FOURTH ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL MANUSCRIPTS CONFERENCE

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FOURTH ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANUSCRIPTS

Visual Arts in Arabic and Islamic Manuscripts:
"Artistic Heritage and Contemporary Influence"
Wednesday 8 October – Thursday 9 October, 2025
Location: Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi, UAE

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi is pleased to announce that it will host the Fourth Abu Dhabi International Conference on Manuscripts at The Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation in 2025. Organized in collaboration with McGill University in Canada, this conference invites scholars across several disciplines, including art history, Islamic and Arabic manuscripts studies, cultural preservation, and digital humanities, to engage with the theme “Visual Arts in Arabic and Islamic Manuscripts: Artistic Heritage and Contemporary Influence.”

Held in Abu Dhabi, this conference explores the aesthetic and cultural significance of Arabic and Islamic manuscripts, including their influence on contemporary art. We welcome papers that address the core themes listed below and related subjects aligned with the main theme. Proposals will be peer-reviewed, and accepted papers will be eligible for inclusion in a formally published volume of conference proceedings.

 
  1. Highlight Abu Dhabi’s Role in Heritage Preservation

    Showcase Abu Dhabi’s role in safeguarding Arabic cultural heritage, particularly focusing on Arabic and Islamic manuscripts.

  2. Foster Global Collaboration

    Establish partnership with McGill University to enhance our knowledge in the study of Arabic and Islamic manuscripts, driving forward capacity-building and academic research initiatives.

  3. Emphasise Cultural and Aesthetic Significance

    Illustrate the aesthetic and cultural importance of Arabic and Islamic manuscripts in documenting religious, scientific, and literary knowledge.

  4. Analyse Artistic Techniques and Styles

    Study the techniques in manuscript art, highlighting stylistic diversity and ensuring preservation for future generations.

  5. Enhance Public Awareness

    Foster awareness of Arabic and Islamic manuscripts among current generations and promote access to this heritage.

  6. Promote Academic Studies in Visual Arts of Manuscripts

    Encourage new research in the visual arts of manuscripts, encompassing both art history and contemporary studies.

  7. Explore East-West Cultural and Aesthetic Exchange

    Examine the cultural interactions between the East and the West in manuscript visual arts, exploring the influence of Islamic and Arabic manuscript aesthetics.

  8. Encourage Cross-Cultural Dialogue

    Connect traditional manuscript arts with contemporary art practices, exploring how historical Islamic and Arabic artistic styles are integrated into modern visual arts.

  1. Historical and Cultural Context of Visual Arts in Arabic and Islamic Manuscripts

    Explore the evolution of visual arts across Islamic eras and the impact of Islamic art schools on manuscripts, examining the relationship between text and imagery.

  2. East-West Cultural Exchange and its Impact on Visual Arts and Manuscripts

    Analyse the mutual influences between East and West in Islamic manuscripts, tracing how they became instruments for cultural knowledge and exchange.

  3. The Role of Visual Arts in Shaping Arabic and Islamic Manuscripts

    Discuss distinctive visual arts such as calligraphy, illumination, miniatures, and examine their religious, cultural, and artistic value.

  4. Artistic Excellence in Medical, Scientific, and Literary Manuscripts

    Investigate creative elements in manuscripts across medical, astronomical, geographical, mathematical, and literary domains.

  5. The Role of Digital Technology in Manuscript Preservation

    Assess the importance of digital technology in the preservation of manuscripts and their artistic heritage, with a focus on digitisation, conservation, and archiving techniques.

  6. Islamic Manuscripts in Contemporary Art and Future Directions

    Examine how contemporary artists reinterpret Islamic manuscript art, integrating traditional elements into modern forms.

Important Dates

  • Abstract Submission Deadline: January 10th, 2025.
  • Review of proposals by the Conference Committee: January 11 to February 2nd, 2025.
  • Notification of Acceptance: February 3rd, 2025.
  • Full Paper Submission Deadline: September 5th, 2025.
  • No registration fee.
  • The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi will issue visas for accepted participants.
  • Travel and accommodation for one author per accepted paper.
  • Breakfast, lunch, and coffee breaks provided for all invited participants.
  • Both in-person and virtual participation options, with online streaming and recording.
  • For more details and inquiries, please contact: E-mail: manuscript@dctabudhabi.ae

Day 1: Wed. 8 – Oct. 2025

Time Activity
09:00 AM

Registration and Welcome

Video about the opening ceremony of Golden Ink Exhibition
10:00 AM

Opening Ceremony - 9:30

Ayala Performance – 9:30 AM

Opening Speech by H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi – 9:45 AM

Opening Speech by Professor Deep Saini, President of McGill University – 9:55 AM

Speech by Fatema Al Tamimi, Library Management Director, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi – 10:05 AM
10:15 AM

Keynote Speech: H.E. Mohammed Al Murr Chairman of Mohammed Bin Rashid Library - MBRL
10:30 AM A Digital Revival of Islamic Manuscripts Competition Award for University Students
10:45 AM

Panel One: 

“Global Perspectives on visual arts in Arabic and Islamic manuscripts”

Session Chair: Dr. Mohammed Kamel Gad

  1. Image of the text and text of the image: aesthetics and cognitive correspondence, (Arabic)Prof.         

​​​           Faysal Al Hafyan (Syria)

  1. Visual arts of Islamic manuscripts in Nigerian texts and aspects of development, (Arabic)                        

​​​           Prof. Yahia Imam Sulayman (Nigeria)

  1. Aesthetics of visual arts in Chinguetti manuscripts: artistic heritage and its calligraphic manifestations, (Arabic)                   

​​​           Dr. Weld Matali Ahmed Mohamadu (Mauritania)

