معرفی
Prof. Dr. Konrad Hirschler is a leading historian of the medieval Middle East at the University of Hamburg. He holds affiliations with the Cluster of Excellence 'Understanding Written Artefacts', the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, and the Asia and Africa Institute. His work bridges social history, literary studies, and manuscript analysis.
- Research Focus: Manuscript materiality, library history, historiography, Crusader-era cross-cultural diplomacy, and provenance studies.
- Notable Projects: Analysis of the Ashrafiya Library Catalogue, Qubbat al-khazna depository, and the Jazzār Library Project.
His research on medieval Arabic reading practices and manuscript circulation has redefined understanding of pre-Ottoman book culture through works like The Written Word in the Medieval Arabic Lands (BSMES Prize) and Medieval Damascus: Plurality in an Arabic Library (Best Book on Medieval Middle East). He explores how non-elite groups engaged with written culture and how scribes recycled manuscripts.
Scientific Awards:
- British Society for Middle Eastern Studies Book Prize (2012)
- Best Book on the Medieval Middle East (2017)
- Shortlisted for British-Kuwait Friendship Association Book Prize
Advising & Grants: Hirschler welcomes MA and PhD students studying medieval Middle Eastern topics. His research is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Germany's Excellence Strategy) and the British Academy.
Labs & Collaborations: He contributes to the Qubbat al-khazna corpus analysis and co-edits volumes with international scholars. His work integrates digital humanities via the Ashrafiya Library Database.
