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Grounding Theory in Material Objects: An Interview with Dr. Marianna Shreve Simpson

I was fortunate to be able to participate in the Introduction to Islamic Manuscripts class taught by Dr. Marianna Shreve Simpson through the Rare Book School (RBS) in 2019. Simpson has had an extensive career curating, researching and teaching on Islamic art and book arts. She has held curatorships at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Walters Art Museum, along with a number of other roles. 

RBS offers 5-day courses related to the history of the book on a variety of topics.  The Introduction to Islamic Manuscripts Course was taught once in 2006, and then started being offered again in 2018. Over the course of a week, we learned about the different components of manuscripts with the collection at the Free Library in Philadelphia. 

Besides enjoying the hands-on time with some lovely manuscripts, a big highlight was learning from Simpson! Given that there are limited opportunities to learn about Islamic codicology, or the study of books as material objects, I wanted to hear more about her interventions into this field, as well as her curatorial experiences. 

(Questions prepared by Heather Hughes)

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The Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana

By Celeste Gianni

Hazine recognizes that most archives and libraries are closed right now and emphasize prioritizing during these times the health and safety of all those who work at archives and libraries as well as the health and safety of those who use archives and libraries. We are publishing archive reviews in the hopes that eventually these repositories will be accessible again.

This February 2020, I spent three weeks in Rome carrying out research for the project Stories of Survival: Recovering the Connected Histories of Eastern Christianity in the Early Modern World (Faculty of History, University of Oxford).

I spent most of the time at the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (commonly known also as Vatican Library) looking at Arabic manuscripts related to the Eastern Christian communities active between 1500 to 1750, focusing on authorship, but also scribal practices, as well as ownership, reading and transmitting information as attested by the marginalia, colophons and other documentary notes that are commonly found in Arabic manuscripts.

Personally, I looked specifically at one collection that is held at the Vatican library, namely the collection of Arabic and Syriac manuscripts of the Catholic Syrian priest Paul Sbath (Aleppo, 1887, – Aleppo, 20 October 1946) that he sold to the Vatican in 1927. I both looked at the manuscripts and accessed the archive material related to the acquisition history of this collection.

Unfortunately, the restrictions regarding taking photographs inside the Vatican Library mean that I do not have any image of manuscripts nor interiors of the library to add to this post. Nevertheless, I think this aspect also adds to the uniqueness of this experience, that I will treasure forever in my private memories.

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Al-Imam al-Hakim Public Library

by Shabbir Agha Abbas 

I am a graduate student and manuscript cataloger based at Columbia University, and my research interest concerns Twelver Shi’ism, which thus requires frequent research trips to the Middle East, specifically to Iraq and Iran. With this background, I would like to contribute my experiences working in the relevant libraries of both these countries.

Hidden Entrance of Masjid al-Hindi Alongside a Clothing Shop(Photo Credit: Shabbir Agha Abbas)

Due to the turbulent last 50 years, the repositories of the two Shi’i dominated nations have in ways remained enigmatic for the typical western researcher. Enigmatic not because they are hiding anything, but because constant conflict has made them relatively inaccessible. Consequently, Shi’i studies, within Islamic studies, has been warped towards focussing on contemporary geo-political issues, whereas the rich Shi’i literary legacy ranging from jurisprudence to philosophy and so on has been veiled, seemingly only for certain experts to see. While it is true that travel to these regions is not at all easy, the historical libraries therein are indeed waiting for foreign researchers to come, and I have found that the staff are earnest in finding ways to assist in this proliferation of knowledge.

When it comes to Iraq and Shi’i studies, there are numerous libraries and manuscript collections where one can partake in research. From the National Archives in Baghdad and private libraries of Kazimiyah, to the collections of the ‘atabat (shrine) complex in Karbala, there is no single location that deserves to be the primal point of initiating research work, other than the seminary city of Najaf, and its al-Imam al-Hakim Public Library. This al-Hakim Library services the tens of thousands of students and scholars of the Najaf seminary, and thus can be considered the chief reservoir of Shi’ism as a school of thought. Therefore, visiting the al-Hakim Library is of vital importance for the Shi’i studies researcher, and hence the topic of this piece.

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