oic research centre for islamic history, art and culture - ircica

SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO. 74OIC RESEARCH CENTRE FOR ISLAMIC HISTORY, ART AND CULTUREThe Prime Minister of Turkey H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoganreceived a facsimile edition of the Quran copy attributed to the time ofCaliph Othman, published by IRCICAVisit of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed al-Qassimi,Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates andEmir of Sharjah, to IRCICAInternational congress on “Egypt during the Ottoman Era” held in CairoThe Governing Board of IRCICA met on its Twenty-second sessionThe Islamic Conference of Ministers of Culturemet on its Fifth Session in Tripoli, Libyan Arab JamahiriyaIRCICA ActivitiesTrainees in calligraphy received their Ijaza (diplomas)Participation in the “Saudi Arabia Cultural Days” Program22-28 October 2007IRCICA’s participation in the UNESCO General ConferenceHistory congress to mark the centenary of the1908 Constitution of the Ottoman StateIstanbul, 7-10 May 2008Prince Faisal bin Fahd Award for thePreservation of Islamic Architectural Heritage:The competition continuesInternational congress on “Employment of Traditional Handicrafts inArchitectural Projects” to be held in Tunis2-7 June 2008Music Festival and Tourism Film Festival forOIC Member States to take place in Baku, AzerbaijanArt exhibitionsCultural EventsBook SurveyIRCICA Publications

NewsletterIn this issueResearch Centre for Islamic History,Art and Culture (IRCICA)September - December 2007, No. 74The Newsletter is published quarterly:Three issues in the officiallanguages of the OIC(English, French, Arabic)and one in TurkishPublisherResearch Centre for Islamic History,Art and Culture (IRCICA),Organisation of the Islamic ConferenceEditor in ChiefHalit ErenEditorial BoardZeynep DurukalMohammed TamimiSemiramis ÇavuşoğluMihin LugalAyna AskarovaSelahaddin UygurAddressYıldız Sarayı, Seyir KöşküBarbaros Bulvarı,Beşiktas 34349İstanbul, TurkeyTel. ):1!323*!36:!28!53Fax ):1!323*!369!54!76www.ircica.orgircica@ircica.org2The Prime Minister of Turkey H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoganreceived a facsimile edition of the Quran copy attributed to the time ofCaliph Othman, published by IRCICAVisit of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed al-Qassimi,Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates andEmir of Sharjah, to IRCICAInternational congress on “Egypt during the Ottoman Era” held in CairoThe Governing Board of IRCICA met on its Twenty-second sessionThe Islamic Conference of Ministers of Culture met on its Fifth Session inTripoli, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya17IRCICA ActivitiesTrainees in calligraphy received their Ijaza (diplomas)Participation in the “Saudi Arabia Cultural Days” ProgramIRCICA’s participation in the UNESCO General ConferenceHistory congress to mark the centenary of the1908 Constitution of the Ottoman State Istanbul,Prince Faisal bin Fahd Award for the Preservation ofIslamic Architectural Heritage: the competition continuesInternational congress on “Employment of Traditional Handicrafts inArchitectural Projects” to be held in TunisMusic Festival and Tourism Film Festival forOIC Member States to take place in Baku, AzerbaijanArt exhibitions22Cultural Events27Book SurveyGraphic DesignMustafa Odabaşı30IRCICA Publications

EditorialDuring the period since the last issue of the Newsletter, ourCentre hosted both administrative and academic meetingsrelated to the various fields of its mandate. The first meetingwas the twenty-second session of the Governing Boardof IRCICA. The Board is comprised of nine specialistsappointed by the OIC Member States on basis of theirauthority in the Centre’s fields of activities, together withthe Secretary General of the OIC or his representative andthe Director General of IRCICA. The countries currentlyrepresented in IRCICA’s Governing Board are Egypt,Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. In this session, theBoard reviewed and approved the Centre’s activity reportfor 2007 and its proposed work plan for 2008 before theiradoption by the Member States at the next session of theIslamic Conference of Foreign Affairs Ministers. Themeeting of the Board, particularly its opening ceremony thatwas followed by the press and an interested audience, wasan excellent opportunity to highlight the diverse aspects ofour present activities: recent symposiums, publications, andespecially the two major long term projects undertaken bythe Department of Architecture of IRCICA since last year,namely the “Prince Sultan bin Selman Data Bank of IslamicSites and Monuments” and the “Al-Quds 2015” program ofstudies and architectural workshops.A last part of the opening ceremony was devoted to thepresentation of calligraphy diplomas (Ijaza) to trainees fromvarious countries having successfully completed the coursescoordinated by IRCICA since last year. Previously, on theoccasion of Centre’s 25th Anniversary commemorated inNovember 2005, a number vof calligraphy diplomas werepresented to six calligraphers from five countries. Thistime, thirteen calligraphers from seven countries receiveddiplomas. This raised the total number of calligraphershaving received diplomas through the Centre over the pastdecades to fifty-five persons from twenty-two countries.We had the pleasure of taking part in the cultural programtitled “Saudi Arabia Cultural Days” which was organisedjointly by the Governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabiaand the Republic of Turkey during the last week of October.On this occasion we hosted a series of lectures which werefollowed with interest by a learned audience. During the sameperiod, the visit of the Minister of Culture and Informationof the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mr. Iad Madani gave us theopportunity to define some new projects to be undertakenjointly by the Ministry and IRCICA in the near future.The congress on “Egypt in the Ottoman Era”, held duringthe last week of November, brought together sixty-threeparticipants from eleven countries and from Egypt itself. Itwas the third congress of IRCICA to be devoted specificallyto the period of the Ottoman State, after the congresses on“Learning and Education in the Ottoman State” (on theoccasion of the 700th anniversary of the Ottoman State,Istanbul, 1999) and “Bilad al-Sham in the Ottoman Era”(Damascus, 2005). We include in this issue news of thecongress and a list of the papers presented. The latter will becollected in a book, which we expect to publish in 2008.A major scholarly event, next in this series of congresses, isthe international congress on “The Second ConstitutionalPeriod/Meşrutiyet on its Centenary” to be held in Istanbulon 7-10 May 2008. Another event scheduled for 2008 isrelated to our Craft Development Program: an internationalcongress on “Employment of Traditional Handicrafts inArchitectural Projects” will be held in Tunis, on 2-7 June.Lastly, I would like to announce that by decision of IRCICA’sGoverning Board, the application period of the competitionfor the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Award for the Preservation ofIslamic Architectural Heritage has been extended, in orderto make a new call for participation especially from regionsfrom where no applications were received. Interested partiescan find information on the competition in this issue of theNewsletter.Dr. Halit ErenSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 1

The Prime Minister of Turkey H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan receiveda facsimile edition of the copy of the Holy Quranattributed to the time of Caliph Othman, published by IRCICAH. E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey,inaugurated the newly renovated “Holy Relics” Section ofTopkapı Palace Museum in Istanbul, on 29 December 2007.The opening was also attended by the Minister of Cultureand Tourism Mr. Ertuğrul Günay, the Minister of PublicWorks and Settlement Mr. Faruk Nafiz Özak, the Minister ofEnvironment and Forestry Mr. Veysel Eroğlu, the Governorof Istanbul Mr. Muammer Güler and the MetropolitanMayor of Greater Istanbul Mr. Kadir Topbaş. Prime MinisterErdoğan delivered a comprehensive address, in which heunderlined that all heavenly religions and beliefs upholdrighteousness, justice and compassion. He said that thecollections of the Holy Relics section represent a spiritualtreasure which gives Istanbul and Turkey the greatest prideto be the keeper; this treasure inherited from the threemajor heavenly religions is of inestimable value. The PrimeMinister said that the sacred relics of Prophet Mohammedand many other prophets kept in this section will enlightenthe hearts of believers not only at present but also for thefuture generations; the gifts our ancestors sent to the holyplaces during centuries reflect the importance they gave toculture, to arts and artisans. “The door of the Kaba is here.The locks of the Kaba are here. It would be a big mistaketo consider and to picture this history as bygone history.This place is not only a museum but the abode of a livingcivilization. … As a reward for loyalty to this legacy, forcenturies Istanbul was the capital of our civilization. In thiscapital not only Muslims but the adherents of all beliefs livedin safety and security. … This place houses symbols of thesearch for eternal truth, history of mankind, and the sacredcause that gives humankind it humanness. Following theaddress of Prime Minister Erdoğan, Dr. Halit Eren, DirectorGeneral of IRCICA presented the Prime Minister with oneof the latest publications of IRCICA, consisting of a facsimileedition of the copy of the Quran which is attributed to thetime of Caliph Othman, the third caliph. The original copyis kept in the Topkapı Palace Museum. The edition and theaccompanying scholarly study by Dr. Tayyar Altıkulaç werepublished by IRCICA in 2007. Mr. Ertuğrul Günay, Ministerof Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Mr. Orhan Düzgün,Director of Museums, and Prof. İlber Ortaylı, Director ofTopkapı Palace Museum, also gave addresses.The relics include personal articles and garments whichbelonged to Prophet Mohammed and other prophets andto the companions of Prophet Mohammed. The sectionalso houses keys and locks of the Kaba, rare manuscripts,and containers and wrappers in which the objects werecarried from Mecca and Medina to Istanbul. These objectsof great religious significance are also excellent works of art.Following the conquest of Egypt by Sultan Selim I in 1517,the Caliphate passed on to the Ottomans; so were the keysof Mecca and the relics relating to the Kaba. Some of therelics were transported to Istanbul, the seat of the Caliphate,and some others were placed in the tomb of ProphetMohammed. Precious gifts, new curtains and keys for theKaba were sent every year from Istanbul and from otherregions of the Muslim world. Thus the number and varietyof the holy relics relating to the Kaba increased continuouslyover the centuries. Those relics to be brought to Istanbulwere meticulously registered and delivered to the officialsin charge of transferring them. They were preserved withutmost care and respect for centuries. The holy relics wereopened for public view in 1962.2 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

Visit of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed al-Qassimi,Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates andEmir of Sharjah, to IRCICAH.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed al-Qassimi, Member ofthe Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Emirof Sharjah, has closely followed the progress of IRCICA’sactivities and extended his support to some major projectsfor the rebuilding of destroyed monuments of Islamicarchitectural heritage. As an expression of gratitude for hiscontributions to Islamic studies and the preservation ofcultural heritage, in his qualities as a scholar on the history ofthe Gulf region, a patron of research activities and founder ofa number of numerous institutions of education, museumsand public services, Sheikh Dr. al-Qassimi was presentedwith the IRCICA Award for Patronage in the Preservation ofCultural Heritage and Promotion of Scholarship (2000). Heholds many prizes, including the King Faisal InternationalPrize for Service to Islam (2002). Recently, Sheikh al-Qassimi provided the funding for the printing of the bookAl-Mushaf Al-Sharif Attributed to ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan (Thecopy at the Topkapı Palace Museum), prepared with a studyby Dr. Tayyar Altıkulaç and published by IRCICA.H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed al-Qassimi’s visit toIRCICA together with the Secretary General of OIC H.E.Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, on 9 November 2007, was anoccasion to present him this book. Sheikh al-Qassimi wasalso briefed by the Director General of the Centre on recentdevelopments regarding the activities in various fields.SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 3

