languages which contributed importantlyto this literature over history, not only because it is one of themost widely spoken languages of the Muslim world, but alsodue to the emergence of prominent scholars and writers invarious fields from this region.Prof. Dr. S.M.A. Faiz, Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University,emphasized the importance of the symposium from scholarlypoint of view. The symposium was officially inaugurated byH.E. Mr. Md Touhid Hossain, the Foreign Affairs Secretaryof the Government of Bangladesh, as the Chief Guest. In hisaddress, the Foreign Secretary said that his nation with itsthousands of years of history has its deep-rooted convictionin the human spirit and the dignity of human expressions,and that with the infusion of Islam in the mainstreamsocio-cultural modes of existence, the people of Bangladeshhave ascribed an even greater conviction in the equalityand universality of core human values. A collective effortshould be in place to promote greater understanding anddemonstrate commitment to peace and moderation, to20Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77prove that terrorism, fundamentalism, and intolerance arealien to Islam. Mr. Hossain said that “only such actions canprove to the world that Islamophobia is unjust and unfair”.He recalled Muslims increasingly realise that their societieswould benefit from more dialogues to ensure integration intothe global political, economic and intellectual community:“such initiatives will help counter the forces that fuelpolarization and extremism and generate ideas on how toovercome these barriers”. The Foreign Secretary pointed outthat researches and dialogues should be aimed at buildingrespect and understanding among cultures and expressedthe hope that the symposium would be another step forwardtowards that end.The symposium concretised a project IRCICA had launchedyears ago, that of maintaining a forum for exchanges betweenscholars and researchers dealing with various aspects of thehistory of Islam and Muslim cultures in South Asia, and in thisregard, renewing the forum created by the first symposiumentitled “Islamic History, Art and Culture in South Asia”which was held in 1986 in Pakistan and organised jointlywith the Islamic University Islamabad. The aim and wishwere fulfilled thanks to the approval of the Government ofBangIadesh and the cooperation extended by the Ministryof Foreign Affairs.Following the opening session, an Art & PhotographyExhibition was inaugurated at Zainul Gallery of DhakaUniversity. Prof. Dr. S.M.A. Faiz, Vice Chancellor, DhakaUniversity, inaugurated the exhibition. On display weredocumentary photographs of Islamic monuments ofBangladesh and works of calligraphy. The photographs,taken by the eminent photographer Mr. Babu Ahmed,demonstrated the architectural and ornamental features ofvarious historical buildings of Bangladesh. Calligraphies bywell-known artists from Bangladesh were displayed namelyMr. Murtaja Baseer, Dr. Abdus Satter, Mr. MohammadSyful Islam, Mr. Ibrahim Mondol, Mr. Arifur Rahman, Mr.Prof. Dr. S.M.A. Faiz, Vice Chancellor ofDhaka University

Aminul Islam Amin, and Mr.Mohammad Abdur Rahim.The brochure of the exhibitionis enriched by a scholarlyIntroduction by Prof. SyedMahmudul Hasan, President ofthe Islamic Arts Organisation,Bangladesh.On the last day of thesymposium, Dr. IftekharAhmed Chowdhury, ForeignAdviser, received IRCICADirector General Dr. Halit Erenat his office. The talks centeredaround cooperation betweenthe governmental institutionsof Bangladesh and IRCICA:the two parties affirmedtheir intention to hold othersymposiums in fields related to culture and arts in future, theneed to intensify the contacts in order to fully cover the Islamicsites and monuments of Bangladesh in the Prince Sultan binSalman Islamic Architectural Heritage Database maintainedby IRCICA, to look into the ways and means of developingcooperation programs between the Department of Historyof Dhaka University and IRCICA, and, the possibility oftraining Bangaldeshi artists, in particular calligraphers, inIstanbul under the coordination of IRCICA. The ForeignAdviser spoke later to the media affirming that Islamic ethosand values have a natural focus in the nation’s history andculture and that Bangladesh has always been participatingin the major OIC events and consistently endeavouring topromote the objectives and the spirit of the OIC Charter andthe cause of the Islamic Ummah. This meeting, as well as thesymposium, were reported amply in the major newspapers,including The News Today, The Bangladesh Observer, NewAge, The Daily Star.Dr. Iftekhar A. Chowdhury, Foreign Adviser, Government of Bangladesh,received IRCICA Director General Dr. Halit Eren in his officeThe symposium covered a large variety of subjects under itsbroad theme. A list of the papers presented follows.Session 1Khurram Qadir (Pakistan)“Formation of the Muslim Tradition of Intellectualism inSouth Asia”K.M.H. Khalideen (Sri Lanka)“Islam in Sri Lanka”Syed Qandil Abbas (India)“Islamic Resurgence and Islamic Civilization in theSubcontinent”Session 2Abdul Rauf (Pakistan)“Mawlana Shibli Numani’s Response to theContemporary Perspectives”Mujeeb Ahmad (Pakistan)“Dawat-i Islami: A Revivalist Movement of Barelwis”Sh. Ishtiaque Ahmed (India)“Shah Waliullah Dehlavi: The Great Pioneer and Revivalistof Muslim Cultures in the Indian Sub-continent”Maqbool Ahmad Siraj (India)“Hindu-Muslim Cultural Intercourse in IndianSubcontinent was Rule, Not Exception”Altaf Qadir (India)“The War of Independence 1857 and the North-WestFrontier: The Struggle of Mujahideen against the English”Session 3Ayesha Begum (Bangladesh)“The Zinjira Mughal Palace and its Architectural Remains”Durgadas Mukhopadhyay (India)“Syncretization of Spiritual Traditions in India andBangladesh”September -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter21

