Edition of the complete works of Ibn Nubatah al-Misri (1287-1366)

Basic data for this project

Description

The concept of the decline of Islamic cultures since the 11th century has a direct cultural and political impact until the present. Instead of conducting a constructive analysis of their own culture and history there emerged a strong whish of returning to a “golden age” that predates the supposed decline. Lately it became apparent that the Mamluk period (1250-1517) was a heyday for Arabic literature and that its most important litterateur and poet Ibn Nubātah (1287-1366) left a major imprint in the Arabic literature for centuries after him. The major parts of his works are still in manuscript form or available only in bad prints. Therefore the aim of the project is to edit properly the collection of his poems (Dīwān) and twelve other works, most of them for the first time. Editing the poems in the Dīwān is a great challenge due to the many revisions and re-writings by the author. Because of this challenge a digital edition will be central. In this edition the different versions of the poems will be made visible and thus possible to compare. Also the other works will be prepared for a printed edition and digital accessible as well. In this manner the complete works of this most important Arab poet will be completely available and digitally accessible and searchable, thus laying a cornerstone for the research of the literature of the Mamluk and the Ottoman period.