Overview

The Gibb Memorial Trust, founded at the start of the 20th century, comprised among its trustees some of the most celebrated and prominent orientalists of their day. Together, they sponsored and supported research on editing and translating Arabic, Persian and Turkish manuscripts on a range of subjects, from history, literature, geography and poetry to Sufism and the Islamic sciences. This volume covers the development of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies over the last 120 years or so, as seen through the biographies of the leading scholars of the period. It opens with a short history of the Trust, before presenting a series of short biographical and often personal appreciations of these eminent Middle Eastern scholars of the past, written by existing trustees. In providing a history of this important institution, the book shines a light on the history and development of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies in Britain more broadly.

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9781399516259

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"""This multi-authored volume presents an unparalleled account of the advance of Middle Eastern studies in twentieth-century Britain by way of a history of the Gibb Memorial Trust. The committee's trustees have been scholars of Arabic, Persian or Turkish of the first rank and their careers and contributions to the publication programme of the Trust are sketched by current scholars who are of a similar eminence. Taken as a whole the story of the Gibb Memorial Trust is one of stupendous erudition, energy, scholarly rancour and eccentricity."" -Robert Irwin, London University"

Author Information

Charles Melville is Emeritus Professor of Persian History, University of Cambridge. His research interests cover the history of Iran from the Mongols to the Safavids (13th-17th century), Persian historiography and epic literature, and Persian manuscript culture, especially illustrated texts. Recent edited and co-edited volumes include Safavid Persia in the Age of Empires (I.B. Tauris, 2021); Shahnama Studies III (Brill, 2018); and The Mongols' Middle East. Continuity and transformation in Ilkhanid Iran (Brill, 2016).

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