Syed Minhaj ul Hassan (Pakistan)“Women, War and Peace in Pakhtoons’Society:A Religio-Cultural Study”Habiba Khatun (Bangladesh)“Islamic Architecture of South Asia withReference to Bangladesh”Session 4Rizwanur Rahman (India)“Sharafuddin Ahmad Maneri: The PatronSaint of Islam in the Indian Province”Muhammad Ataur Rahman Miazi(Bangladesh)“The Role of Sufis in the Preaching ofIslam in Bangladesh”Syed Akhtar Husain (India)“Amir Khosrow: The Architect of Indo-Islamic Culture”Abuzar Khairi (India)“Sufis of Central Asian Origin and Indian Culture”Muhammad Sanaullah (India)“Aspects of Inter and Intra-cultural Mingling in theGnostic Sufi Brotherhoods of the Indian Sub-Continent”Dr. Syed Anwar Hossain (Bangladesh)“Islam in South Asia”Session 5Muhammad Iqbal Husain (India)“Arabic Language: A Source of Islamic Civilisation andCulture in India”Mirza Asmer Beg (India)“Muslim Educational Institutions in South East Asia”Mohammad Ayub (India)“Arabic Journalism in India from 1871 to 1960”Session 6Mansura Haidar (India)“Introducing Some New Illustrated Manuscripts”Quzi Azizul Mawla, Fatema Meher Khan (Bangladesh)“Shared Roots of Dhaka’s Urban Morphology:South AsianContext”Arshi Kan (India)“BeyondMulticulturalism:Situating the Roleof Islam in Indiafor Peaceful Cohabitation”The symposium program was enriched with a series ofinstructive cultural visits. One of them was a visit to LalbaghFort, an important must-see palace-fort which was built inthe second half of 17th century by Prince Mohammad Azam,administrator in Bengal, son of Aurangzeb, the powerfulMoghol emperor, and Shayesta Khan, lieutenant for theprovince of Bengal. The complex of Lalbagh Fort includes otherimportant monuments such as the Tomb of Bibipari, daughterof Shayesta Khan, and the Audience Room and Hammam(bath) used as a museum. The participants also visited AhsanManjil, a palace of the Nawabs of Dhaka built in the secondhalf of 19th century, which houses a museum of great beauty.These sites and monuments are attached to the Department ofArcheology of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.The participants in the congress visited the IslamicUniversity of Technology (IUT) in Gazipur, a subsidiary ofthe Organisation of the Islamic Conference. The universitywas initially established as the Islamic Centre for Technicaland Vocational Training and Research (ICTVTR) in 1981.Its current name, Islamic University of Technology, wasapproved by the Twenty-eighth Islamic Conference of ForeignMinisters held in 2001. Its campus is located in a picturesqueenvironment at Gazipur, 30 km. north of Dhaka.22Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON “EMPLOYMENT OF TRADITIONAL HANDICRAFTSIN ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS: ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS, SPECIFICITIES,AND CONTRIBUTIONS”Tunis, 27-31 October 2008Within the framework of IRCICA’s program for developing handicrafts in theMuslim world and in view of its objectives of vitalising handicrafts’ economic,cultural and traditional aspects, as well as generating more job opportunities forartisans, an international congress on “Employment of Traditional Handicrafts inArchitectural Projects: Economic Characteristics, Specificities, and Contributions”was organised in Tunis. H.E. President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, President of theRepublic of Tunisia, gave his patronage to the event, which was jointly organisedby the National Office for Tunisian Handicrafts and IRCICA, in collaboration withthe Ministry of Trade and Handicrafts and the Ministry of Culture and HeritagePreservation of Tunisia.The Secretary General of the OIC Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, during his visit toTunisia, attended the opening of the congress together with the Minister of Tradeand Handicrafts. Addressing the ceremony, the Secretary General stressed the needto pay greater attention to the traditional heritage of the member countries andtheir real capabilities in order to achieve development and face economic crises. Thetraditional industries sector is an important sector of investment which providesemployment for a large proportion of the workforce without resorting to substantial capital, encourages the tourism business,and brings revenues. It offers a possibility to establish craft villages which motivate the economy through the artisans workingthere and their products. The Secretary General praised the role played by IRCICA as a major focal point of cooperation forthe concerned authorities working in the field of handicrafts development, in particular the special efforts made for enhancingcooperation relationship with the authorities dealing in this developing sector in the Member States. In this vein the SecretaryGeneral referred to past experience in organizing, in Tunis, in 1999, the international symposium on traditional carpets andkilims in the Muslim world. He also underlined the importance and called for the continuation of convening such scientificconferences, which bring opportunities for mutual exchanges of knowledge, views and experiences in all important fields of life,with a view to ensuring sustainable development, opportunities for advancement and decent lives for peoples.Dr. Halit Eren, Director General, IRCICA, pointed to the importance of promoting handicrafts and cultural heritage in theMuslim world, taking into consideration the role and functions it fulfills in development from various viewpoints, includingcultural, economic and social aspects. He added that it acts as a bridge of communication among people, in addition to itsgrowing role in the economyof most countries, especially inproviding job opportunities,activating lines of marketingand exporting, enrichingthe tourism programs withwhat it provides of images ofinnovation and creativity aswell as increasing the aestheticand utilitarian elements in thearchitectural and municipalfacilities. It also introducesthe cultural identity whichtraditional industry productsrepresent, highlighting thefeatures of member countries’societies as compared toother communities. He alsoH.E. Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary General of OICAddressing the audience during the inauguration ceremonyH.E. Mr. Rida al-Tuwaity, Minister of Tradeand Traditional Industries of Tunisiapointed out that the activitiesorganised by the CenterSeptember -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter23

earlier in this field were prominent stations in documentinghandicrafts, with research led by experts from the field whichpaved the way for establishing a kind of a data bank on thestate of the traditional industry sector in the Muslim world;these activities also generated practical proposals by specialistson how to further advance the sector. He added that IRCICAbecame a focal point for all subjects relating to crafts and itsdevelopment in the OIC Member States. He also said that thecongress sought to provide an opportunity for policy makers,planners and administrators working in the field of traditionalindustries, municipalities and constructions to consult andexchange experiences on the means of employing this sectorwell. Advantage should be taken of the possibilities the sectorprovides for architecture with all its cultural, economic, touristand heritage aspects.H.E. Mr. Rida al-Tuwaity, Minister of Trade and TraditionalIndustries of Tunisia called upon the experts, architects andartisans to create the equation between the evolution ofarchitecture with its modern scientific merits, the professionalskills and the input of local construction materials on one side,and the artistic creations and craft skills which are generatedfrom the culture and heritage of the countries of the Islamicworld, on the other side. Turning to the relationship betweenarchitecture and traditional crafts in Tunisia, he stressedthe keenness of the country to maintain the authenticity ofTunisia in the field of architectural art which constitute a localcharacter of many towns and villages in the country, notingthat some craft products had been an important componentof some buildings, that artistic creativity has connection withbuilding constructions through, for example, engravings onstone, gypsum, marble and iron works, ceramics and othercrafts that are devised in harmony with the geometrical layoutof the building. In this context he highlighted the call made byH.E. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali for urging the publicauthorities and firms to widely employ the traditional productswithin the construction and furnishing projects as this wouldadd economic value to these industries and will also bringprofits to economic sectors, particularly tourism.The inauguration day also included the following events:• Exhibition of handicraft products that could be used inarchitectural projects in the member countries.• Presentations of artisans at work.Mr. Mohamad Bu Said, Director General of theHandicraft National Agency (ONA)• Exhibition of handicraft projects published in brochures,catalogs and books, which are being used or couldbe integrated in architectural projects in the membercountries.Participating in this congress were representatives and artisansfrom OIC member countries, international organisations,specialised centers and institutions, handicraft experts,architects, and specialists from other fields of culture andheritage. The congress examined issues related to tourism,culture and heritage. It also dealt with potential means fora more efficient deployment of the handicraft sector inarchitectural projects. Moreover, it underscored the fact thatconsiderable revenues could be earned through promotingthis sector while preserving its authenticity, and underscoredthe need to publicise it through all available channels. Theobjective was to draw a practical and stable promotion policy,insofar as the sector embodies cultural, economic, tourist, andpatrimonial dimensions.Dr. Nazeih Maarouf, Head, Crafts Development Program,IRCICA, as reporter of the congress, presented the reportand the recommendations. Mr. Mohamad Bu Said, DirectorGeneral of the National Office for Tunisian Handicraftspresented the Tunis Declaration.64 papers were delivered from which the followingrecommendations were drawn:One of the working sessions of the Congress24Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77

