On May 8, experience the vibrant intercultural tapestry of Jewish and Islamic musical traditions from Spain and North Africa. From the eighth century onward, Southern Spain—known as al-Andalus—became a vibrant crossroads of faith and culture. Jews, Muslims, and Christians cultivated rich traditions in the arts, sciences, and music under the rule of Muslim caliphs.
On September 5, 2024, the African & Middle Eastern Division hosted a captivating lecture by Dr. Mohamad Hajji Mukhtar, a distinguished professor from Savannah University. The event titled “The Rise and Expansion of Islam in Somalia”, provided a journey into a lesser-known chapter of Islamic history.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has celebrated Arabic language day on December 18th since 2012. Arabic has long been recognized as a language that connects cultures, a bridge between civilizations, and a tool of knowledge. UNESCO's theme for 2024 is to make Arabic widely accessible while preserving its culture by harnessing artificial intelligence.
This blog post spotlights books, journal articles, conference papers, and lectures dedicated to Armenian manuscripts and other rare items housed in the Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division.
The cuneiform script from Ancient Mesopotamia, arguably the oldest script in human civilization. This blog discusses the various attempts to understand cuneiform and the processes which led to the ultimate decipherment of the seemingly impervious script entailed.
The blog “Afghanistan Reflected in the Collections at the Library of Congress” captures the full range of collections, print, digital and rare books produced in the local and international languages in and about Afghanistan and currently available for research at the Library of Congress.
The following is a blog that examines the Blake Robinson Recordings of Somali poetry and dance and provides an analysis of the history of poetry in Somalia and the tradition of “poetic battles”
Hebraic Section Reference Librarian Sharon Horowitz and Paper Conservator Gwenanne Edwards discuss the preservation of a beautifully illustrated Jewish marriage contract from 1722, including its background, materials, condition, conservation treatment, and housing.
On Friday September 29, the Asian Division of the Library of Congress will be hosting a partial day display and talk in the Thomas Jefferson Building (rooms LJ110/119) celebrating the diversity of the Library’s collections through textiles, in collaboration with the African and Middle Eastern, Prints & Photographs, Geography & Maps, and Rare Books and Special Collections Reading Rooms.