International congress on “Egypt during the Ottoman Era” held in Cairo,organised by IRCICA and the Supreme Council of Culture,Ministry of Culture of Egypt26-30 November 2007IRCICA and the Supreme Council of Culture attached tothe Ministry of Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt havejointly organised the congress on “Egypt during the OttomanEra” which was held in Cairo, on 26-30 November 2007.The opening session at the Opera House in Cairo heardthe message of the Secretary General of OIC H.E. Prof.Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, which was read by Mr. Qasim Al-Masry, Advisor at the OIC General Secretariat, and themessage of the Minister of Culture of Egypt H.E. Mr. FarukHosny which was read by Mr. Ali Abu Shadi, SecretaryGeneral of the Supreme Council of Culture. Then, theDirector General of IRCICA Dr. Halit Eren addressed thesession, followed by a keynote paper by Prof. Raouf Abbasfrom Egypt, a senior historian of the Ottoman period.The same day, an exhibition titled “Egypt in the OttomanDocuments” which was prepared by the General Directorateof State Archives of Turkey, Department of Ottoman Archives,was opened. This event was officiated by: Ambassador ŞafakGöktürk, Ambassador of Turkey in Egypt; Dr. Halit Eren;Mr. Ali Abou Shadi; Mr. Halilullah Özcan, Deputy DirectorGeneral of State Archives, and Mr. Cevat Ekici from theArchives.In his message, the Secretary General of the OIC expressedhis pleasure to see this congress convene on the theme of theOttoman period in Egypt, one that deserves much scholarlyattention and objective research. The rich and long history ofEgypt always drew wide interest and filled the library shelvesaround the world. There is no university that does not coverat least one aspect of it. However, the Ottoman period wasnot as fortunate in this regard as the periods before andafter it. The beginning of modern historical writings in the1930s coincided with political and ideological factors whichaffected the interpretation of Ottoman history in a way that itappeared in school books as the worst period in Egypt. Someorientalists saw in it a dark age similar to that of medievalEurope. Some overlooked the successive changes in thebalance powers between the east and the west throughouthistory. They forgot that during the geographical andmaritime expeditions European fleets reached the southernMuslim lands striving to take control of the Red Sea and theArab Gulf; that Western powers competed to spread theirinfluence over the Arab East.These and many other historical facts were not takeninto consideration. However, now with the refinement ofresearch methodology, we know that the history of Egypt inthe Ottoman era cannot be understood without taking intoconsideration Ottoman history in general and the Ottomancontext in the Mediterranean region which provided forwide commercial and cultural exchanges and made of Egyptin that period a centre of activities in all fields. The SecretaryGeneral said that today the two nations, Turks and Egyptianscontinue to be linked together with a history they shared in themidst of many successive events of world politics and stoodside by side in political struggles and cultural processes. Inhis message to the congress, the Minister of Culture of EgyptMr. Faruk Hosny said that the Ottoman period in Egyptwhich lasted four centuries minus three years (1517-1914)4 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

will always be the object of studies. That was the period whenEgypt was under the rule of the caliphate; after abolition ofthe latter and proclamation of independence the strong bondslinking the Turkish and the Egyptian peoples remained intact.Further research needs to be devoted to the theme of “Egyptduring the Ottoman Era” in order to discover, among others,in which areas the Egyptian and Turkish societies influencedeach other during those four centuries. The Ministerexpressed the hope that the congress would foster studiesin history, economics, politics and other social sciencesfocusing on Egypt during the Ottoman period as a specificsubject area within their disciplines.Dr. Eren expressed hisappreciation of the productive cooperation existing betweenthe Government and the academic and cultural institutionsof Egypt on one hand and IRCICA on the other and whichhad been growing since the earliest years of the Centre. Thiscooperation is manifested both at the institutional level andin joint activities. Egypt is represented in the ten-memberGoverning Board of IRCICA, by Prof. Abdul Hafez HelmyMohammad, Vice-Chairman of the Board. A number ofMinisters and other statesmen from Egypt visited the Centreover the past years. As to cooperation in the activities, asymposium on “Traditional Crafts in Islamic Architecture:Mushrabiyya and Stained Glass” was organised jointly bythe Ministry of Culture of Egypt and IRCICA, in Cairo, inDecember 1995. A large number of researchers, artists etc.from Egypt participated in the events organised by IRCICA.Furthermore, four publications by the Centre are aboutEgypt: the album Egypt As Viewed in the Nineteenth Century(2001), Islamic Monuments of Cairo in the Ottoman Period (byMohamed abu’l Amayem, ed. by Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, 2003), TurkishCultural Traces in Egypt (by Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, 2003), andThe Turks in Egypt and their Cultural Heritage: Bibliographyof the Printed Turkish Culture from Mehmed Ali Pasha to OurTime and an Evaluation (by Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, 2006).The titles of the papers presented at each session were:Plenary SessionChair | Halit ErenNelly HannaAwqāf of the Craftmen’s Guilds in Cairo in the XVIII th CenturyAndré RaymondPopular Classes, Dangerous Classes in Cairo in the XVIII th CenturyAbdul-Karim RafeqOttoman Egypt and Syria: A Comparative PerspectiveMehmet İpşirliA Prosopographic Survey on Egyptian Governors during theOttoman PeriodSession IChair | Emad Abou GhaziSabri Al AdilThe Status of Al Azhar scholars in the Study of Rational and AppliedSciences in the Ottoman Era: A study of the ideas of Sheikh Ahmed AlDemanhouriMuhammed ÇelikRemarks on the Personality of the Scholar al-Suyuti and his ResearchMethods to Show the Scientific Level in Egypt in the Early XVI th CenturyH. İnci ÖnalImpact of Ottoman Libraries on Education Systems inEgypt and Turkey: Ideal and RealitiesSinan MarufoğluThe Role of Waqf Institution in Financing the Educational Institutionin Egypt during the Ottoman Era: An Analytical Study of the “WaqfDocument” Relating to Some Egyptian Villages during the Reign of AliPashaSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 5

Session IIChair | Magdi GuirguisMustafa BilgeSuez Canal in the Ottoman SourcesAzmi ÖzcanEgypt in the Khilafat Policies of EnglandMihai MaximThe Egyptian Autonomy during the Ottoman Era in the Light ofNew Turkish Documents Preserved in the Prime Ministry’s OttomanArchives in IstanbulCevdet KüçükThe Egypt Policy of Abdulhamid IISession IIIChair | Nelly HannaPeter GranThe Use of Early Modern History for the Study of Modern History-Egypt and its HistoriographyHalilullah ÖzcanThe Importance of Prime Ministry’s Ottoman Archives from theViewpoint of Egyptian Historical SourcesOrhan KılıçHaj Emir’s Institution in the Ottoman State: Egypt ExampleJane HathawayThe Anomalous Career of the Exiled Ottoman Chief Eunuch YusufAgha in EgyptSession IVChair | Raouf AbbasRudolph PetersNew Sources for the History of al-Qasr (Dakhla Oasis) in the OttomanPeriodAtilla ÇetinIn the Ottoman Bureaucracy Top Level Bureaucrats, Soldiers and CivilServants who got their training in Egypt (XIX th and XX th centuries)İdris BostanAn Ottoman Base in Eastern Mediterranean: Alexandria of Egypt inthe XVIII th CenturyAhmet YaramışThe Activities of Hüsrev Pasha during his Governorship in Egypt(1801-1802)Session VChair | Imad HilalFeridun M. EmecenMilitary Developments in the Middle East: The Subject of Firearms inOttoman-Mamluk RivalryAbdullah Al NabawiFacilities of Passage and Hospitality for the Ottoman Officials andPrinces of the Neighboring Countries during the XIXth centuryÖzen TokAdministrative Situation in Egypt in the XVIIth CenturyNora LafiThe Nature of Urban Government in Ottoman Egypt: Questions andInterpretationsSession VChair | Mehmet İpşirliAbdurrahim BenhaddaEgypt as seen by the Moroccan Pilgrims during the Ottoman EraStefan ReichmuthMurtada al-Zabidi in Egypt (1753-91): Inquiries into the Social andDiscoursive Networks of a scholar and publisher in Ottoman CairoKadri YıldırımSituation of Literature in Egypt during the Ottoman Era: XIth centuryH. (XVIIth century A.D.) and Cairo as an exampleMajid Izzet IsraelWadi El-Natrun in the Writings of the Travelers during theOttoman EraSession VIChair | Michel TuchschererAli İhsan GencerThe Governor of Egypt Mehmed Ali Pasha’s Visit to Istanbulİsmail E. ErünsalThe contribution of the Egyptian experience in the improvements ofOttoman Vakif libraries after TanzimatRizq Hassan Ahmad NuriFarmers and Authorities in the Period of Mehmed AliAhmet UysalThe East and the West in the Writings of Egypt’s Ali Mubarak Pashaand Istanbul’s Ahmed Midhat Efendi in the Late XIXth Century6 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

Session VII,Chair | Kemal FilaliHüsrev SubaşıCalligraphy and Calligraphers in Egypt during the Ottoman EraÖzkul ÇobanoğluThe Cultural Interrelationships between Turkish Minstrel Traditionand Egyptian Folk Culture in the Socio-Cultural Contexts of EgyptianCoffeehouses in Alexandria and CairoMustafa KoçCultural Life and Sufî Circles in EgyptSession VIIIChair | Abdurrahim BenhaddaFazıl BayatThe Relations of the Ottoman State with Land and Population inEgypt During the Ottoman EraKamel FilaliCairo: Crossroads of Maghrebi Religious and Scholarly Migrations inthe XVIIth and XVIIIth CenturiesGocha Japaridze-Daniel Crecelius: The Georgian Dominance of Egyptin the XVIIIth CenturyMagdi GuirguisCopts, Religion, and the Question of Identy in the Ottoman PeriodSession IXChair | Nora LafiSeyid AshmaouiGossip and Rumors in Ottoman Egypt 1517-1798:Political and Social RoleZeinab Abu SinnahPopular and Non-popular Ceremonies of Turks in Egypt during theOttoman EraAymen Ahmed Muhammed MahmoudThe Censuses of Population in Egypt during the Ottoman Era: TheXVIth Century Rural Census as a ModelSalah Ahmed Haridi AliWoman in the Dependency System in the Ottoman Egypt (923-1213H./1517-1798)Session XChair | André RaymondDalenda LarguecheThe Fabric of Province beyond the Center of Empire: EconomicRelationship between Egypt and Tunis during the Ottoman EraHussam Abdul Mou’tiIndustry and Trade of Sugar in Egypt during the Ottoman EraRecep UlusoyOttoman Monetary System and Egyptian CurrencySession XIChair | Mustafa L. BilgeMichel TuchschererButchers, Cattle Breeders and Cattle Merchants in OttomanAlexandria (XVIth-XVIIth c.)Nasser OthmanProduction of Textile in Rashid City during the XVIIIth CenturyNassera AbdelmutadjaliEuro-Ottoman Trade Agreements and their Impact on Trading inAlexandriaAmr Ahmed Abd al- MansourThe Gold Crisis in Egypt under the Ottoman Rule: form the OttomanConquest till the beginning of the eighteenth centurySession XIIChair | Naser IbrahimValerie Gonzalez:Ottoman Cairo The Formation of the Traditional City (1517-1798)Muhammad Hussam al-Din Ismail Abdulfettah: The UrbanDevelopment of Rashid City from the XVIth Century to the XIXthCenturySlavka DraganovaOttoman Archives Related to Egypt: Fund ‘Cairo’ at the NationalLibrary of Sofia, BulgariaSession XIIIChair | Valerie GonzalezNaser IbrahimAttorneys in Alexandria Court during the Ottoman Era: SuleymanQunayd as an ExampleMagda MakhloufThe Administrative Code of Egypt Province during the Ottoman Era“Kanunname-i Misr” in the light of Islamic LawMehmet Mahfuz SöylemezEstablishment of the Ottoman Judicial Organization in Egypt and aResearch on the First Egyptian QadisGhada TosunRelation of People with CourtAyhan CeylanModernisation of Legislature in Egypt during the Ottoman Era (XIXthCentury)Imad Ahmed HilalThe Acts of the Beast are Excusable: Penal Responsibility betweenSharia and Law in Egypt during the XIXth Century.SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 7