1- The congress underscores that, owing to its past and presentand various patterns, its originality in terms of shape, colorand technique, as well as its use of environment-friendlyraw materials, and the beneficial role it plays in society, thehandicraft sector constitutes cultural, patrimonial, tourist andeconomic assets that can help us face social and economicchallenges in our societies, especially in relation to creatingjob opportunities. Crafts also help vitalise marketing andexport, enrich tourist projects insofar as they guaranteeconstant creativity and innovation and offer aesthetic andpractical dimensions to municipal and architectural buildings,and define and demarcate our cultural heritage throughhandicrafts.2- The congress also calls for adopting a common strategy forthe deployment of handicrafts in contemporary architecturaland restorative projects in such a way that they are not cut offfrom their roots and references. It also asks the municipalitiesto further deploy handicraft products in new architecturalprojects, in such a way as to boost the patrimonial, culturaland tourist sectors.3- Society: The congress highlights the importance of takingcare of both male and female artisans, namely those who lackbasic means to carry out their work as well as mechanisms toaccess raw materials; design facilities allowing them to keep upwith new models; training and marketing opportunities thatwould allow them to be better competitors.The congress also calls for restructuring the handicraft sectorin the countries where the sector has not been organised yetas a national and official handicraft institution delineatingpolicies aiming at promoting the sector as well as structuringand advising those who work in it.4. Economy and Marketing: The congress decides thatfunding is a major obstacle for handicrafts in many membercountries and prevents promoting their activities and projects.The congress also calls all member countries and the fundingsources in the private sector to facilitate fund-raising activitiesand micro-credits to support these projects and providethem with opportunities to maintain the sector’s creative andInnovative potentials, which is a fundamental principle inIslamic heritage.The Egyptian Stand: Artisan Ebrahim Said Hamedshowing techniques of his Pottery worksThe congress underscores the necessity for effectivecoordination between the member countries regarding skillsexchange, so as to keep up with the changes in demand andoffer, as well as the fluctuations of the consumer habits in theworld market. This would help open new markets based onnovel ideas that would meet society’s needs.It also calls for assisting craftspeople in reaching out both localand world consumers through heightening their awareness ofthe high demand on their products, as well as their importantrole in developing society through productivity.The congress highlights the need for more research on localraw materials in order to avoid importing them and spareproducers all additional costs incurred from paying forthese materials in hard currency. This would make productsavailable on market at competitive prices and boost their saleand distribution.5. Tourism: The congress considers tourism as one of the mostimportant sectors generating considerable income for manycountries. Therefore, the member countries should reinforcethe link between tourism and handicrafts. For instance, it ispossible to use architectural, decorative, and ornamentationalhandicrafts in historical monuments and sites for tourism,while at the same time preserving their architectural character,it is important to establish handicraft villages linked to tourism,which should be included, alongside with handicraft shops, inOne of the working sessionsSeptember -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter25

local tourist guidebooks leading, therefore, to an interactionbetween the artisan and the tourist in such a way to allowthe latter to purchase authentic products directly from thecraftsman, which would encourage the latter’s inventivenessso as to meet the market’s needs.An important prerequisite for the success of cultural tourismand heritage rehabilitation actions is to associate effectivelythe local populations’ and craftpeople’s resources.6. Heritage, Preservation of Authenticity and Traditions, andCultural Dialogue and Mutual Influence: The congress believesthat it is a national and historical duty to go back to roots. Itis worth noting that some of the basic elements of civilisationhave been overlooked in the process of keeping up with fastinternational developments.It also believes that it is highly important to safeguardcultural identity through reinforcing national specificities,and to preserve and develop traditions and guarantee theirtransmission from one generation to another, especially intoday’s world in markets’ globalisation and technologicalprogress.Therefore, the Congress calls for working more intensely onrestoring, maintaining, and protecting Islamic architecturalmonuments, as well as insisting on documenting and revivingthem by organising regular events so as to preserve theircultural and traditional character. The appropriation of thisheritage by local populations is an important condition for thesustainability of such actions.The congress underscores the necessity to come up with ideasand strategies, which would lead to a sustainable urban andarchitectural development in such a way as to combine theold with the new in a style not in contradiction with moderntaste and contemporary construction methods and materialsmaking use of new technologies.7. Education, Teaching, Training, and DocumentationThe congress, in light of the increase of competition in aworld characterised by speed and access of education to allsocial classes, thinks that the success of any handicraft projecthas to be based on training the artisan and upgrading their26Artisan Malik Muhammad AbdulRehman Naqqash, PakistanNewsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77Master Printer Mr. Arbab AliSoomro showing his techniquein creative traditional Sindhi