Manuscripts of the Islamic World at Princeton University Library

Palaeography is a valuable skill but approaching it may seem difficult and foreboding. Worry not! This page will introduce you to a number of free online and on-campus resources that can help an interested student get started.

• HMML School - The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library is a great place for both digitized manuscripts and palaeography. Their online school offers free resources for Arabic and Syriac palaeography.
• Prof. Jan Just Witkam's Course in Islamic Paleography - University of Leiden Professor Jan Just Witkam offers an education webpage with self-study resources and courses on Arabic, Malay, and Persian manuscript palaeography. 
• University of Leiden's mouse&manuscript - The University of Leiden offers over 50 short online courses on palaeography and codicology (manuscript studies) for Arabic, Persia, and Coptic, from cultures ranging from the Maghrib to Mughal India. 
• ِArabic Papyrology School - For documentary Arabic palaeography, the Arabic Papyrology Database offers a free course with options for both beginners and more advanced students. 
• Scribes of the Cairo Geniza - This project combines learning and collaborative contribution. You are invited to practice your documentary Hebrew and/or Arabic using real document fragments from the Cairo Geniza. There is the option to start with either "Easy" or "Challenging" documents. 
  • For more on Hebrew script palaeography in the Geniza, see this infographic and visit Princeton's Geniza Project website.
• Syri.ac - Syri.ac is a continuously updated site of a comprehensive annotated bibliography of open-access resources related to the study of Syriac, including resources for Syrian palaeography. 
• Students and faculty at Princeton occasionally hold courses or drop-in events dedicated to language learning and palaeography
  • Reach out to the Near Eastern Studies librarian Deborah Schlein to find out more about the Princeton Arabic Palaeography and Manuscript Reading Group, an informal learning program hosted by graduate students. 
  • Check out the programming and course lists on MARBAS (Manuscript, Rare Book, and Archive Studies at Princeton).