y bringing forth the notions of common history andcommon heritage constitutes a most direct and beneficialway of building cooperation and solidarity in internationalrelations. IRCICA’s contributions to this end fulfil ahistorical mission. The Minister affirmed the Centre of theTurkish Government’s continuous support.The Secretary General of the Organisation of the IslamicConference Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu said, in his address,that IRCICA as the cultural subsidiary of the OIC has beenfulfilling its mission in an increasingly effective way throughauthentic activity programs reflecting the true features ofIslam, the development of its civilization and the culturalexchanges it generated between nations and civilizationsof the world. Prof. İhsanoğlu said that these activitiescontribute to cultural solidarity among the OIC MemberStates while at the same time they open channels for culturaldialogue between Muslim countries and other nations andcommunities. This contribution of IRCICA serves at thesame time the objectives set forth in the Ten-Year Programof Action of the OIC adopted by the Third ExtraordinarySummit Conference held in Makkah in December 2005which stresses the need to correct misjudgments aboutIslam, reflect its true image, disseminate respect forcultural diversity and combat Islamophobia. The SecretaryGeneral expressed his gratitude to H.R.H. the Chair andthe distinguished members of the Governing Board. Hecongratulated the members of IRCICA, particularly theDirector General, for their achievements.A special section in the last part of the ceremony wasdevoted to the presentation of Ijaza in the art of calligraphy(certificates of qualification) by three teachers of calligraphy,namely Hasan Çelebi, Davut Bektaş and Ferhat Korlu, tothirteen calligraphers from seven countries (Egypt, Iraq,Kuwait, Spain, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates)whom they had trained in various styles of writing, incourses coordinated by IRCICA during 2006 and 2007 (seeIRCICA Activities section).During the working sessions, Dr. Halit Eren presented areport outlining the activities undertaken by the Centreduring 2007 and the proposed work program for 2008.The Board adopted the activity report and the proposedwork program. It expressed its satisfaction regarding theprogress made by the Centre in research, publications,studies in various fields and the symposiums, conferencesand exhibitions which were held on its premises or in themember countries. The Board also expressed its satisfactionof the various projects implemented by the Centre incooperation with the cultural and academic institutionswithin and outside the member countries. The members ofthe Board commended the steps which were taken by theCentre in view of its future activities which opened newavenues for the latter.The Board expressed its deep appreciation of the allocationto the Centre, by the Government of Turkey, of the Silahhane(Armoury) building within the Yıldız Palace complex,which will house the electronic library to be establishedby the Centre; it lauded the generous support extended byH.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Vice -President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emiratesand Emir of Dubai, towards this project.During the sessions, the Board members were briefed by Prof.Arch. Amir Pasic, Head of the Department of Architectureof IRCICA, on two major projects, namely the Data Bankof Islamic Sites and Monuments and the “Al-Quds 2015”program of architectural studies and workshops. The Boardexpressed its gratitude to H.R.H. Prince Sultan bin Selmanfor the generous contribution brought towards the DataBank. It underlined the importance of the ten-year program“Al-Quds 2015” carried out by IRCICA and expressed itswishes of success to the Centre in its implementation.The Board commended the publication by the Centreof the copy of the Holy Quran attributed to the time ofCaliph Othman bin Affan taking note of the high qualityof the edition, expressing its gratitude to H.H. Sheikh Dr.Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qassimi, member of the SupremeCouncil of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Sharjah, fortaking charge of the printing expenses. The Board membersexchanged views on various other activities of the Centreincluding: the IRCICA Award for Excellence in Researchand the IRCICA Award for Patronage in the Preservationof Cultural Heritage and Promotion of Scholarship, bothplanned for 2008; participation in international fairs withinand outside the Muslim countries; dissemination of theCentre’s publications in universities around the world. Thereport and recommendations of the session will be presentedto the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers of the OICMember States.SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 9

The Islamic Conference of Ministers of Culturemet on its Fifth Session in Tripoli, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya12-14 November 2007The Fifth Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers ofCulture was held under the high patronage of MuammarAl-Qaddafi, Leader of the Libyan Jamahiriya, on 21-23November 2007. Tripoli was hosting the conference markingthe city’s designation, by the Islamic Educational, Scientificand Cultural Organization (ISESCO, a specialised institutionof the OIC), as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2007 forthe Arab region. The Conference discussed six main issueson which ISESCO presented reports: the implementation ofthe Cultural Strategy for the Islamic World; activities in thefields of culture and communication; efforts in the fields ofdialogue and cultural diversity as well as in refuting smearcampaigns targeting Islam and Muslims, the follow-up of theimplementation of the Islamic Cultural Capitals Program, itsefforts in the field of the implementation of the Strategy forIslamic Cultural Action in the West, and in protecting thecultural and civilisational heritage in the Islamic world.In its Final Communiqué, the Conference, based on theorientations of the Ten-Year Programme of Action of theOIC to Meet the Challenges Facing the Muslim Ummah inthe 21st Century, the resolutions of the Islamic Conferenceof Culture Ministers in its previous sessions (Dakar, 1989;Rabat, 1998; Doha, 2001; Algiers, 2004) and other documents,issued commitments in the following fields: “Promoting andProtecting the Islamic Cultural Identity”, One: Presentingthe True Image of Islam and the Islamic Culture; Two:Catering for Intangible Islamic Cultural Heritage; Three:Catering for Tangible Islamic Heritage; “Cultural Rightsfor All”, One: Cultural Sensitization of the Public Opinion,Two: Cultural Rights for Children and the Youth, Three:Cultural Rights for Women, Four: Cultural Rights for theMarginalized, Five: Promoting the Role of Civil Society in theDevelopment of the Cultural Sector; in the field of culturalawareness, One: Raising Awareness about the Environment,Health and Population, Two: Development of HumanResources in Cultural Fields, Three: Developing CulturalTourism; furthermore, in the field of “Promoting CulturalDiversity and Cultural Takaful and Spreading the Cultureof Peace Dialogue and Coexistence”: One, the Promotionof Cultural Diversity, Two: Encouraging Cultural Takaful,Three: Spreading the Culture of Dialogue and Coexistence;“Building the Society of Knowledge, Information andCommunication”, One: Bridging the Digital Divide betweenthe Islamic World and its International Surroundings, Two:Research and Training.In its Resolutions, the Conference of Ministers of Culture1 » Commended the efforts of the Centre to achieve variousprojects in cooperation with the cultural and academicinstitutions in the Member States and worldwide in thefields of research, publication and promotion of scholarlystudies on various subjects, as well as in organizing scientificsymposia, cultural lectures and exhibitions.2 » Took note of the contribution made by the Centre towardsencouraging activities of dialogue among civilizationsthrough its research, publications and congresses aiming topresent the true image of Islam and Islamic culture.3 » Placed on record its appreciation for the Centre’ssuccessful organisation of the International Congress onTourism and Traditional Handicrafts, the InternationalAward for the Craft Innovations in the Muslim World and thenumber of exhibitions of artisans at work which took place inRiyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 7-14 November 2006under the High Patronage of the Custodian of the Two HolyMosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, in cooperation withthe Supreme Commission for Tourism in Saudi Arabia.4 » Took note of the progress the Centre achieved inestablishing a data bank on Islamic monuments and siteswhich was launched with the generous support of H.R.H.Prince Sultan bin Salman, Secretary General of the SupremeCommission for Tourism, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, aimingto document and classify archaeological and historicalIslamic sites in the Member States.5 » Expressed its appreciation to all the Member States forthe moral and material support they are extending to IRCICAto enable fulfillment of its mission, particularly the Republicof Turkey, the host country of IRCICA, and the Kingdomof Saudi Arabia, the host country of the OIC; and placedon record its gratitude for the support and the patronageextended by the Kings, as well as the Princes, the Heads ofState and the Heads of Government in the Member States,which found their most eloquent expression recently in thevisit which the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques HisMajesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has made to IRCICAduring his official visit to Turkey, accompanied by H.E. Mr.Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Prime Minister of Turkey, on10 August 2006, and more recently, in the Prime Minister’sgraciously accepting the IRCICA Award for Patronageof Inter-Cultural Dialogue, presented to him by H.E. theSecretary General of the OIC and the Director General ofIRCICA at an official ceremony held on 2 February 2007, asa manifestation of the support and encouragement extendedto the Centre’s activities.During the conference period, the Director General ofIRCICA, accompanied by Dr. Nazih Marouf, Director ofthe Craft Development Program, met with the Ministersof the participating Member States, the Secretary Generalof the World Islamic Call Society Dr. Muhammed Ahmedal-Sharif, and Dr. Robert Palmer, Director, Directorate ofCulture and Cultural Heritage, Council of Europe.10 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

IRCICA ActivitiesTrainees in calligraphy received their diplomas19 October 2007For over fifteen years IRCICA has been coordinating trainingcourses in various fields of arts, particularly the art ofcalligraphy. Trainees from within and outside the OIC MemberStates are participating in these courses, mostly in Istanbulduring the summer months, but also by correspondence atother times. The courses are taught by leading masters of thisart. In conformity with traditional practice, successful traineesreceive Ijaza (diploma, license or certificate of qualification)signed by their teachers and indicating the style of writingin which they were trained. Fifty-five calligraphers fromtwenty-two countries received diplomas through the Centreuntil now. Diploma ceremonies are organised for groupsof trainees and placed generally within the framework ofevents hosted or organisedby the Centre. Thirteencalligraphers - from sevendifferent countries - whorecently completed theirtraining courses receivedtheir diplomas before theinternational audiencefrom the OIC MemberStates, during the openingceremony of the TwentysecondSession of IRCICAGoverning Board heldon 19 October 2007. Theceremony was held in thepresence of H.E. Prof.Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu,Secretary General of theOIC, H.E. Mr. MustafaBüyük, Undersecretary ofthe Ministry of Cultureand Tourism of Turkeyrepresenting H.E. theMinister Mr. ErtuğrulGünay, the heads of theConsular Missions of theOIC Member States inIstanbul, together withthe Board’s Chair H.R.H.Ambassador Dr. Wijdan al-Hashimi and distinguishedmembers. Addressingthe audience before thenpresentation of diplomas,The Ijaza a of Mr. Mandi (United Arab Emirates), who successfully wrote Hilyas(description of the features of Propher Mohammed) in two styles certifies to ahigh level of advancement.Director General Dr. Halit Eren said that IRCICA’s activitiescover a wide range of subjects, one of them “Islamic arts”,and that within the latter calligraphy has a special place. Heexpressed pride that IRCICA won recognition world-wide asa focal point in this field. He said that this was made possiblethrough the specially designed long-term programs whichwere established in the early 1980s by H.E. Prof. Ekmeleddinİhsanoğlu, Secretary General of the Organisation of IslamicConference, who was the Director General of IRCICA from1980 until the end of 2004. These programs aim to preservethis art in its classical styles, to encourage the performanceand transmission of expressions of traditional spirit andcreativity, such as most eloquently expressed in calligraphyand connected arts, andpromote cooperationamong calligraphers of theworld. Dr. Eren explainedthat in this field the Centreorganises competitions,exhibitions, conferencesand training programs. Thecalligraphy competitionsare held once everythree years; the seventhcompetition in the serieswas finalised last April.As to the exhibitions, theCentre frequently organisescalligraphy exhibitions onits premises and in variousOIC member countriesby displaying the awardwinnerworks. Furthermore,it coordinates trainingcourses for calligraphersfrom all over the worldwho wish to upgrade theirskills in various styles ofwriting. Congratulatingthe calligraphers who wereentitled to receive diplomas,he said that this was animportant point in theircareers in this art, since inthe classical tradition theIjaza delivered by the teacheris a license that certifies theSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 11

student is qualified to practice this art. “But in another senseit is a beginning, the beginning of the unending pursuit ofperfection. I believe that receiving their Ijaza in the presenceand from the hands of the representatives of the MemberStates present here today will add further significance andmark their career with such a memorable occasion.”Then, the Ijaza-diplomas were distributed to the calligraphers.Some of the guests present at the ceremony were invited tothe stage to give the diplomas to their holders, together withthe Secretary General of OIC Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğluand the Director General of IRCICA Dr. Halit Eren. Thus,Mr. Mahmoud Ibrahim Salamah from Egypt received hisIjaza for Jaly Diwani style issued by his teacher Mr. HasanÇelebi. The Consul General of Egypt, Ambassador Mrs. ImanMostafa, was invited to present the Ijaza document. Mr.Salamah had also received an Ijaza for the Thuluth-Naskhstyle from Mr. Hasan Çelebi earlier, in November 2005.Dr. Halil Önsoy from Turkey received his diploma issuedby his teacher Mr. Ferhat Korlu, in the Thuluth-Naskh stylecategory. Mr. Mustafa Büyük, Undersecretary of the Ministryof Culture and Tourism of Turkey, was invited to present thedocument.Ms. Noria Garcia from Spain was given a diploma by herteacher Mr. Davut Bektaş, in the Thuluth-Naskh category.The document was given to her by Ambassador Dr. Wijdanal-Hashimi, Chair of the Governing Board of IRCICA.Mr. Mohammed Mandi from the United Arab Emiratesreceived his diploma in the Thuluth-Naskh style issued byMr. Hasan Çelebi and presented to him by Mr. Essa AbdullaMassoud, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates inIstanbul, and Mr. Mohammed al-Murr, member of IRCICAGoverning Board representing the United Arab Emirates.IRCICA Activities12 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