textile(ajrak)The Turkish Stand with creative ceramics and Iznik tilestechnical and educational competences, as well as upgradingthe trainers’ skills.Therefore, the congress insists on the importance of affiliatingthe artisan to an educational institution, or the handicraftworkshop to an educational service, with a view to provide thecraftsman with the opportunity to acquire a comprehensiveculture about the concerned craft and basic design principles,improve skills, enhance quality and marketing strategies,and promote customer services in such a way as to allow thecraftsman to conquer the market and to deal with national andinternational customers.The congress underscores the importance of establishingscientific training programs culminating in certificatesreflecting different competence schemes designed byspecialised experts in conformity with local standards, bothfor formal and informal education schemes.Moreover, the congress puts emphasis on the need for datacollections and scientific documentations of handicraft typesand techniques together with applied arts for the purposeof setting up a data base for them. It should also be notedthat it is important to exchange expertise and skills amongstspecialists like scientists, researchers, engineers, crafts people,and professionals.8. Inventiveness and Importance of Participating inExhibitionsThe congress points out the importance of reviving research andcreativity; the preservation of a constant pace of productivityin handicrafts to meet the customer’s growing desire fornovelty; as well as for modernizing materials, patterns anddesigns within the boundaries of a modernity deeply rootedin traditions. This should be done through the craftsman’sexperimentation with new designs and ideas; makingdecisions with regard to new work methods in such a way asto encourage them to improve the quality and marketability oftheir products.The congress encourages exchange visits between themember countries’ craftspeople with a view to learn about

the new means and techniques used in eachcountry so as to enhance their skills. It alsoencourages the craftsman to participate inexhibitions, conferences, and internationalevents in order to publicise their products,and meet with importers, interior designers,and representatives of architectural schoolsalways in search for new ideas and products.9. Role of Government and Efforts of thePrivate SectorThe congress believes that it is highlyimportant to preserve the technical skillsinherited by the artisan over generations,conserve and promote thoroughly thiscreative skill with a view to maintain culturalcontinuity between past and present.For this reason, the congress calls for theIslamic governments to provide the sector with all the necessaryneeds in terms of financial and moral support and trainingopportunities; skills, funding and marketing promotionand raw material supply; opportunities of participation inexhibitions and conferences; marketing networks; etc.The congress also insists on the importance of organisingregular exhibitions and encourages female and male artisansto take part in them with products that single them out in sucha way as to guarantee competition and inventiveness.The congress recommends the authorities in membercountries to deploy traditional artworks in all major projects,in addition to promulgating legal and regulatory texts whichoffer opportunities to artisans to participate in public biddingsand architectural projects, as well as protecting the artisan’sintellectual property including their products, designs,techniques, etc. For this purpose, the congress recommendsthat national authorities proceed to awareness-raising andinformation campaigns concerning the implementation ofinternational conventions and standard-setting instrumentsPart of the Egyptian Standvoted by UNESCO member states that can provide a favourablelegal framework for arts and crafts.10. Media’s Role in Raising Awareness of the Sector’sImportance and Contributions to SocietyThe congress considers that it is the media’s responsibility topromote information programs highlighting the handicraftcharacteristics as artistic products which can benefit society.Therefore, they have to operate in such a way as to enhancesociety’s education and awareness of the importance of thisheritage as a developmental element in our societies whichcan secure the continuity of our traditions, and making usproud of them in the world. This heritage, if used properly,would generate considerable job opportunities, in so far asit represents a source of great national wealth, fine artistry,special status in our culture and history.The congress also calls for the integration of educationalsyllabi in schools to raise the awareness of our children aboutthe potentials of handicrafts and their importance and statusin society leading,therefore, to deepeningone’s consciousness ofthe positive impact ofthis sector.The congress, finally,called on the membercountries to follow upthe implementation ofthese recommendations.Part of the participating delegationsSeptember -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter27

