Isabel Toral-Niehoff

Isabel Toral-Niehoff is a Senior Lecturer at the Free University of Berlin in the Department of Semitic and Arabic Studies and holds a scientific coordination role at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz for the Excellence Cluster COPING PRACTICES. Her academic journey includes a PhD (1997) and Habilitation (2008) focused on Late Antique Arabia and Greek-Arabic occult sciences.

• PhD (1997): University of Tübingen, focusing on Greek-Arabic Magic
• Habilitation (2008): Free University of Berlin, published as Al-Ḥīra (Brill, 2014)

Her research spans Arabia and the Near East in Late Antiquity, cultural identity, Arabic occult sciences, and Adab literature. She has received recognition including the Iran Book Award 2016 for her habilitation work. Her publications include monographs on Al-Ḥīra and Greek-Arabic magic traditions.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Iran Book Award 2016

She coordinates the COPING PRACTICES initiative at Mainz University and maintains an active academic role at Berlin. Contact her via itoralni@uni-mainz.de or itoral@zedat.fu-berlin.de.