The diploma of Mr. Jasim Mohammed Miraj from Kuwait,in the Thuluth-Naskh style category, signed by his teacherMr. Davut Bektaş, was given to him by Mr. Waleed Fadelal-Fadel, representative of Kuwait in the Governing Boardof IRCICA.Ms. Nermin Çokay from Turkey was given a diploma for theThuluth-Naskh style by her teacher Mr. Davut Bektaş. Dr.Abdul Aziz Abdullah Turki al-Subaie, the Governing Boardmember representing Qatar, gave her the diploma.Mr. Haytham Hamada from Syria received his diplomain the Thuluth-Naskh style signed by Mr. Hasan Çelebi,presented by Mr. Larbi Latroch, Consul General of Algeriain Istanbul.Ms. Deniz Öktem Bektaş, who was trained by Mr. DavutBektaş, received her diploma for the Thuluth-Naskh stylewhich was given to her by Dr. Saad A. al-Rashed, member ofthe Governing Board representing Saudi Arabia.Mr. Metin Jawdat from Iraq received his Ijaza for the Thuluth-Naskh style signed by Mr. Hasan Çelebi. The document wasgiven to him by Ambassador Salah Abdussalam al-Azzawi,Consul General of Iraq in Istanbul.The diploma of Mr. Nayif al-Hezza’ from Kuwait, issued byMr. Çelebi for the Thuluth-Naskh style, was received, in hisabsence, by Mr. Farid Ali, a painter and art specialist fromKuwait. The document was given by Dr. A. Cisse Ndieguene,Governing Board member representing Senegal.Mr. Ahmet Koçak from Turkey was given a diploma theThuluth-Naskh style, signed by Mr. Davut Bektaş, and thedocument was given to him by Mr. Seyyed Kemal Yassini,Consul General of Iran in Istanbul and Prof. Mehmet İpşirli,member of the Governing Board representing Turkey.Mr. Cafer Kelkit from Turkey received his diploma signedby Mr. Hasan Çelebi, for the Thuluth-Naskh style, and thediploma was given to him by Ambassador Mr. TannousAoun, Consul General of Lebanon in Istanbul.The diploma of Mr. Nurullah Özden from Turkey, issued byMr. Davut Bektaş for the Thuluth-Naskh style, was given tohim by Mrs. Gunay Efendiyeva, Consul, Consulate Generalof Azerbaijan in Istanbul, and Mr. Wahid Khursheed, ConsulGeneral of Pakistan in Istanbul.IRCICA ActivitiesSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 13

IRCICA’s participation in the “Saudi Arabia Cultural Days”22-28 October 2007IRCICA ActivitiesIRCICA hosted a series of lectures within the frameworkof the “Saudi Arabia Cultural Days” program which wasorganised by the Governments of the Kingdom of SaudiArabia and the Republic of Turkey through the Ministry ofCulture and Information of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry ofCulture and Tourism of Turkey. The program included:» “Saudi Arabian Literature - Thoughts”, lecture by Dr.Ahmed Altami (23 October 2007);» “Handwriting Workshop: Experience of a SaudiHandwriter” by Mr. Naser Almaimun (24 October 2007);» “Dressing Ceremonyof the Holy Qaba”, byMr. Nassir al-Harisi (25October 2007);» “Developing relationsbetween Saudi Arabia andTurkey”, lectures by Dr.Ahmad al-Zaylai, Dr. Talalal-Shaban, Dr. Ibrahim al-Qarni (25 October 2007).At the opening of thefirst lecture at IRCICA,Director General Dr. HalitEren briefed the audienceabout the activities of IRCICA in general and the events itorganizes with the aim of promoting international culturalrelations in particular. In this regard, he recalled the IslamicCountries Cultural Week which was organised in 2005 onthe occasion of the Centre’s 25th anniversary, in whichvarious Member States had participated with concerts,folkloric performances, academic lectures, and exhibitionsof paintings and handicrafts. The kingdom of Saudi Arabiahad contributed to all these aspects of the program. TheDirector General said that the Centre had also organized aLibyan Cultural Week in 2003, a Kyrgyzstan Cultural Weekin 2006 and an Isfahan Cultural Week in 2007. He expressedhis belief that the Saudi Arabia Cultural Days program wasgoing to be a highly effective event in introducing variousaspects of cultural, social and literary life in Saudi Arabia tothe public through these scholarly lectures.» In the first lecture, speaking on “Saudi Arabian Literature -Thoughts”, Dr. Ahmed Altami presented a historical overviewof Saudi Arabian literature from its beginnings up to themodern period. He said that the origins of Saudi literaturecan be traced back sixteen centuries. After the establishmentof the Saudi Arabian state, literary publishing grew at a rapidpace. The press and periodicals became the focus of thisliterary movement. The lecturer pointed out that two mainschools of literature developed: the representative of the firstschool was Ahmed Gazzawi, the greatest poet of traditionalliterature, while the main figure in the second school wasMuhammad Surur al-Sabban. Young poets who followedSabban’s footsteps later formed the main branch of Arabliterature. The poets who flourished in 1930s, 1940s and1960s laid the foundations of poetry in later periods. Theymainly dealt with topics such as love for one’s motherland,national feelings, love of nature and human love. The modernschool that covers the period until mid-60s introduced somechanges both in the form and content of poetry, hence in theArabic qasida. In this period one also sees the influences ofsurrealism and symbolismon Arab poetry. Dr. AhmedAltami stated that womenpoets flourished after1960s. Fawziya Abu Khalidis the first woman poetwith a diwan (collection ofpoetry). The lecturer thenfocused on other formsof literature such as shortstories and novels. Shortstories existed since thetime when the Tales ofOne Thousand and OneNights were written. Theyalso started to appear along with poetry from 1920s onwards.Both man and woman writers gained renown. They generallyused a symbolic language. The first novel that appeared in1930s had a simple form. No other novel was produced until1948 in this formative period. The novel became widespreadstarting from 1980s until the present day and nearly 400novels were produced in this period. The authors mainlydealt with the transformation in Saudi society and socialproblems. Particularly the period after 1992 can be called“the era of the novel”. At the end of his lecture, Dr. Altamifocused on literary criticism and the development of literaryinstitutions such as the literary club.» In his lecture titled “Handwriting Workshop: Experience ofa Saudi Handwriter”, Mr. Naser Almaimun told the audienceabout his own experience as a calligrapher; his teachers,the training courses he received, and the contributions andguidance provided by IRCICA throughout this process.» In his lecture on the “Dressing Ceremony of the Qaba”,Nassir al-Harisi presented a historical account of thedressing ceremony of the Holy Qaba, showing slides of theceremonies. He pointed out that no curtain covered theQaba before the time of Prophet Ismael and different viewsexist as to by whom the curtain was used first. Followingthe conquest of Mecca, Muslims showed utmost care forthis curtain. The same care was shown by the Four Caliphs,the Umayyads, the Abbasids and the Mamluks. During14 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

the Ottoman period particularly the Sultans Selim I andSuleyman the Magnificent established endowments for themaintenance of the Holy Qaba. The lecturer said that theSaudis also attached great importance to the curtains of theHoly Qaba. Mr. al-Harisi showed samples of curtains of theHoly Qaba, also known as burku or sitara, purses of keys ofthe Holy Qaba, and described the periods and conditionsunder which they were produced.» Dr. Ahmad al-Zaylai, Dr. Talal al-Shaban and Dr. Ibrahimal-Qarni gave lectures on “Developing relations betweenSaudi Arabia and Turkey”. In his lecture, Dr. al-Zaylaistated that it was mainly the western scholars who madearchaeological excavations in Saudi Arabia about fourty yearsago. Saudi scholars began to work in this field after 1940s.Some works from the Ottoman period were also discovered.He pointed out that King Saud University is working onthe subject. Regarding the Islamic works in Mecca and theinscriptions in kufic script, the main archaeological siteswere determined at the turn of the 1970s and some workswere found. Umm al-Qura University is also undertakingexcavations on the line between Mecca and Medina. Someinscriptions with Quranic verses were discovered.Dr. Talal al-Shaban, who is a specialist of the architectureof the Ottoman period, spoke of the Ottoman buildings inthe country. He pointed out that there are civilian, militaryand religious works in Mecca and Medina. Ottoman artcontributed to the architecture of the Prophet’s Mosquein Medina. The tulip motifs in this mosque are similar tothose in the mosques in Istanbul, Bursa and Amasya inTurkey. The lecturer compared the architectural works inKonya, Istanbul, and Bursa with those in Medina. He statedthat the works in Medina are less imposing - as to size anddecorations. He also underlined the resemblance betweenthe fortresses on the road to pilgrimage between Istanbuland Medina and the fortresses in Turkey. At the end of hislecture, Dr. Shaban underlined the contributions of Turksto Islamic architecture particularly in the 11th and 12thcenturies. He also briefly focused on the famous Ottomanarchitect Sinan and his works.Dr. Ibrahim al-Qarni, who teaches in the Department ofLanguages and Translation of King Saud University, talkedabout the efforts to encourage the teaching of eastern languagesin Saudi Arabia. Turkish was chosen as a pilot language in thisrespect. Dr. al-Qarni informed the audience that the Center forEuropean Languages and Translation was established in 1977,the Institute of Languages and Translation in 1991 and theFaculty of Languages and Translation in 1995. The Programin Turkish Language, which is a three-year program, wasestablished in 1993. The program aims to admit 100 studentsnext year. It contributes to the cultural cooperation betweenTurkey and Saudi Arabia through the exchange of instructors,as well as scholarships in graduate studies and publications.IRCICA ActivitiesSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 15

Visit of H.E. Mr. Iad Amin Madani, Minister of Culture and Informationof the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to IRCICA andsigning of a new Cooperation Agreement24 October 2007On the occasion of the “Saudi ArabiaCultural Days”, H.E. Mr. Iad AminMadani, Minister of Culture andInformation of the Kingdom ofSaudi Arabia, and a delegation fromthe Ministry visited IRCICA on 24October 2007. The Minister wasalready acquainted with the Centre’sactivities through earlier visits andcontacts; in particular, he was amember of the entourage of TheCustodian of the Two Holy MosquesKing Abdallah bin Abdulaziz al-Saudduring the King’s visit to IRCICA on10 August 2006 in company of the Prime Minister of TurkeyH.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In this visit the Ministerreceived information from Dr. Halit Eren on some recentprogress in the activities.During this visit, a Cooperation Agreement was signedbetween the Ministry of Culture and Information ofSaudi Arabia and IRCICA, to further strengthen contactsand cooperation in their activities relating to culturaldevelopment, studies on cultural heritage and the promotionof cultural cooperation among the OIC Member States. Inparticular, the agreement determined the modalities of anexhibition of historical photographs of Saudi Arabia to beopened in Jeddah and then travel to various cities of theKingdom. It will consist of photographs of the cities, sitesand monuments of Saudi Arabia to bechosen from the Yıldız Palace archivecollection which dates from the endof the 19th-beginning of the 20thcentury. Taking into considerationthat this collection has have a highdocumentary value, it is planned thatthe exhibition would display someeighty photographs but that more thantwice as many would be reproducedin a catalogue to be published inrelation with the exhibition. TheMinister recorded his impressions inthe Visitors’ Book, as follows: «I amhappy to visit the Research Centre for Islamic History, Artand Culture once again, together with my colleagues fromthe Ministry of Culture and Information, on the occasionof the Saudi Cultural Days organised in Turkey. Some ofthe activities held within this framework are taking place atthe headquarters of IRCICA. We would like to renew ourthanks for that and for the warm welcome and kind interestextended to us. The present visit has been an occasion toreach an agreement on organising an exhibition of historicalphotographs, drawn from the Centre’s archives, to be heldin the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I pray to God that He mayhelp the staff of this Centre, at their head H.E. the DirectorGeneral Dr. Halit Eren, in implementing a wide range ofprojects towards the aim of promoting cultural developmentand strengthening culture in the Muslim world.»Visit of Mr. Veysel Eroglu, Minister of Environment and Forestry,Republic of Turkey, to IRCICA27 October 2007IRCICA ActivitiesH.E. Mr. Veysel Eroğlu, Minister ofEnvironment and Forestry of theRepublic of Turkey, visited IRCICAon 27 October 2007. DirectorGeneral Dr. Eren guided the Ministerto the various sections of the Centreand briefed him on the projectsand activities. The Minister alsosaw the repairs and arrangementsbeing conducted in the “Silahhane”(Armoury) building which wasallocated by the Turkish Governmentto the Centre earlier in 2007 to serveas premises for IRCICA’s expandinglibrary. Mr. Veysel Eroğlu recorded his impressions in theVisitors’ Book, as follows: “I havefollowed the activities of IRCICAclosely. Through the large number ofseminar and congresses it organized,the Centre opened new horizons andbuilt splendid bridges between the pastand the present. The valuable effortsit deploys to transfer our history andculture to the new generations aremeritorious. I sincerely congratulateall those who work at IRCICA andwish them continuous success. Ialso wish the Director General andthe Governing Board memberspermanent success and I greet them.”16 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

