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Archive for the African and Middle Eastern Division (AMED) Category (85 posts)

International Reading Rooms Open for Researcher Appointments Starting July 12, 2021

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(The following is a post by Jonathan Loar, South Asia Reference Librarian, Asian Division)

Beginning on Monday, July 12, 2021, the Library of Congress will reopen additional reading rooms for a limited number of registered readers by appointment only. This includes the African & Middle Eastern, Asian, European, and Hispanic Reading Rooms in the Library’s Jefferson Building.

Registered readers must make advance appointments to use the Library’s reading rooms. Appointments are available Monday through Friday in the morning (9:30am–12:30pm) and afternoon (1:00pm–4pm). Reading rooms will provide access to registered readers by appointment between the hours of 9:30am–12:30pm and 1:00pm–4:00pm, Monday through Friday. To make appointments, please email us through Ask a Librarian or use the phone numbers below.

Before making an appointment, researchers should review Pandemic Information for Researchers page, including information on renewing or obtaining new Library of Congress Reader Identification Cards and the Library’s health and safety protocols.

We’re looking forward to welcoming researchers back to our reading rooms – see you soon!

The reading rooms for the Library of Congress international collections (left to right): African & Middle Eastern, Asian, European, and Hispanic.

The reading rooms for the Library of Congress international collections (left to right): African & Middle Eastern, Asian, European, and Hispanic.

Written in Istanbul: Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy Sheets at the Library of Congress – Part 3

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This blogpost introduces Ottoman Turkish calligraphic styles. This is the third installment of a three-part series that examines the various styles of Arabic calligraphy used in the Arab and Islamic world. The Arabic, Persian and Ottoman Calligraphy collection is housed in the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress.

On the Wings of a Flight of Geese: Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy Sheets at the Library of Congress – Part 2

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This blogpost introduces Persian calligraphic styles: Ta’liq, Shikastah, and Nasta’liq. This is the second installment of a three-part series that examines the various styles of Arabic calligraphy used in the Arab and Islamic world. The Arabic, Persian and Ottoman Calligraphy collection is housed in the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress.

Rachel Bluwstein (1890-1931), Hebrew Poetess and Pioneer: “The Parade in White Passed By” – Part Two

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(The following is a post by Ann Brener, Hebraic Area Specialist, African and Middle Eastern Division. The second and final part of a 2-part article focuses on the life Rachel Bluwstein via memoirs written by family and friends and by the poetess herself, presented here in English translation. Click here for Part One.) The training […]

Celebrating Purim, Bezalel-Style: The Hebraic Section Welcomes a New Acquisition

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(The following is a post by Ann Brener, Hebraic Specialist, African and Middle Eastern Division.) This year, the Hebraic Section celebrates the Jewish holiday of Purim with a splendid new Scroll of Esther, the biblical book retelling the familiar story of palace intrigue in ancient Persia and of the Jewish Queen Esther, who saved her people […]

Saʻdī and His Mystical Humanist Literature at the Library of Congress

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The Library of Congress is home to a collection of rare Persian language manuscripts, among which 10 unique volumes hold the writings and poetry of the master of words, Sa’di of Shiraz, who was a mystical humanist and anecdotal story teller and lived in medieval Persia from the city of Shiraz, but traveled far and wide throughout the Islamic world and wrote about the unity of mankind.

Testimony of the Mad Arab

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This is a blog about the famous “Necronomicon” and one of its main protagonists Abdul Alhazred. The Necronomicon and the characters upon which the story is originally based are all initially from the works of H.P. Lovecraft although other writers have adopted and adapted the tales themselves-perhaps most prominent among whom is Richard Chambers-in addition to many other versions of it that have appeared or are generally referenced in numerous horror movies and comics over the years.