You are invited to the lecture The Dawn of Orientalism: Dutch scholars and Arabic classics in Ottoman Istanbul by Peter Webb (Leiden University, Arabic Literature and Culture) on September 13, 2024, at 18.30 at the Anamed Auditorium.

When Europeans began serious study the Middle East in the 1600s they needed access to Arabic books, and one of the major sources was Ottoman Istanbul, and some of the major buyers were Dutch scholars trained at Leiden University. The books they acquired on the market established the Leiden University Library as one of the best collections of Arabic manuscripts in Europe, and one of the most active buyers was Levinus Warner, Dutch consul in Istanbul from 1655-1665. Warner had particular interest in one of the most popular books of Arabic literature of his day, and not only did he buy two copies, but he also translated it into Latin. His efforts are some of the very first steps taken to make Arabic writings accessible to European readers, but the classic Arabic text which Warner read and his pioneering translation have sadly been forgotten and the books lay on the University Library shelves un-read for at least two centuries. Dr. Webb's extensive study of these books will bring them back to the light of day, and this lecture explores why the Arabic book was so famous, why the Golden-Age Leiden-trained Arabist was so interested in it, and how his translation efforts fared.

Dr. Peter Webb is a University Lecturer in Arabic Literature and Culture at Leiden University. He specialises in classical Arabic literature, the early history of Islam and the development of Arabic and Muslim civilisations across the Middle East and Central Asia. He is the author of Imagining the Arabs, an in-depth study of the origins of Arab identity and he has translated several classic works of Arabic literature for the Library of Arabic Literature (New York University Press/Abu Dhabi) and Brill (Leiden). Prior to his academic career, Peter was a solicitor at Clifford Chance LLP.