IRCICA’s participation in the 34th Session ofUNESCO General Conference16 October-3 November 2007IRCICA participated in the 34th Sessionof the UNESCO General Conferencewhich was held in Paris from 16 Octoberto 3 November 2007. The address of theDirector General of IRCICA Dr. HalitEren at the General Conference was readby Dr. Nazih Marouf, Director of theCraft Development Program at IRCICA.In his address the Director General brieflydescribed the activities of IRCICA with anemphasis on those fields of common interestfor UNESCO and IRCICA. He reviewedthe progress achieved in the cooperationbetween the two organizations, which, hesaid, had expanded after the signing of the memorandum ofunderstanding for cooperation in 1996 and further after therevised and enlarged version of this memorandum signed in2005. Dr. Eren referred to UNESCO’s Resolution 33 C/5 Para.05120 which was passed by the 33rd Session of the GeneralConference on 7 September 2005, foreseeing UNESCO’scontribution for the establishment of a Training andRestoration Unit of Old Manuscripts at Süleymaniye Libraryin Istanbul as a project to be implemented in cooperationwith UNESCO, IRCICA and the Ministry of Culture ofthe Republic of Turkey. Implementation of the project wasactivated following the memorandum of understandingwhich was signed on 29 November 2006 between theGovernment of Turkey, UNESCO and IRCICA. This projectaims to enlarge the existing unit in the Süleymaniye Libraryand endow it with equipment suiting the modern standards.Conservation, preservation and restoration services andtraining facilities of specialists in these fields will be providedto the OIC member countries and archivists from othercountries, especially from those where collections of Islamicmanuscripts are found. The Director General also informedthe conference participants on the Data Bank of the sitesand monuments of the Muslim world tobe operated at IRCICA and the relateddecision of the Fifth Islamic Conferenceof Tourism Ministers (Baku, 2006); theprogram of architectural studies andworkshops titled “Jerusalem 2015” whichis organised jointly with the University ofal-Quds and bringa together architects,restoration and conservation specialistsfrom around the world in collaborativestudies on the architectural heritage of al-Quds, its preservation, and development ofthe urban environment of the city.Pointing out another aspect of the activitiesof cooperation, Dr. Eren recalled that as IRCICA is assignedto be the Focal Point of Cooperation for Arts, Crafts andPromotion of Heritage within the UN-OIC cooperationsystem, it will continue to cooperate and consult withUNESCO in the field of crafts development, in organisingseminars, congresses and exhibitions, arranging exchangesof craft specialists and artisans. Among the joint activitiesalready accomplished within this framework, he recalled theSeminar on “Arabesque in the Traditional Crafts of IslamicCountries” which was organised in Damascus in cooperationwith UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of Syria andthe Seminar on “Creativity in Traditional Islamic Crafts”organised in Islamabad in cooperation with UNESCO andLok Virsa, Ministry of Culture of Pakistan.During the period of the UNESCO General Conference, Dr.Marouf representing IRCICA met with the representativesof the Member States of UNESCO and IRCICA. He alsomet with Mrs. Françoise Rivière, Assistant Director Generalfor Culture, Mr. Ahmed Sayyad, Assistant Director Generalfor External Relations, and the Director Generals of variousdepartments and divisions of UNESCO.History congress to mark the centenary of the1908 Constitution of the Ottoman State27 October 2007vIRCICA is organising an international congress on “TheSecond Constitutional Period/Meşrutiyet on its Centenary”,to be held in Istanbul on 7- 10 May 2008. The proclamation ofthe Constitution for the second time in 1908, after 1876, wasone of the turning points in the history of the Ottoman Stateand marked the beginning of the dynamic processes thatshaped the geo- political picture of the Middle East and theBalkans today. In this congress, the Second ConstitutionalPeriod and its consequences will be analysed from interdisciplinaryperspectives, taking into consideration thehistorical background and conditions leading to the secondconstitutional period, the accompanying intellectual, publicopinion, literary, etc. developments, and its repercussions– its immediate and continuing impacts observed in theMuslim world and in the countries with which the OttomanState held relations. The ensuing administrative andIRCICA ActivitiesSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 17

political transformations will be highlighted, the results ofthe ideological and intellectual dynamics involved will beevaluated. The main themes are:I » Dynamics leading to the proclamation of theConstitution in 19081. Formation of the idea of the Constitution in the Muslimworld (ideational currents in the Ottoman Empire, Iranand other regions)2. Ideational currents and political movements (e.g.Ottomanism, Islamism, Westernism, Turkism; NewOttomans, Young Turks, centralization/decentralization)3. Attempts at reform and renewalII » The Constitution and its impact1. The Young Turks movement and proclamation of theConstitution2. The impact of the proclamation of the Constitutiona. on Ottoman State and societyb. in the Balkansc. in the Middle Eastd. in Central Asiae. in North AfricaIII » Ideological and political developments in theaftermath World War I1. Movements of nationalism and independence (in theMuslim world, Turkistan, India, etc.)2. The ascendancy of ideologies in the Muslim world (e.g.Socialism, Liberalism, Nationalism)3. Democratisation processes and political parties4. Legal developments, rights and libertiesPrince Faisal bin Fahd Award for the Preservation ofIslamic Architectural Heritage: the competition continuesIRCICA ActivitiesIRCICA launched a periodical award entitled the “PrinceFaisal bin Fahd Award for the Preservation of IslamicCultural Heritage”. The first competition in the series isdevoted to Architectural Heritage and titled the “PrinceFaisal bin Fahd Award for the Preservation of IslamicArchitectural Heritage”. The competition aims at supportingthe revival of Islamic heritage - preservation of monumentsand giving them vital functions, either historical or modern.Subsequent competitions will be devoted to other themesconcerning the preservation of Islamic cultural heritage.The competition program is dedicated to the memory ofthe late Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, whowas the Chairman of the International Commission forthe Preservation of Islamic Cultural Heritage (ICPICH), asubsidiary of the OIC which operated from 1983 until 2000with IRCICA as its Executive Secretariat. The Commissionwas merged with IRCICA in 2000 following the demise ofits Chairman and its activities were integrated into the workplans of IRCICA. IRCICA organised the present competitionat the request of the Islamic Summit and Foreign MinistersConferences asking that IRCICA dedicates a special activityto the memory of Prince Faisal bin Fahd in recognition of hisremarkable services to the preservation of cultural heritage.The project was approved by the Member States of the OICat the 32nd Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (Sana’a,Yemen Republic, June 2005). The competition was launchedas of 2006.The competition is open to projects completed during in thelast five years and representing an outstanding contribution tothe preservation of Islamic cultural heritage. Governmentaland non-governmental organizations and individuals areinvited to apply to the competition. Three equal awardswill be presented to the best projects. An exhibition of theparticipating projects will be organized. The presentationsshould be in English, French or Arabic. As of December2007 projects have already been nominated from sixteencountries; the application documents for eight projects havealready been completed. The submission of the documentsfor the competition will be finalized by 30 July 2008 and onlinework of the Jury will be held during September-October2008. The competition procedures are detailed below:Project eligibilityThe Award seeks out the broadest possible range ofpreservation interventions: restoration and social effortsare considered, as are contemporary design projects incorporation with historic sites and those demonstratingthe use of appropriate technologies. Although no fixedcriteria are imposed as to the type, nature, location, or costof projects to be considered for the Award, eligible projectsmust be designed for or used by Muslim communities, inpart or in whole, wherever they are located.ApplicationApplications are the means for a first enrollment of projects.The identities of the applicants and the names of the projectswill be kept strictly confidential. The first application is doneby completing and returning the enclosed form to IRCICAor by filling-in the on-line form provided on IRCICA’swebsite http://ircica.org.DocumentationThe owners/architects of projects enrolled will receivean Award documentation package which describes thestandardized presentation requirements. In addition tosubmitting photographs, slides, and architectural drawings,architects are asked to complete a questionnaire pertainingto use, cost, environmental and climatic factors, constructionmaterials, building schedule, and, more importantly, designconcepts and each project’s significance within its owncontext.18 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

The seven-member international jury of the competition iscomposed of:1. Professor Dr. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary General,OIC (Honorary President of the Jury)2. Dr. Halit Eren, Director General, IRCICA (Chairman)3. Professor Dr. Saad A. al-Rashid4. Professor Dr. Zeynep Ahunbay5. Professor Dr. Gulzar Haider6. Professor Dr. Attilio Petruccioli7. Professor Dr. Saleh Lamei MostafaA total of $ 30.000 US will be awarded as three equal prizes tocompleted projects, for excellence in preservation of Islamicarchitectural heritage. Since the success of a winning projectmay be the product of efforts by diverse individuals, groups,and organizations, the Jury will consider, if necessary andapplicable, apportioning prizes among the contributors- architects, other design and construction professionals,craftsmen, clients, and institutions - whom it considers mostresponsible for the success of each project.The competition calendar is as follows:Submission of documentation 30 July 2008On line work of the Jury September-October 2008Jury’s final meeting December 2008Award announcement ceremony January 2009One of the main avenues by which traditional handicraftsfound varieties of expressions and applications andpenetrated the lives of peoples in the past and the present,is architecture.For contacts, write toIRCICA, Yıldız Sarayı, Seyir Köşkü, P.O. Box 24,Beşiktaş 34353, İstanbul, TurkeyPhone: 90 212 259 17 42,Fax: 90 212 258 43 65,heritageaward@ircica.orgInternational congress on “Employment ofTraditional Handicrafts in Architectural Projects: Characteristics,Advantages and Economic contributions”, in Tunis2- 7 June 2008The Handicraft National Agency of Tunis, attached to theMinistry of Trade and Traditional Industries, and the ResearchCenter for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA),in cooperation with the Tunisian Ministry of Culture andHeritage Preservation, will organise the internationalcongress on “Employment of Traditional Handicrafts inArchitectural Projects: Characteristics, Advantages andEconomic Contributions”, to be held in Tunis, on 2- 7June 2008. The Congress activities will include exhibitionsof traditional handicrafts, masterpieces from the Islamicworld; artisans-at-work exhibitions, and the possibility toappoint two distinguished artisans reflecting the best of thecountry in the field of traditional industries employed inthe architectural projects and in home furnishings. Otheractivities of the congress will be as follows: An exhibitionof traditional industries products which can be used in thearchitectural projects of the Member States; Exhibitions ofartisans-at-work; Exhibition of albums, catalogs and bookspublished on the subject of traditional industries, whichare being used or could be incorporated into architecturalinstallations in the Member States.The Congress will deal with aspects relating to tourism,culture and heritage, and study the methods that ensure agood use of traditional handicrafts sector in architecturalprojects, the benefits that can be obtained through therevival and development of this sector, the preservationof its traditional originality, and the ways of promotingand making it known through the available channels. Thethemes will cover all aspects of the traditional industries asapplied in architecture in the various Member States, thevarious schools and the multiple types of designs used, rawmaterials, applied techniques, their current situation, andthe mutual influences with Western enterprises.The congress will draw participants from the OIC membercountries, international and regional organisationsconcerned, experts of the traditional industries inarchitectural projects, architects, designers, internal decorspecialists, traditional manufacturers, etc. It seeks to providean opportunity for them to meet, exchange views andexperiences on the means of making best use of the sector andestablish a permanent and practical policy to revive it. TheCongress aims to issue recommendations on the followingsubjects: Increasing the level of employing the traditionalindustries products in the architectural and renovationprojects in order to stimulate the sectors of tourism, cultureand heritage, by promoting acquaintance with the estheticaspect of the traditional-industry products in the MemberStates and the characteristics of creativity and innovation inthis field; seeking the fields in which the economic role ofthe traditional industries would be activated; discussing themeans to create jobs; creating a data- base on the currentsituation of the traditional industries sector and employingit in the Member States’ architectural projects, through theresearch papers to be presented; Establishing a specializedlibrary of all the publications issued in this field; activatingcompetition and creativity among young artisans, in orderto encourage innovations and provide incentives for theproduction of authentic and renewed products; crowningIRCICA ActivitiesSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 19