SYMPOSIUM ORGANISED JOINTLY BY THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE ANDIRCICA: “GLOBALISATION AND IMAGES OF THE OTHER: CHALLENGESAND NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR HISTORY TEACHING IN EUROPE?”Istanbul, 30 November-2 December 2008Within the framework of the Council of Europe’s projecttitled “The Image of the Other in History Teaching”,the Council of Europe and IRCICA jointly organised thesymposium on “Globalisation and images of the Other:challenges and new perspectives for History Teaching inEurope?” The symposium was held on IRCICA’s premisesand in the halls of Yıldız Technical University, in Yıldız Palace,with nearly one hundred participants, on 30 November-2December 2008. The meeting proceeded in three parallelsessions of working groups and round-tables.The project on “The Image of the Other in History Teaching”the symposium was part of aims “to promote, by means ofeducational policy measures and proposed strategies andmethods, an approach to teaching and learning historythat reflects the increasing cultural and religious diversityof European societies; to contribute to reconciliation,acknowledgement, understanding and mutual trust betweendifferent cultures and outlooks and to overcome stereotypesand prejudices by promoting the values of tolerance, opennessto and respect for others, human rights and democracy.” (fromthe Council of Europe, History Teaching website)In his welcoming address at the opening ceremony the DirectorGeneral Dr. Halit Eren said that IRCICA’s participation in theproject followed from its concern with themes relating tointercultural relations and dialogue on which the Centre hasbeen conducting various types of activities. One of the latteris a project to examine and if necessary revise the historytextbooks used in the member countries of OIC-IRCICA, withrespect to references to each other; this project is conductedin stages defined on the basis of regions and in cooperationwith the concerned countries’ governments. Another project,equally important, is concerned with the coverage given andreferences made to the Muslim countries and peoples in thetextbooks used in countries and regions outside of the OICmember countries. Therefore, IRCICA’s participation in theCouncil of Europe project added a new significant dimensionto its involvement in this field. The Director General expressedhis appreciation to Ms. Gabriela Battaini-Dragoni, DirectorGeneral of Education, Culture and Heritage, Youth and Sportof the Council of Europe, and Dr. Jean-Pierre Titz, Head ofthe Division of History Education, Council of Europe, for thecollaboration extended to IRCICA within the framework ofthe project. He conveyed his gratitude to the Rector of YıldızTechnical University Prof. İsmail Yüksek for the cooperationextended towards the organisation of the meeting.In her address at the opening ceremony, Ms. Gabriela Battaini-Dragoni, Director General of Education, Culture and Heritage,Youth and Sport, Council of Europe, said that in the course ofthe last few years and especially since the Warsaw Summit ofthe Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe,intercultural dialogue had become one of the Council’spriority themes of work. She referred to the White Paperon Intercultural Dialogue on the theme “Living together asequals in dignity” which was adopted by the Foreign Ministersof the Council of Europe in June 2008, and which she hadcoordinated. She cited three key messages of the document.The first one is the White Paper’s underlining in particular thatintercultural dialogue rests on the basis of values shared by all:,i.e. the universal human rights, democracy, and the rule of laware values that govern the others. The second message is that ofequal value and dignity. Lastly, she stressed that promotion ofintercultural dialogue is the responsibility of everyone – of theindividual and the social group. The White Paper clearly showswhy and how intercultural dialogue must involve all agents ofsociety – individuals, national governments, local and regionalpublic authorities, civil society, religious communities, themedia. History and the teaching of history acquire specialsignificance in this context: in most cases of interculturalencounters the first exchanges are often related to history.Ms. Battaini-Dragoni recalled in this respect that the firstdiscipline in which the Council of Europe began educationalcooperation, as early as in 1950, was history teaching.Senator Cecilia Keaveney, Parliamentarian (Ireland), memberof the Committee on Culture, Science and Education of theParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, pointed outthat the coming together of so many experts, in the historiccity of Istanbul, in a hall that is historyitself, being built to accommodatethe meetings of foreign missions, todiscuss the image of the Other, wasas relevant as it ever had been. Shespoke of the Report she had beenasked to write, as a member of theCommittee, on “Teaching Historyin Areas of Recent Conflict” (whichwas to be brought before the PlenarySession in January 2009). Her Reportasks political questions around28Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77

assisting the development oftolerance of diversity throughhistory teaching and containsdraft recommendations. SenatorKeaveney said that peace is aslow process politically but it isalso a process in education termsas communities are facilitatedto learn about “the Other”. Sheunderlines that “history teachingis a tool and interventions areneeded as to what is taught andhow it is taught.”The Governor of Istanbul Mr.Muammer Güler was invitedto the stage. He welcomed theparticipants to Istanbul, a world city and Capital of WorldCulture 2010. He expressed his pleasure to see that themeeting, organised by the Council of Europe and IRCICA, isbeing held in Istanbul, and in Turkey, a state which is memberto both organisations. He said that Istanbul was the capitalof three empires and a land of coexistence of all religionsand all cultures for centuries. In history, globalisation