Database trial: MEMO 1: Pioneer Orientalists

University users have trial access to the Brill database:  MEMO 1 Pioneer Orientalists until March 16th at the following URL:

Leiden University Library has a world-famous research collection of Middle Eastern Manuscripts. Its core collection consists of volumes brought together by, among others, the Leiden Orientalists Joseph Justus Scaliger (d. 1609) and Jacobus Golius (d. 1667). Included in the Scaliger collection are about a dozen manuscripts which belonged to Franciscus Raphelengius (d. 1597). These collections consist of extremely rare, sometimes unique, manuscripts.

Brill and Leiden University Library have joined forces to digitize the Arabic manuscripts from three of the library’s core collections, now published online under the title Pioneer Orientalists: The Manuscript Collections of Scaliger, Raphelengius and Golius from the Leiden University Library. The publication consists of 267 Arabic manuscripts in 303 volumes, amounting to 109.517 pages, in full-color, images.

Key Features:

  • These are the oldest core collections of one of Europe’s top repositories of Oriental manuscripts;
  • Originally collected by Franciscus Raphelengius (d. 1597), Joseph Justus Scaliger (d. 1609), and Jacobus Golius (d. 1667);
  • 30 manuscripts were restored as part of this project;
  • Filmed on site at the Leiden University Library;
  • Almost 110.000 high-resolution scans in full colour of unique and rare Arabic manuscripts;
  • The collection includes two manuscript scrolls, each c. 5 meters long;
  • Downloadable files;
  • Metadata in English per individual text (also for miscellanies); and
  • References to Brockelmann’s GAL.