the research papers with an academic document to meetthe needs of concerned institutions in the Member States,and publishing the “ proceedings book”; developing astrategy of international cooperation towards developingthe traditional industries and using them in architecturalprojects. Specifically, the congress will deal with the followingtraditional industries: 1. Decoration and miniatures; 2.Gypsum and sculpture; 3. Ceramics and porcelain; 4. Woodcrafts; 5. Metal crafts; 6. Furniture and internal decoration;7. Weaving and embroidery; 8. The relationship betweentraditional industries and architecture; 9. The traditionalarchitecture and the available skills and patterns; 10. Thesituation of the traditional industries in urban planningprojects; 11. Employment of traditional industries inarchitecture; 12. Coordination between the designer,architect, and the traditional manufacturer. These themes willbe dealt with under their various aspects: social, economic,tourism, marketing, heritage preservation, originality;cultural dialogue and mutual influences; education; training;the role of the government and private sector efforts; mediaand raising awareness on the importance of the sector and itsconstructive contributions to society.Music Festival and Tourism Film Festivalfor OIC Member States to take place in Baku, Republic of AzerbaijanSeptember 2008IRCICA ActivitiesThe Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic ofAzerbaijan and IRCICA are planning to organise twofestivals: the International Music Festival for OIC MemberStates and the International Tourism Film Festival for OICMember States. The events will take place in Baku, Republicof Azerbaijan in September 2008.The International Music Festival aims to involve the 57member countries of the OIC to be represented through theirtraditional music ensembles. The program will be conductedin stages, by selecting one representative country from eachregion of the Muslim world at each stage until all countriesare represented. For a week’s time at each stage, the musicensembles will perform concerts at various venues in the cityof Baku. The concerts will be accompanied by exhibitions.An Exhibition of Traditional Musical Instruments of theMember States and an exhibition of CDs and Cassettes ofthe Traditional Music will be part of the event.The Festival will provide the opportunity for the public tolearn more about the different aspects of traditional music invarious OIC countries and for musical groups to know eachother and exchange experiences. Its objectives are:- Activating the cultural and tourism sectors by the mediumof traditional music;- Raising awareness of the importance of traditional musicas part of cultural heritage;- Developing an updated database of the existing recordingsof traditional music in OIC countries;- Evaluating the present state of traditional music in theIslamic world.The International Tourism Film Festival is planned as aninnovative event which is expected to contribute in boostingtouristic activity in OIC countries. The idea of the filmfestival involves in part the prospect of inviting the MemberStates to nominate two types of films: one brief film of oneand a half minutes and a documentary film of 20 minutes.During the one-week Festival, a jury of film experts will meetto evaluate these films and honour the best three in each ofthe two categories. The participating films will be shown tothe public in various cinema halls in Baku.Furthermore, the Festival will include a Panel of film expertsin the field of tourism. The Member States will be invitedto nominate experts and concerned professionals to discussthe present state and future prospects of film making in thisspecific area. The Panel will also be opened to the privatesector. For a period of two days, experts will try to define astrategy for developing film making in the field of tourismthat would meet today’s needs in the OIC countries. ThePanel will provide an opportunity for hearing about theexperiences of some countries which were capable ofattracting more tourists through such promotion.The Festival objectives are:- Encouraging the Member States to produce the best filmsfor tourism development;- Raising awareness of the importance of touristic films;- Developing an updated database of the presently availabletourism films of OIC countries;- Organising competitive programs for film makers, toencourage creativity and innovation;- Evaluating the present state of film making in the fieldof tourism in the Muslim world and drawing futureguidelines;- Publishing the proceedings of the Panel to serve as areference for specialists working in this field.20 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

Art Exhibitions»»»Exhibition by the Japanese calligrapher Mr. Fuad Kouichi Honda 16-30 November 2007Professor Fouad Kouichi Hondais honorary member of NationalCalligraphers’ Association in Egyptand President of Arabic CalligraphyAssociation of Japan. As a keen studentof Islamic calligraphy, he participatedin the second international calligraphycompetition organised by IRCICA in1990 and awarded an encouragementprize. Mr. Honda was also awarded anincentive prize in the third internationalcalligraphy competition organized byIRCICA in 1993. He received his ijaza(diploma in Islamic calligraphy) fromCalligrapher Hasan Çelebi in the year 2000. Professor Hondaparticipated in various exhibitions held in Japan as well asother countries such as in Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia,Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.He also participated in the “Ijaza Exhibition” and “Wordinto Art Exhibition” held in 2005 and 2006 respectively, inBritish Museum, London. His interest in this art was notonly limited to producing calligraphic compositions. He hasalways been eager to make this unique art known in Japan byhis publications. He is the translator of the Japanese editionof IRCICA’s publication titled The Art of Calligraphy inIslamic Heritage. This work appeared in Japanese in Tokyo,in 1996. His work titled The Cosmos of Arabic Calligraphy:The Works of Fuad Kouichi Honda appeared in Japanese,English, and Arabic. Professor Honda expresses his feelingsabout calligraphy by the following words: “Arabic calligraphyis no longer the mere act of handwriting, but has become,like poetry, the means by which I express myself and myfeelings. When I inscribe a line, I have the feeling that Iam writing more than just a verse. Ifeel beauty surrounding me and anembodiment of my invisible internalworld.” Professor Honda states thathe has always thought of the strokesof Arabic calligraphy as living beingsnot only because of their shapes,but also because of their process ofreproduction. After one stroke comesto its end, another one is born andfollows- just like our life is handed overto the next by means of reproduction.The calligraphic composition is anindependent mass, which, accordingto Professor Honda, begins to move, as if it has a life of itsown. This is just like numerous cells coming together andsystematically composing a life-form.The majority of the artist’s works are inspired by nature andthe cosmos as implied by their names. A total of twentyworks were exhibited; some titles of his calligraphic works,which are all compositions of selected Quranic verses, are:The Clouds of Mercy (Surah ar-Rahman, 1-29); Light uponLight [Surah an-Nur (The Light), 35]; The Green Cosmos[Surah al-Baqarah, 255 (Ayah al Kursi)]; Nebula of Letters[Surah Ghafir (The Forgiver), 57-67]; The Spiral Nebula[Surah an-Naml (The Ant), 65-75]; Nebula of Letters Surahan-Nur (The Light), 35-46; The Clouds of the Night (Surahar-Rum, 48-50); The Blue Mandala [Surah al-Hadid (TheIron), 1-6]; The Rose-Coloured Horizon (Surah at-Tariq andSurah al-A‘la); and others. The ijaza (diploma of calligraphy)given to him by Mr. Hasan Çelebi in 2000 was also displayedin the exhibition.»»» »»»“The Glorious Voyage of Silk and Gold”: Exhibitionof illuminated calligraphy 19-31 October 2007“The Journey in Time”: Miniature Exhibition byHarika Yazıcı and her students 2-12 November 2007This exhibition consisted of illuminated calligraphy platesand works of Turkish embroidery by contemporary artistswho were trained at the ‘İlim Yayma Cemiyeti’ (the Societyto Spread Knowledge), a society that was founded in 1951 inIstanbul. For centuries illuminated calligraphy has been usedto decorate books, covers, manuscripts, imperial edicts andmonograms, and particularly copies of the Quran with goldand various colors. The embroidery work is meticulouslydone on fine silk fabrics with gold and silver metallic threads.This exhibition was comprised of works by the followingartists: Mukaddes Can, Zehra Çekin, Sema Çevik, ZehraDurmuş, Fatma Mete, and Hafize Özkaya.The artists Duygu Otçu, Güliz Akgiray, Çiğdem Kabadayı,Süreyya Şenel, and Fatoş Borbor, all students of HarikaYazıcı, displayed their works inspired by Islamic miniaturesand gravures. The artists aim to revive and reinterprettraditional arts with new techniques and sometimes witha post-modern approach. Their paintings gave the visitorsglimpses of life in Istanbul in the past.IRCICA ActivitiesSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 21

Cultural Events»»» Interregional Forum on the Protection of Genetic Resources,Traditional Knowledge and Folklore organised in Sana’a, Yemen by WIPO and ISESCO 4-6 November 2007Sana’a, the capital city of Yemen Republic, hosted this Forumorganised by the World Intellectual Property Organization(WIPO) and the Islamic Educational Scientific and CulturalOrganization (ISESCO), on 4-6 November 2007. Thecountries represented at the meeting were: Albania, Egypt,Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia,Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunis, Turkey, andUzbekistan. The following organisations were represented:IRCICA, OIC Islamic Centre for the Development of Trade;League of Arab States; Patent Office of the CooperationCouncil for the States of the Gulf (GCCPO); the ArabSociety for Intellectual Property (ASIP), Jordan; NationalIndigenous Knowledge Systems Office, South Africa;African Regional Intellectual Property Organization(ARIPO), Zimbabwe; Peruvian Society for EnvironmentalLaw (SPDA), Peru; Council of Scientific and IndustrialResearch, India; Center for Arab and Mediterranean Music,Tunis, and Cairo University. After a review of the variousregional experiences, expert presentations and discussionson the program topics, four working groups were createdwhich drew specific recommendations on the followingaspects of the main theme: Policy Development; Legislation;Capacity-building; Documentation. On policy development,the Forum invited the countries to develop efficient nationalstrategies enabling the realisation of economic value forTraditional Knowledge holders and offering opportunitiesfor the economic exploitation of this knowledge. TheForum also recommended the collection, documentationand classification of data on traditional knowledge andestablishment of data bases, enhancement of cooperationand exchange of expertise among countries; assistance inthe realisation of a Pilot Project in this field for subsequentwider deployment; and, working towards the establishment,in each country, of public associations to deal with culturalheritage which would complement the work of governmentauthorities in this field. A preliminary outcome of thesepreparations would be presented to the relevant Ministriesof Member States for their comments on the Draft Lawprior to its submission in its final form for adoption bythe competent Council of Ministers of the League of ArabStates. It was underlined that this work should take intoconsideration the national and regional specificities as wellas specific needs and requirements and the need to integratethem into a single unified legal framework. The need tobuild on the experiences of other regional groups (Africa,Asian and Latin America) having taken measures in thisarea was also underlined. Relating to capacity building, theobjective is to provide qualified staff and efficient institutionsto collect, document and classify information on traditionalknowledge and establishment of empirical databases torecord this information. The Forum specified that this willinvolve action by national authorities concerned, towardsincreasing awareness of holders of traditional knowledgeand encouraging them to present their assets for betterpreservation and subsequent economic exploitation, as wellas towards urging research institutions to engage in studieson traditional knowledge. Besides, WIPO, ISESCO andother relevant organisations will provide “trainer-trainee”programs in the field of collection and documentation,provide expertise and technological assistance, includingdocumentation systems, and follow up the results of factfindingmission undertaken by WIPO in certain Arabcountries.»»»Festival of Arabic Calligraphy and Islamic Decorative Art held in Algiers 6-30 December 2007Cultural EventsAlgiers as the Arab Cultural Capital 2007 hosted the FirstInternational Festival of Arabic Calligraphy and IslamicDecorative Art. The Festival took place under the patronageof H.E. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria,during the period from 6 to 30 December 2008, in themagnificent “Rais’ Palace” building. The Festival comprisedan exhibition of nearly two hundred calligraphies.Workshops and demonstrations of calligraphic writing,illumination, marbled paper making were organized. Thesewere presented by experts of these arts from eleven countries(Egypt, Irak, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Palestine,Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey) in addition tothose who came from various parts of Algeria itself. Anothermajor event was a Palestinian Cultural Week coinciding withthe Festival period. Meanwhile, lectures were held at theNational Library relating to the art of calligraphy, its historyand various styles. The Festival activities provided excellentopportunities for artists from various countries to meet eachother and learn about each others’ works.IRCICA participated in the Festival by coordinating lecturesby six eminent experts of calligraphy from Turkey. TheCentre also took the opportunity to present the awards andcertificates of the Algerian calligraphers who won prizes inthe Seventh Calligraphy Competition which was finalised inApril 2007.22 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