  1. Circulation of Islamic manuscripts between Africa and Malabar through the Indian Ocean, (English) 

           Mr. Sabah Bin Muhammed PM (India)
12:00 PM Lunch Break and Prayer
01:00 PM

Panel Two:
“Aesthetics of Qur’anic manuscripts”

Session Chair: Dr. Bilal Orfali

  1. Dimensions of visual arts in the Qur’ans of the Mohamed Bin Rashid Library (Arabic and English)
    Reem Al Dhaheri & Asmaa Al Hameli (UAE)
  2. Images of the Noble Rawdah and the prophetic sandals through Moroccan Manuscripts (Arabic)
    Dr. Mohammed Abdul Hafeez Al Husni (Morocco)
02:15 PM

Panel Three:

“Architecture and Mathematical Sciences”

Session Chair: Mr. Ahmed Obied Al Mansouri

  1. Representation of architectural and surveying tools in surveying and mathematical manuscripts in the early modern Islamic world (English) 

           Dr. Gul Kale (Turkey)

  1. Cultural exchange under the Mongols: horse representations in ‘Jami’at al-Tawarikh’ and the Great Mongol ‘Shahnameh’ (English)

           Yuxi Pan (U.K.)

  1. The role of Heron’s mechanics illustrations in its Arabic translations for the study of the history of hoisting machinery (English)                                            

            Alexander Neuwahl (Italy)

  1. Miniatures in ‘The book of horse veterinary medicine’: copying of image between the East and the West (Arabic) 

           Dr Ahmed Al Saeedi (Morocco)
03:00 PM

Closing Remarks and Networking
07:00 - 08:30 PM

Special Cultural evening highlighting two remarkable new scholarly editions of Arabic manuscript treasures:

  1. “Muʿjam al-Buldān” by Yaqut al-Hamawi (1178-1229 CE)

            Critical Edition by: Abdullah Yahya Al-Suraihi

  1. “Encyclopedia of Rare Manuscripts in the Two Hemispheres”

            Critical Edition by: Bassam Baroud
 

Day 2: Thu. 9 – Oct. 2025

Time Activity
09:00 AM Welcome & hospitality
09:30 AM Keynote Speech Dr. Cicely Hillsdale Associate Professor in the Art History Program – McGill University, the Advisor and Program Director of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Medieval Studies (MDST) and the Co-Director of the Research Group on “Global Pasts” at the Lin Center.  in English
10:00 AM

Panel One:
"East Meets West: Cultural Exchange in Islamic Manuscript Art”

Session Chair: Dr. Khalifa Al Dhaheri

  1. Influences of Visual Arts in the Manuscripts of the Arab School of Illustration on the Armenian School
    Prof. Mahmoud Ahmed Darwish (Egypt)
  2. Decorative arts in Moroccan and Andalusian manuscripts and their extent influence by early Christian manuscripts ornamentation
    Mr. Saeed Ihdo (Morocco)
  3. The fusion between illustrations of the Arab and Mongol Schools in Arabic and Islamic manuscripts: the manuscript of ‘The benefits of animals’ by Ibn Bakhtihu as a model
    Dr. Yasser Mohamed Yaseen (Iraq)
  4. Common artistic features between the Arab School of illustration and the Castilian translated manuscripts of ‘Kalila wa Dimna’
    Dr. Hosam El Abbady (Egypt)
11:00 AM

Panel Two:

Artistic Excellence in medical, scientific and literary manuscripts”

Session Chair: Mary Hague- Yearl

heritage preservation and scholarly access.

  1. Artistic masterpieces in Omani medical and scientific manuscripts (Arabic)                                                      

           Dr Abdullah Ali Saeed Al Saadi (Oman)

  1. The visual legacy of Greek medicine: from Dioscorides to Al-Ghafiqi (English)   

           Dr. Mustafa Yavuz (Turkey)

  1. The wonders of imagination: visualizing the unseen in Islamic manuscripts (English)                                                     

           Jaleh Ibrahimi (Canada)
12:00 PM Lunch Break and Prayer
01:15 PM

Panel Three:
“The role of visual arts in shaping Arabic and Islamic manuscripts”

Session Chair: Dr. Esraa Al Hamal

  1. Proportioned script: a visual and aesthetic phenomenon in Arabic manuscripts, (Arabic)
    Dr. Jamal Azoun (Algeria)
  2. The aesthetics of architectural elements in Andalusian manuscripts: the manuscripts of Biyad and Riyad as a model, (Arabic)
    Dr. Mohamed Al Gamal (Egypt)
  3. Codicological studies in the Syair Perang Siak manuscript copied by Encik Musthofa, (English)
    Iik Idayanti (Indonesia)
  4. Decoration of Kashmiri manuscript binding in the 12th-13th centuries AH/18th-19th centuries AD, (Arabic)
    Dr. Mohamed Qotb (Egypt)
02:00 PM

Panel Four:
“Islamic manuscripts in contemporary arts and future directions”

Session Chair: Dr. Maurice Pomenrantz

  1. One and One is Three: From Islamic Manuscripts to Modern Typography
    Dr. Antoine Abi Aad (UAE)
  2. Contemporary miniatures: the attempts of reviving a traditional art.
    Mamdouh Mohamed Sakr (Egypt)
  3. Reimagining tradition: continuity and rupture in 20th century modern and contemporary arts inspired by Islamic manuscripts and miniatures.
    Dina Mohammad Turkieh (UAE)
03:00 PM Closing Remarks and Networking
06:30 PM Traditional Crafts workshop at House of Artisans
07:30 PM Dinner
Libraries​Bibliothèques

Contact us: E-mail: manuscript@dctabudhabi.ae          P: +971 2 444 0444          F: +971 2 444 0400

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