Isabel Toral-Niehoff

Prof. Dr. Isabel Toral-Niehoff is an extraordinary professor at the Free University of Berlin since October 2020, affiliated with the Institute of Arabic Studies (Seminar for Semitic and Arabic Studies). She serves as co-director of the Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies and deputy project director of the Kalīla and Dimna Research Project. Her research focuses on Arabic cultural history, particularly from the pre-Islamic period to the 11th century AD, with regional expertise in al-Andalus, Syria, and Iraq.

• Specializes in cultural contacts and transfers in Late Antiquity
• Key projects include ERC-funded AnonymClassic and MESMOM (Mapping Oral History in Mosul)

Her scholarly work explores Adab literature, encyclopedias, and anthologies, with a monograph in progress on Ibn ʿAbd-Rabbih’s al-ʿIqd al-Farīd. She collaborates internationally, notably with Spain’s CSIC.

• Scientific Awards: British Academy Award (2015), Jahresbuchpreis der Republik Iran (2017), Marie Curie Senior Research Fellowship (2012-2014)