Book Survey»»»A selection of books received by IRCICA LibraryCataloguesCataloguesofofmanuscriptsmanuscriptsOpisanie Pykopisey na Persidskom Yazike NauchnoyBiblioteki Imeni N.I. Lobachevskogo KazanskogoGosudarstvennogo Universiteta (Catalogue ofmanuscripts in the Persian language at the NationalScientific Library of Kazan State University), compiledby A.A. Arslanova, edited by M.A. Usmanov, IslamicManuscripts from the Russian Federation, Moscow-Kazan, 2005, 526 p.This catalogue was printed in Russia with the contributionsof the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on themillennium of the city of Kazan and bicentennial anniversaryof Kazan State University. It is the first book in the serieson the Persian manuscripts located at the National Librarynamed after mathematician N. I. Lobachevsky. It containsinformation on Persian manuscripts dating from the 13thcentury until the end of the 19th century. The manuscriptsin the catalogue are classified according to their subjectssuch as hagiography, anthology of poets, chemistry, history,astronomy, mathematics, algebra, calendar-making, lifeof Prophet Mohammed, history of the Shiites, medicine,Sufism, Qur’anic commentary, Islamic jurisprudence, thescience of hadith (sayings of the Prophet), legends aboutthe prophets, interpretation of dreams, etc. It has an indexand colour photographs of some manuscripts. The catalogueis of particular interest to scholars engaged in orientalstudies and Persian studies. The National Library of KazanState University is one of the largest and oldest librariesin Russia. It was established in 1804 at the same time asKazan State University. The library counts about five millionbooks, journals, various printed materials and documents.In library stocks are kept ancient manuscripts (the mostancient of them belongs to the ninth century) and also therarest editions - incunabula, first printed books, lifetimeeditions of classics of literature. The rich collection containsmanuscripts in Russian, west European languages, Arabic,Persian, Tatar language and other eastern languages (mostof them of the Turkic languages group). The collection ofmanuscripts expanded with the manuscripts of Sh. MardjaniMosque, private donations and purchases of rare books. Atpresent, the library has more than 13 thousand manuscripts.The first 1.500 manuscripts were donated by individuals suchas Galim djan Barudi, Shikhab al-Din Mardjani, AhmadKhadi Maksudi, Kurban Ali Burnaev, Salah al-Din b. Ishakand others. The well-known Russian mathematician N. I.Lobachevsky served as director of the Library during 1825-1835. In this period, the library was moved to a separatebuilding and opened to the public. At the same time,exchange programs of the library began and the catalogingsystem was established. The scientific library of Kazan StateUniversity is a leading reference center for the libraries of theinstitutes of higher education of the Volga-Ural region.Sobraniye Vostochnikh Rukopisei Akademii NaukUzbekskoi SSR (Collection of Oriental Manuscriptsof the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic Academy ofSciences), Edited by A.A. Semenov, Publication of theAcademy of Sciences, Tashkent, 1952-1987.This catalogue in eleven volumes published over the years1952-1987 records the Islamic manuscripts that are locatedat the Oriental Institute of the Academy of Sciences ofUzbekstan. The manuscripts are in Arabic, Persian, Tajik andTurkish languages. They belong to a period of one thousandyears of Muslim culture. The oldest manuscript dated344/955 is in Arabic. The majority of the manuscripts areunique copies. Among them are correspondence of the rulerof Khiva Khanate, the collection of Sharif Djan Makhtum,the last qadi of Bukhara, and the collection of the eminentorientalist V.L. Vyatkin. The manuscripts are on the varioussubjects: exegeses and commentaries of the Quran, Islamicjurisprudence, Islamic history, geography, pharmacology,and music. There are also manuscripts autographed byillustrious Muslim scholars such as Tabari, Zamakhshari,Buhari, Navai, Mardjani, Mahmud of Kashgar, Samarqandi.This unique collection of manuscripts preserved in theOriental Institute was included in UNESCO’s “Memory ofthe World” Program which was launched in 1992 for thepreservation of the valuable archive holdings and librarycollections all over the world.Arabic Geographic Manuscripts at the BodleianLibrary, Oxford University, Classified and commentedby Prof. Abdullah Y. al-Ghunaim, Oxford: OCIS 2006,6+405 pp.Bodleian Library, one of the most well-known of the fourtylibraries of Oxford University, is also one of the oldestand richest of the world for its collections of Arabic andOriental manuscripts. This book consists of an index ofthe manuscripts, with descriptions on each manuscript,their comparisons with other copies existing around theworld, and a record of how they were brought from theiroriginal locations to the Bodleian Library. The classificationBook SurveySEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 23

Book Surveyof the manuscripts according to their subjects whichalso composes the book’s sections is as follows: RegionalGeography and Books on Countries, Physical Geography,Gazetteers, Voyagers Books, Topography Books, Navigationand Seafaring, Cosmography.History, historiographyGábor Ágoston, Guns for the Sultan: Military Powerand the Weapons Industry in the Ottoman Empire,Cambridge University Press, 2005, xvi + 277 p.This book primarily aims to understand the Ottomanweapons industry, the systems and modalities by whichthe sultans obtained their armaments. The major part of itscontents focuses on the Ottoman armaments industry inthe sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This was a periodcharacterised by siege warfare rather than by pitched battlesin the Ottomans’ confrontations with their adversaries. Thesupply of artillery and gunpowder was a significant elementof success in these sieges.The author, Professor Ágoston from Georgetown University’sDepartment of History, has based the study on extensiveresearch in the Turkish archives. He aims to explain the earlysuccess of the Ottoman Empire against Europe and its laterfailure in the military field. By a comparative approach, theauthor challenges some Eurocentric and orientalist views andprovides new insights on the subject. He also demonstratesthat the Ottomans were self-sufficient in weapons productionwell into the eighteenth century.As noted by the author, the Turkish Archives have richmaterials on the important sectors of early modern warindustry such as Ottoman gun casting, saltpeter andgunpowder manufacturing. However, there is still a dearthof studies in this field. The work by Salim Aydüz on theImperial Cannon Foundry and Cannon Casting Technologyappeared recently (Ankara, 2006). The present book fills thisgap and stimulates questions for further research.The Cambridge History of Turkey, Vol. 3: The LaterOttoman Empire, 1603-1839, Edited by Suraiya N.Faroqhi, Cambridge University Press, 2006, xx+ 619 p.This third volume in the series titled The Cambridge Historyof Turkey is a comprehensive history of the later Ottomanperiod written by scholars from all around the world. Theseries comprises the following four volumes: Volume 1:Byzantium-Turkey, 1071-1453; volume 2: The Ottoman Empireas a World Power, 1453-1603; Volume 3: The Later OttomanEmpire, 1603-1839; Volume 4: Turkey in the Modern World.The contributors to Volume 3 are Suraiya Faroqhi, WolfHütteroth, Christoph K. Neumann, Carter Findley, VirginiaAksan, Linda Darling, Dina Khoury, Fikret Adanır, BruceMasters, Madeline Zilfi, Minna Rozen, Edhem Eldem, CemBehar, Tülay Artan, Hatice Aynur. The book covers the periodfrom the death of Mehmed III in 1603 to the proclamationof the Tanzimat, the administrative reconstruction of theOttoman State, in 1839. This period was marked by relativestability when the trade between the empire and Europeflourished, and, except for wartime, merchants and pilgrimstraveled in relative security. However, tensions still existedbetween the ruling elite in Istanbul and their subjects in theprovinces. This is one of the central themes in the volume.Other chapters focus on social, religious and politicalgroups, women, trade, rural life; music, art and architecture,literature. The history emphasizes the political, culturaland artistic accomplishments of the Ottomans in the postclassicalperiod. It thus challenges traditional notions thatthe eighteenth century was a period of stagnation. It is anindispensable reference for researchers in Ottoman history.Jan Knappert, Swahili Culture, Studies in SwahiliLanguage and Literature, New York: Edwin MelenPress, 2005, Book One, vol. 5a, Book Two, vol. 5bThis excellent book presents a comprehensive study of theculture of the Swahili, the people who live along the coast ofEast Africa between Marika in the North and Mozambiquein the south. This culture also spread to the islands alongthe Somali Coast. Swahili is the first language of thecoastal population of East African Muslims who constitutethe majority using Swahili as their literary and religiousmedium. People of the Northern Mozambique coast havetheir own language, but they use Swahili in Arabic scriptfor the literary representation of their Islamic culture. Themajority of the Muslim people of the East African interioruse Swahili as a second language.The book is both instructive and pleasant reading onmyriad aspects of Swahili life including the geography,history and peoples, economic life, agriculture, arts andcrafts, society, marriage and family law, religions, Swahililanguage, literature and scripts, prose, poetry, dance, songs,music and instruments, some diseases and remedies inSwahili culture, the relation between religion and healingin Africa, the calendar and Islamic festivities, an overviewof Swahili astronomy and cosmology. Altogether, a richlanguage, a rich culture, many components of which suchas music, painting and architecture are disappearing underthe influence of modern technology and communications.The author, the well-known linguist Jan Knappert (1927-2005), was an authority on Swahili language and culture.His series of publications on the subject constitute an axis ofresearch and literature in this field. In addition, he translatedmany literary works from Swahili. Knappert taught inLeuven and London, as well as several African universities.He contributed, together with Arthur Irvine, the Chapter6 on African Languages in the UNESCO Publication TheDifferent Aspects of Islamic Culture, Vol. 5 on Culture andLearning in Islam (2003), a volume published under thechief editorship of Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu.24 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

