The sixth edition of the course “Arabic Codicology: The Islamic Manuscript Heritage in the El Escorial Collection” (June 17-21, 2019) will provide the students with the basic codicological knowledge and the research procedures needed to study and analyze Arabic manuscripts. Moreover, it will familiarize them with the libraries of the Arabic-Islamic world in medieval and modern times, particularly with the library that belonged to the Moroccan sultan Muley Zaydān.

The course is designed on an eminently practical dynamic. In the evenings, the students will be able to apply the theoretical knowledge previously acquired in the mornings to the actual manuscripts hosted at the Royal Library of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (RBME). This is the most important Arabic manuscript collection of Spain and one of the most relevant in Europe.

The venues of the summer courses are a privileged location due to the proximity to the Library. The course will be taught entirely in English by leading experts in Arabic Codicology: Prof. Nuria de Castilla (EPHE, PSL, Paris) and Prof. François Déroche (CdF, PSL, Paris). It is sponsored by the European project SICLE (“Saadian Intellectual and Cultural Life,” ERC 670628) and is designed for historians, art historians, philologists, documentalists, antiquarians, curators, bibliophiles, conservation specialists, etc., preferably with a master’s degree.