couldbe understood as the expansion of trades, sovereignties,and religions. But in our time globalisation indicates farmore complex a phenomenon encompassing the totality ofeconomic, cultural and political processes taking place in theworld. Amidst these processes, cultural interactions, imagesof culture, acquire utmost significance. Objective and realistichistory teaching has a prominent role to play in shaping trueimages of the Other. Therefore, history teaching must evolvearound the axis of dialogue.Over two and half days, the meeting proceeded in threeparallel sessions of working groups and round-tables. Thethemes of the two round-tables, which heard papers presentedby experts from the countries, were “Globalisation and therole of History Teaching in a new context?” and “Pedagogicalinnovations and reforms strategies with a view to takinginto account globalisation in history teaching. The Plenarysession synthesised the earlier discussions, discussed on theissue of “Training actors of history learning” and adopted theConclusions and recommendations of the meeting.The White Paper document mentioned by Ms. Battaini-Dragoni, Director General of Education, Culture andHeritage, Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe, statesthat the current project in the field of history teaching, i.e.the project “The Image of the Other in History Teaching”,will be continued and developed: “The Council of Europewill continue the project and consider broadening its scopeparticularly through cooperation with Unesco, Alecso andthe Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture(IRCICA)” (p. 44).IRCICA participates in international efforts aiming to reviewand follow the references to Islam and Muslim nations inpublications, especially history books, around the world. Thisactivity corresponds at the same time to the tasks assignedto IRCICA within the framework of the implementation ofthe OIC’ Ten-Year Program of Action on subjects relating tothe image of Islam and Muslim countries in the world. TheCentre’s participation in the project titled “The Image of theOther in History Teaching” of the Council of Europe comesin this context. Thus in the past years the Centre participatedin the seminar on “Contact and interaction: the image of theMuslim world in history learning in Europe” (Strasbourg,9-10 October 2006) and the symposium on “Learning Historyto Understand and Experience Cultural Diversity Today”(Strasbourg, 29-30 October 2007) which constituted the firstyearactivities of the project “The Image of the Other in HistoryTeaching”. In 2008 the Centre participated inthe second stage of this project, a stage titled“History Teaching in Europe: the image of theOther in the context of Globalisation”: in theseminar held in Strasbourg on 27-28 March2008 and the third meeting of the Ad hoc Groupon History Teaching held in Strasbourg on 23-24 April 2008.The Council of Europe has 47 Member States.Albania, Azerbaijan, and Turkey from amongthe OIC Member States, and Bosnia andHerzegovina from among the OIC ObserverStates, are also members of the Council ofEurope.September -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter 29

The Centre was honoured to receive, on 19December, His Highness Sheikh Sultan binTahnoun al-Nahayan, Chairman of the Abu DhabiTourism and Heritage Authority, together with Mr.Mohammed Khalaf al-Mazrouei, Director of theAbu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority, highofficials, and the Consul General of the UnitedArab Emirates in Istanbul H.E. Mr. Isa Masud. Thedistinguished guests were briefed on the preparationsongoing at the Silahhane Building, where the Centreis setting up an e-library. They visited Çit Qasr, andreceived information on the research programs andpublications. H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun al-Nahayan expressed his pleasure and appreciationtaking note of the Centre’s activities on a wide rangeof subjects.VISITS, MEETINGSSheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun al-Nahayan,Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, visited IRCICAVisit of His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum,Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts AuthorityHis Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Chairman of the DubaiCulture and Arts Authority, visited IRCICA on 18 December 2008. The accompanyingdelegation comprised Mr. Adil al-Shaarid, Executive Chairman of the Mohammed bin RashidProgram for Leadership Development, Dr. Mohammed Ahed bin Fahd, Dean, Dubai PoliceAcademy, Mr. Jamal bin Houaireb Al-Muhairy, Cultural Advisor at the Executive Office,Dubai Government, and Mr. Marwan bin Bayat, Director of the Cabinet of Sheikh Majid.The guests were accompanied by Mr. Isa Masud, Consul General of the United Arab Emiratesin Istanbul. Sheikh Majid was guided by Dr. Halit Eren to the three buildings of IRCICA’spremises – Yaveran Qasr comprising its research sections, Çit Qasr where the conference andexhibition halls and the rare books section of the library are located, and Silahhane Building,where the Centre’s library is being re-arranged and endowed with electronic technologywithin the framework of a project funded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashidal-M a k t o u m ,V i c ePresident and Prime Minister ofthe United Arab Emirates and Emir of Dubai.Sheikh Majid received information on theon-going activities in each of these sections,especially the e-library project funded by hisfather, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.A welcoming ceremony was organised at ÇitQasr, where Dr. Halit Eren gave an address,speaking of the activities of IRCICA in generaland the e-library project in particular. SheikhMajid expressed his pleasure to have visited theCentre and received first-hand information onits activities.30Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77

