41 Additional Manuscripts From The Fondation Georges Et Mathilde Salem In Aleppo, Syria, Are Now Available In Reading Room

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Opening pages of a commentary on Islamic law, copied in 1611 CE (GAMS 01147)

41 additional manuscripts from the Fondation Georges et Mathilde Salem in Aleppo, Syria, are now available in Reading Room

Posted: 2025-10-20

Cataloging is complete for 41 previously unavailable manuscripts from the Fondation Georges et Mathilde Salem (project code GAMS) in Aleppo. These manuscripts were photographed in 2008, but the images were unavailable in HMML's Reading Room until now.

They include texts by a variety of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish authors on topics ranging from medicine to grammar to poetry and literature. Most are in Arabic, but there is some text in Syriac, Italian, French, and Latin, as well as one extensively decorated manuscript in Armenian (GAMS 01000), the only Armenian manuscript in the GAMS collection. Likely dates range from the 13th century to the 20th century. The addition of these images increases the availability of the important collection of Paul Sbath (1887-1945), one of the great manuscript collectors of the modern Middle East, whose collection was divided between the Vatican and his native Aleppo upon his death. With this addition, the Reading Room includes a total of 477 objects from the Salem collection. View now

Image caption: Opening pages of a commentary on Islamic law, copied in 1611 CE (GAMS 01147)

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