A Short History of the Gibb Memorial Trust and its Trustees

Provides an unusual history of an important institution promoting Islamic scholarship in Britain

• Presents authoritative biographies of leading scholars by those working in the same field
• Brings together leading scholars of Middle Eastern history, literature, Islamic mysticism and religious studies to discuss their influential predecessors in these fields
• Draws on the unpublished archives of the Gibb Memorial Trust and first-hand memoirs
• Reveals how the Gibb Memorial Trust was able to promote and support the publication and study of key Middle Eastern sources for over a century

The Gibb Memorial Trust, founded at the start of the 20th century, comprised among its trustees some of the most celebrated and prominent orientalists of their day. Together, they sponsored and supported research on editing and translating Arabic, Persian and Turkish manuscripts on a range of subjects, from history, literature, geography and poetry to Sufism and the Islamic sciences.

This volume covers the development of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies over the last 120 years or so, as seen through the biographies of the leading scholars of the period. It opens with a short history of the Trust, before presenting a series of short biographical and often personal appreciations of these eminent Middle Eastern scholars of the past, written by existing trustees. In providing a history of this important institution, the book shines a light on the history and development of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies in Britain more broadly.