NB, we are looking for anything that happened under the large umbrella of the Ottoman dynasty: all regions, all languages, all religions. Abstracts are due by February 28.

In my second contribution, I analyse the endowment seals in the context of sealing practices in the region and the Ottoman empire as a whole. Both articles are part of a great collaborative effort to shed light on one of the region's most splendid cultural institutions. brill.com/display/book...

First, the history of Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar's library. How did the infamous governor get his hands on those books? Was it all theft and violence? My analysis of the history of its surviving volumes suggests a more nuanced story. brill.com/display/book...

Very nice! I have seen similar patterns used in books at later dates. The reading proposed for the motto is not correct, however. It should read: اعتمادي على خالقي وكفى