Introduction

An international effort to protect Islamic manuscripts

In 2005 the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation and the Centre of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge jointly organised the First Islamic Manuscript Conference at King’s College, Cambridge. This conference was convened to assess the problems facing institutions in possession of Islamic manuscripts, as well as those of researchers trying to gain access to these collections. The conference participants were unanimous in advocating the establishment of an international body which would coordinate the efforts of those working with Islamic manuscripts.

Establishment of TIMA

Following this, The Islamic Manuscript Association was established at the Second Islamic Manuscript Conference at the University of Cambridge in August 2006 by 45 founding members. Since then our membership has grown to over 80 members from 25 different countries. Our members take an active role in guiding the direction of the Association by proposing new projects and finding constructive and sustainable solutions to the problems facing institutions and individuals working with Islamic manuscripts.

The main activities of TIMA

Networking, information dissemination, standards, conferences, online resources and training.

• Facilitating contact between individuals with a scholarly and professional interest in Islamic manuscripts and institutions which hold collections of Islamic manuscripts.
• Compiling and disseminating information on Islamic manuscript specialists, research projects and training courses.
• Assessing current practices and working towards universal standards, including guidelines and examples of best practice in the areas of cataloguing, conservation, digitisation and publishing.
• Encouraging scholarship and providing a platform for current research and project reports at the annual TIMA conference.
• Providing online resources to our members on a wide range of manuscript issues and a forum for exchanging information.
• Organising occasional training workshops.

How to Join

Please visit the Membership page for details on joining TIMA.

TIMA Board Members

The TIMA Board consists of 10 members, four of whom make up the Executive Committee and are appointed by the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation as per the constitution. The Executive Committee are responsible for the day-to-day running of the Association. During their first meeting, the Board of Trustees elected Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç as Chairman of the Board.

• Dr. Seyed Mohammad Ali Ahmadi Abhari, Director, Library, Museum and Documentation Center, Majles-e Shora-ye Eslami (Islamic Consultative Library)
• Shaykh Prof. Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El Tayeb, Rector, Al-Azhar University
• Dr. Mandana Barkeshli, Founder and Managing Director, Art and Identity
• Mr. David Hirsch, Librarian for Middle Eastern Studies, Charles Young Research Library, UCLA
• Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç (Chairman), President, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts and Professor, Department of Sufism, Faculty of Divinity, Marmara University
• Mr. Timothy Winter, Sheikh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge

Executive Committee

• President: Dr. Charles Melville, Reader in Persian History, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Cambridge
• Executive Director: Ms. Phoebe Luckyn-Malone, Assistant Director of the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation–Dar Al-Kutub Manuscript Conservation Project
• Assistant Director: Mr. Davidson MacLaren, Director of the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation–Dar Al-Kutub Manuscript Conservation Project
• Treasurer: Mr. Adnan Bogary, Chairman, Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation

Contact Information

TIMA has offices in Egypt and the UK:

Main TIMA Office

CMEIS, University of Cambridge

Cairo Office

Similar Organizations

TIMA recognises the important work carried out by the Middle East Librarians Association (MELA) in the US, Al-Furqan Heritage Foundation in the UK and by the Middle East Libraries Commitee (MELCOM) in the UK and internationally.