IRCICA PublicationsCatalogue of Winners’ Plates in the SeventhInternational Calligraphy Competition in the nameof Hashim Mohammad Al-Baghdadi (1335-1393h/1917-1973 AD), IRCICA, Istanbul, 2007This catalogue contains the reproductions of the 94 awardwinningcalligraphic works of the Seventh InternationalCalligraphy Competition which was organised by IRCICAand finalized in April 2007. Following IRCICA’s tradition ofdedicating each triennial competition to a master ofclassical calligraphy, the seventh competitionwas named after the Iraqi calligrapherHashim Mohammad Al-Baghdadi(1335-1393 h/1917-1973 AD). 916calligraphers from 38 countriesparticipated in this competition,with 1616 entries in fourteen different styles of writing,namely jaly thuluth, thuluth, naskh, jaly taliq, nastaliq,jaly diwani, diwani, kufi, muhaqqaq, reyhani, ijaza, riqa,maghribi and hurda taliq. 21 awards and 74 mentionswere distributed for the 94 calligraphies presented in thecatalogue. In addition, 42 participants were given incentiveprizes by decision of the Jury. Thus in total, 119 calligraphersfrom 25 countries received prizes.In addition to the reproductions of the calligraphies,the catalogue also includes the names andaddresses of the winners and a list of thosewho received incentive prizes whichare published in order to encouragecommunications among thecalligraphers.IRCICA PubilicationsFrom top: Mention in Kufi, by Salah M. SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER Abdel Khalek, Egypt; 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 25Mention in Ijaza, by Yaqub I. Suleiman, Jordan;2 nd Award in Jaly Thuluth, by Munib Obradovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Takvim-i Vekayi, the Official Gazette of the OttomanEmpire (published from 1831 to 1923), on DVD/CD(Ottoman Administration in The Sudan in the Light ofArchival Documents), Prepared by Uğurhan Demirbaşet al., Introduction by Halit Eren and Yusuf Sarınay,translated by Salih Sadawi, IRCICA, 2007,xxxvı+447 p.+ 144 documents and maps (in Arabic)This collection of the Ottoman archive documents was preparedfor publication by archivists at the Department of the OttomanArchives, Turkish Prime Ministry’s General Directorate of theOttoman Archives, namely Uğurhan Demirbaş, Ali OsmanÇınar, Mücahit Demirel, Seher Dilber, Recep Karacakaya,Nuran Koltuk, Ümmihani Ünemlioğlu, Kemal Gurulkan,Yusuf İhsan Genç. Its contents were translated into Arabic andpublished by IRCICA.The documents reproduced in this book in their translation fromOttoman Turkish into Arabic are official decrees and registersof the Ottoman State concerning the parts of its territory whichare included in modern-day Sudan. For example, a major partof the province of Habeş (Abyssinia) is within The Sudan today;therefore, archive registers concerning this important region areincluded in the book. The aim of this publication is to renderthese first-hand sources on the history of The Sudan accessibleto readers in Arabic. The book is in two parts. The first parthas an Introduction and a section titled “Sudan under Ottomanrule”.Takvim-i Vekayi, the Official Gazette of the OttomanEmpire, was published from 1831 to 1923. IRCICA madeits reproductions available in the form of 11 DVDs and oneCD. It is a valuable source of information for researchers inhistory whose subjects of interest relate to the second halfof the 19th century. The gazette was issued with intervals,over three periods: 1 November 1831– 8-9 April 1880, 2139numbers; 26 March 1891-14 May 1892, 283 numbers; 28September 1908 – 4 November 1922, 4608 numbers. Thus7030 numbers were published in total. The gazette notonly announced the decisions of the State, but was alsoa medium of information on actual facts and events. Onefinds in it official news concerning the State, military news,and also internal news, external news, orders and decisionsof the Sultan; laws, regulations, declarations; budgetary andfinancial news; graduations, medals; economic and healthnews; scientific news; commercial and industrial news;strange events; public notices. It is an important first-handsource on the history of many countries which were part ofor maintained relations with the Ottoman State.It was published in Turkish and sometimes also in thefollowing languages, although for short periods andirregularly: Arabic, Persian, Greek, Armenian and French.Takvim-i Vekayi is an indispensable source for researchersinterested in the late periods of Ottoman history.ISBN 92-9063-162-7 (set)IRCICA PubilicationsThe Introduction gives brief information on the documents:Mühimmes (the series of registers for the imperial council),tapu tahrir defters (population and cadastral registers),name-i hümâyuns (autographed orders of the Sultan), ruûs,vakfiye and nişan defters, fermans (firmans), hatt-ı hümâyuns(imperial decrees), muahedenâmes (treaties), maps. There arealso chronicles and memoirs. The documents reproduced inthe first part deal mainly with state administration, the IndianCampaign of the Ottomans which took place with the purposeof protecting the rights of the Muslims in South Asia and on theshores of the Indian Ocean against the attacks of the Spanishand the Portuguese. Following this campaign, the Ottomansorganized another campaign in middle Nile in order to protectthe rights of the Muslims in this area and to secure theirboundaries in Africa. Thus, the Ottomans established a sanjakand a short period afterwards an eyalet in part of present-daySudan. It was called the province of Habeş.The period from 1555 until the beginning of the 17th centurymarks the establishment and development stages of this province.A joint Egyptian and British administration was established inThe Sudan on January 19, 1899, following the agreement signedbetween these two states. This agreement marked the end of theOttoman sovereignty in the Sudan. The second part contains thetranscriptions and facsimile reproductions of some importantdocuments. The original Turkish edition will be published bythe Department of Ottoman Archives of the Turkish PrimeMinistry’s General Directorate of State Archives.26 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

Ahmet Kavas, L’Enseignement islamique en Afriquefrancophone: Les Médersas de la République du Mali(Islamic education in French-speaking Africa: theMedersas of the Republic of Mali), IRCICA, Istanbul,2003, vii+424 p; ill. (in French)As early as the 14th century Mali, a great empire of the time,assumed a major role in introducing Islamic education inAfrica. Timbuctu flourished in that period as an internationalcentre where students from all corners of the continent weretrained in Quranic sciences and the Arabic language. Othercities flourished around it, building a network of centresof learning which left an immense intellectual and writtenheritage. Later, the 18th and 19th centuries saw successivemovements of revival in Islamic education. From the endof 19th century onwards, under the French administration,different types of schools were established: the secular publicschools, the Islamic schools or medersas, and the Christianschools. Following the foundation of the Republic of Mali,the modern medersa system assumed a key role in Islamiceducation. This comprehensive book on the developmentsof the 20th century resulted from the author’s doctoratethesis at the University of Paris-7-Denis Diderot, conductedunder the advice of Prof. Jean-Louis Triaud. The research isbased on in-depth studies in the archives of Mali and Paris.It covers the processes starting with the evolution of modernIslamic education in French-speaking Africa, especiallythe Quranic school of the colonial period which alreadyexisted before and continued to exist after this period, anddeals in great detail with the present state of the medersasand Islamic education, with ample data on their activites,their curricula, their teachers and their students, and theircultural and social influences. The information provided onthe medersas is not limited to those of Mali; those of Algeria,Senegal, Mauritania, and the attempts to establish a medersain Guinea are examined as well. The chapters on the historyof development and the present status of the medersas ofMali as a modernised Islamic institution make of this bookan essential reference in its field.Sumiyo Okumura, The Influence of Turkic Culture onMamluk Carpets, Islamic Art Series No. 11, IRCICA,2007, 277 p., ill.Carpets and rugs represent an important branch of thetraditional arts and handicrafts of the Muslim world. Theyare studied by IRCICA in its programs relating to arts,handicrafts and history of arts. Within the frameworkof IRCICA’s Craft Development Program, “Carpetsand kilims” constitute one of the main categories of theawards for handicrafts of the Muslim world. Furthermore,IRCICA devoted one of its scholarly meetings to this themeexclusively: an international symposium was organizedunder the title “Traditional carpets and kilims in the Muslimworld” jointly with the Ministry of Tourism, Leisure andHandicrafts of Tunisia, in 1999, and its papers were publishedby IRCICA as a book. The theme is also covered within theframework of the congresses IRCICA organises on artsand the history of arts, with respect to the diverse artistic,aesthetical and functional characteristics carpets acquired indifferent periods, at different places. As part of this history,the carpets used by the nomadic Turks in Central Asia were,beyond their functional usage, an art which they carriedwith them in their journey to different lands where theyruled from the tenth and eleventh centuries onwards. Theyinfluenced the Mamluk carpets, which constitute the themeof this book. The latter were renowned and most valued untilthe sixteenth century. This book by Dr. Sumiyo Okumura, ahistorian of art from Japan, is published by IRCICA. It is anextensive study of Mamluk carpets, their unique features andtheir evolution, with due regard to cross-cultural influencesobservable in this process. The author’s technical analysis oftwenty pieces out of to seventy-seven Mamluk carpets sheincluded in the catalogue section of the book will be highlyuseful for researchers in the field. The study comes in anamply illustrated beautiful edition.IRCICA PubilicationsSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74 Newsletter 27

Sultan II. Abdülhamid Arşivi İstanbul Fotoğrafları/Photographs of Istanbul from the Archives of SultanAbdülhamid II, published by the Greater Municipalityof Istanbul Kültür A.Ş. and IRCICA, March 2007, 679 p.This album has been prepared and published by theMunicipality of Greater Istanbul, through its culturalinstitution “Kültür AŞ”, and IRCICA. It contains 576photographs of Istanbul taken at the end of the 19 th -beginningof the 20 th century and showing districts, buildings, scenes ofsocial life and economic activity.History of Natural and Applied Science Literatureduring the Ottoman Period, prepared by E. İhsanoğlu,R. Şeşen, S. Bekar, G. Gündüz, V. Bulut, Editor: E.İhsanoğlu, Series of Studies and Sources on Historyof Science No. 13, History of Ottoman Literature ofScience Series No. 6, 2 vols., IRCICA, Istanbul, 2006,CXLVIII+1562 pp.This sixth book in the series titled History of OttomanLiterature of Science gives bibliographic information on thescientific works – books, treatises, articles, reports, legaldocuments, etc. - that were produced in the fields of naturaland applied sciences during the Ottoman period (1299-1923) over the geographical area covered by the Ottomanstate, together with biographical information on theirauthors. The branches of science covered in the book are:physics, chemistry, meteorology, botanic, zoology, geology,engineering, agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry,construction, gastronomy, precious stones. A total of 3354works are recorded. The authors of 2407 of them are known,while the authors of 926 works recorded are unknown. Aconsiderable part of all works recorded are translations.Following the establishment of European-style educationalinstitutions in the Ottoman state during the 18 th and 19 thcenturies, introducing the teaching of modern mathematics,physics, chemistry, biology, zoology, botanic and technicalsubjects in higher education, a reform started and gainedmomentum with the translation of numerous works fromEuropean languages into Turkish and Arabic. From the1880s onwards innovations made in Europe were followedclosely by scientists of the Muslim world, especially in thefields of medicine, agriculture, veterinary science, forestry.The previous volumes in this series were on the scientificliterature in astronomy, mathematics, geography, music,military arts and science. The next publication will cover theliterature in medicine, dentistry and pharmacology.IRCICA PubilicationsThese photographs were selected from the YıldızPhotograph Albums, which comprise a total of around35000 photographs taken all over the Ottoman empire atthe time. Their reproductions were made, classified andannotated by IRCICA. The album is supplemented with anintroduction on the history of photography, informationon the photographers having worked in various parts ofthe Ottoman empire and photograph studios, and an indexarranged according to the photographers. The book hasforewords by: Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister ofTurkey, the Secretary General of the OIC Prof. Ekmeleddinİhsanoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan MunicipalityArch. Dr. Kadir Topbaş, and IRCICA Director General HalitEren. The photographs are grouped by their subject, underthe following headings: landscapes, palaces (mansions,waterside residences, residences, pavilions), mosques,tombs, fountains (public fountains, cisterns, aqueducts),monuments, barracks (police stations), hospitals, schools,public buildings, museums, ceremonies and processions,foreign officials, factories, social life, city walls, sports, the1894 earthquake.28 Newsletter SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007, NO: 74

New Publication by IRCICAAl-Mushaf Al-Sharif Attributed to ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan(The copy at the Topkapı Palace Museum)Prepared for publication by Dr. Tayyar Altıkulaç,Preface by Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Istanbul 1428 / 2007, Critical editions series; no. 2(Introduction in Turkish, English and Arabic)This book contains thecritical edition of anoriginal copy of the HolyQuran attributed to thetime of Caliph Othman:this is the copy knownas the “Othman (R.A.)Mushaf [Quran copy]”located in the TopkapıPalace Museum. The studyon this particular copy and its preparationfor publication have been done by a leadingscholar in Quranic studies, ex-Presidentof Religious Affairs in Turkey, presentlyDeputy in the Turkish Parliament, Dr.Tayyar Altıkulaç. Earlier, IRCICA hadpublished two other historical copies of theQuran. One was the copy known as FazılPasha Mushaf, written in the name of theSeljukid Sultan Tugrul Bey in 582/1186and kept in Gazi Hüsrev Bey Library inSarajevo, which was published by IRCICAin a facsimile edition. The second one wasthe first Quran copy to be printed in theIslamic world which was printed in Kazan,Tatarstan, in 1803; the copy was reprintedin Istanbul in 2005 at the initiative of theMunicipality of Kazan, on the occasion ofthe millennium of Kazan City, following atechnical revision by IRCICA in preparationfor printing. The “Othman (R.A.) Mushaf ”also known as the “Topkapı Mushaf ” andkept at nr. H.S. 44/32 in the Museum, is oneof the oldest manuscripts of the Holy Quranthat reached to the presentday. Dr. Altıkulaç has donea meticulous comparativestudy and technicalanalysis of the copy; theIntroduction explains themethod followed and thefindings obtained. Dr.Altıkulaç further enrichesthis instructive text withinformation on the history of Quran copiesand recitation of the Quran. With onlytwo pages (23 verses) lacking, “TopkapıMushaf ” is the closest to the complete textof the Quran. As indicated in detail andwith examples in the text of Dr. Altıkulaç,certain parts of the manuscript had becomeunreadable due to the effects of time. Withpatient and careful research, Dr. Altıkulaçwas able to decipher these parts usingcertain criteria and signs and to reconstitutethe original copy.The funding for the printing of this bookwas provided by H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultanbin Mohamed al-Qassimi, Member ofthe Supreme Council of the U.A.E. andRuler of Sharjah. Publication of Dr. TayyarAltıkulaç’s work represents at the sametime the concretisation of a goal which wasformulated by Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğluin the early 1980s, to print an edition ofthe “Topkapı Mushaf ”, given the value andimportance of this copy.