Visit of H.E. Prince Abdulaziz bin Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani,of the State of Qatar, to IRCICAH.E. Prince Abdulaziz bin Jassim bin Hamadal-Thani, of the State of Qatar, visited IRCICAon 12 September 2008.The distinguished guest received first-handinformation on the Centre’s activities. He visitedthe library which is under installation in thespacious building recently allocated to the Centreby the Turkish Government. Director General Dr.Halit Eren briefed H.E. the Prince on the variouscollections of the library.Visit of a ministerial delegation from MalaysiaThe Centre was honoured to receive on its premises Dato’ Mohammed Kamal Yan Yahaya, Deputy Secretary General, andMr. Ahmad Jazri Mohammed Johar,Undersecretary (in charge of relations withthe OIC), from the Ministry of ForeignAffairs of Malaysia, on 19 December2008. The delegation was guided byDirector General Dr. Halit Eren to thevarious departments of the Centre wherethey were briefed by the staff in charge onthe different projects and publications.The talks centered around the idea oforganising a congress on the history andheritage of Islamic civilisation in SoutheastAsia jointly by the Government and theacademic institutions of Malaysia andIRCICA. The visit was also an occasionto recall the various activities organisedjointly in the past years.Visit of a delegation from Juma al-Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage, Dubaidelegation from Juma al-Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage, United Arab Emirates, visited IRCICA on 20 DecemberA 2008. It was composed of Mr. Mohammed Yasser Amroh, Assistant Director General, Dr. Bassam Daghestani, Directorfor Restoration, and Dr. Hadi Ahmed, Director of Heritage. Extensive talks were held with the delegation on the ongoingand envisaged future cooperation between Juma al-Majid Centre and IRCICA. One of the main areas of cooperation beingdeveloped presently is related to the restoration of historical Islamic manuscripts located in various regions within and outsidethe Muslim world. The delegation was in Turkey on the occasion of Sheikh Juma al-Majid’s visit to Konya on the occasion of theinauguration of the restoration unit, established with funding from his Centre, at the Library of Manuscript Works in Konya.H.H. Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, inauguratedthe unit.September -December 2008, NO: 77 Newsletter 31

IRCICA PublicationsBAGHDADin the light of Ottoman Archive Documentsprepared by Dr. Fadil Bayat, History of Muslim Countries in the Light of Ottoman Archives Series 2,IRCICA, Istanbul, 2008, 142 p., photographs, maps (in Arabic)This is a collection of historical documents, maps and photographsconcerning Baghdad selected from the Ottoman Archives in Istanbulaffiliated with the General Directorate of State Archives, Prime Ministry ofTurkey. It was prepared by Dr. Fadil Bayat, expert at IRCICA, and launchedduring the congress on “Baghdad in Islamic Civilisation” which was organisedjointly by Marmara University and IRCICA with the cooperation of UmraniyeMunicipality and held in Istanbul on 7-9 November 2008. The documents andother materials contained in the book reflect part of the history of Baghdadduring the last couple of centuries in the Ottoman period and will serve asa useful reference for researchers. The Preface by Dr. Halit Eren explains thereasons for emphasising the Ottoman archive documents as primary sourcesreflecting the facts and events, the features and particularities of the Ottomanperiod as reflected in Baghdad at that time.The book begins by Dr. Bayat’s introductory article on the «Characteristics ofthe History of Baghdad during the Ottoman Era» which is a glimpse at thehistory of the city from the beginning of Ottoman administration in 1534until the British occupation in 1917. The documents which are reproduced and translated in the book were chosen from theMühimme registers contained in the Ottoman Archives; these registers comprise the decrees issued by the Divan-ı Hümayun(corresponding to the Prime Ministry) under the chairmanship of the Sadrazam (Grand Vizir), which were then submitted tothe Sultan’s approval and circulated on his behalf to the parties concerned for implementation.A second group of documents were selected from various collections of the Archives and include statistical tables copied fromthe Devlet-i Osmaniye Salnamesi (Almanach of the Ottoman State) the Nazaret-i Maarif Salnamesi (Almanac of the Ministry ofEducation), the Bağdat Vilayeti Salnamesi (Almanac of Baghdad Province). Photographs taken during the Ottoman period andreflecting various features of thecity are also included, togetherwith various maps of the city.32Newsletter September -December 2008, NO: 77A bridge on Tigris River, 1903The documents do not coverany specific aspect of the citybut general themes about itshistory in various periods. Thesethemes constitute the titles of thechapters.The statistical tables included inthe book were compiled from theAlmanac of Baghdad Provincefor the year 1897 reflecting theadministrative, judicial, socialand financial organisation ofthe city, and from the Almanacof the Ministry of Educationconcerning the educationalestablishments of Baghdad at thebeginning of 20th century