Al-ʿUṣūr al-Wusṭā: The Journal of Middle East Medievalists
@alusuralwusta.bsky.social
Journal of Middle East Medievalists (@mideastmedieval.bsky.social), a peer-reviewed, open-access journal on the medieval Middle East. Edited by Zayde Antrim (zaydeantrim.bsky.social) & Alison Vacca (@medievalqabq.bsky.social)
Pinned
Al-ʿUsur al-Wusta
Middle East Medievalists (MEM) is an international professional non-profit association of scholars interested in the study of the Islamic lands of the Middle East during the medieval period (defined r...
journals.library.columbia.edu
Thanks to all authors, reviewers, & readers as we close out issue 33!
We published 550 pages in 2025: 7 articles; a thematic dossier w/ 4 more articles; a roundtable; an Arabic edition; a pedagogy file; 7 book reviews; & some short communications.
Here’s a thread to gather some highlights! 🧵
We published 550 pages in 2025: 7 articles; a thematic dossier w/ 4 more articles; a roundtable; an Arabic edition; a pedagogy file; 7 book reviews; & some short communications.
Here’s a thread to gather some highlights! 🧵
New article alert!
Let’s start w/ a personal manuscript from 9/15th cent., including a letter from Cairo’s chief judge & a list of books for sale from Mamluk Baalbek. This article challenges the divide btw documentary & manuscript studies through a fresh look at texts, material & social practice
Let’s start w/ a personal manuscript from 9/15th cent., including a letter from Cairo’s chief judge & a list of books for sale from Mamluk Baalbek. This article challenges the divide btw documentary & manuscript studies through a fresh look at texts, material & social practice
September 7, 2026 at 1:21 AM
New article alert!
Let’s start w/ a personal manuscript from 9/15th cent., including a letter from Cairo’s chief judge & a list of books for sale from Mamluk Baalbek. This article challenges the divide btw documentary & manuscript studies through a fresh look at texts, material & social practice
Let’s start w/ a personal manuscript from 9/15th cent., including a letter from Cairo’s chief judge & a list of books for sale from Mamluk Baalbek. This article challenges the divide btw documentary & manuscript studies through a fresh look at texts, material & social practice
New article alert!
How did theorists in the medieval Middle East standardize techniques for connecting texts composed in different languages? Join us in examining the long history of comparative literary theory through the premodern lens of ‘approximation’.
How did theorists in the medieval Middle East standardize techniques for connecting texts composed in different languages? Join us in examining the long history of comparative literary theory through the premodern lens of ‘approximation’.
July 28, 2026 at 5:59 PM
New article alert!
How did theorists in the medieval Middle East standardize techniques for connecting texts composed in different languages? Join us in examining the long history of comparative literary theory through the premodern lens of ‘approximation’.
How did theorists in the medieval Middle East standardize techniques for connecting texts composed in different languages? Join us in examining the long history of comparative literary theory through the premodern lens of ‘approximation’.
New article alert!
Were we to leap back centuries & ask a madrasa student in Mostar or a storyteller in Dhaka, we would find that their idea of the Persian poet ʿAṭṭār differs starkly from the ʿAṭṭār on English-language bookshelves. This article explains why by tracing the fates of his Pandnama:
Were we to leap back centuries & ask a madrasa student in Mostar or a storyteller in Dhaka, we would find that their idea of the Persian poet ʿAṭṭār differs starkly from the ʿAṭṭār on English-language bookshelves. This article explains why by tracing the fates of his Pandnama:
Cheap Perfume?
| Al-ʿUsur al-Wusta
journals.library.columbia.edu
July 4, 2026 at 11:29 PM
New article alert!
Were we to leap back centuries & ask a madrasa student in Mostar or a storyteller in Dhaka, we would find that their idea of the Persian poet ʿAṭṭār differs starkly from the ʿAṭṭār on English-language bookshelves. This article explains why by tracing the fates of his Pandnama:
Were we to leap back centuries & ask a madrasa student in Mostar or a storyteller in Dhaka, we would find that their idea of the Persian poet ʿAṭṭār differs starkly from the ʿAṭṭār on English-language bookshelves. This article explains why by tracing the fates of his Pandnama:
New article alert!
Humans use numbers to think about other humans in many contexts: demography, taxes, votes, and historically, slavery.
Our latest article shows how early Islamic narratives about the Saharan frontier use the number 360 to represent the relationship between race, space, and time.
Humans use numbers to think about other humans in many contexts: demography, taxes, votes, and historically, slavery.
Our latest article shows how early Islamic narratives about the Saharan frontier use the number 360 to represent the relationship between race, space, and time.
A Slave per Day in Perpetuity
| Al-ʿUsur al-Wusta
journals.library.columbia.edu
June 30, 2026 at 2:00 AM
New article alert!
Humans use numbers to think about other humans in many contexts: demography, taxes, votes, and historically, slavery.
Our latest article shows how early Islamic narratives about the Saharan frontier use the number 360 to represent the relationship between race, space, and time.
Humans use numbers to think about other humans in many contexts: demography, taxes, votes, and historically, slavery.
Our latest article shows how early Islamic narratives about the Saharan frontier use the number 360 to represent the relationship between race, space, and time.
New article alert!
If you were to list important Arabic poets, who would you include? Abū Nuwās, Abū Tammām, al-Buḥturī, al-Mutanabbī…?
In the 14th cent, Ibn Nubāta included all of them & more. He also included himself. Check out this new article about how self-citation worked in Mamluk texts.
If you were to list important Arabic poets, who would you include? Abū Nuwās, Abū Tammām, al-Buḥturī, al-Mutanabbī…?
In the 14th cent, Ibn Nubāta included all of them & more. He also included himself. Check out this new article about how self-citation worked in Mamluk texts.
Thus Spoke the Author
| Al-ʿUsur al-Wusta
journals.library.columbia.edu
June 28, 2026 at 1:14 AM
New article alert!
If you were to list important Arabic poets, who would you include? Abū Nuwās, Abū Tammām, al-Buḥturī, al-Mutanabbī…?
In the 14th cent, Ibn Nubāta included all of them & more. He also included himself. Check out this new article about how self-citation worked in Mamluk texts.
If you were to list important Arabic poets, who would you include? Abū Nuwās, Abū Tammām, al-Buḥturī, al-Mutanabbī…?
In the 14th cent, Ibn Nubāta included all of them & more. He also included himself. Check out this new article about how self-citation worked in Mamluk texts.
Have you ever wondered what a Sasanian city sounded like? We can imagine the sounds of the past if we pay close attention to material, historical, & archaeological sources. Check out this new article on the soundscapes of Eranshahr-- & be sure to download the sound file for an immersive experience
January 28, 2026 at 9:43 PM
Have you ever wondered what a Sasanian city sounded like? We can imagine the sounds of the past if we pay close attention to material, historical, & archaeological sources. Check out this new article on the soundscapes of Eranshahr-- & be sure to download the sound file for an immersive experience
Thanks to all authors, reviewers, & readers as we close out issue 33!
We published 550 pages in 2025: 7 articles; a thematic dossier w/ 4 more articles; a roundtable; an Arabic edition; a pedagogy file; 7 book reviews; & some short communications.
Here’s a thread to gather some highlights! 🧵
We published 550 pages in 2025: 7 articles; a thematic dossier w/ 4 more articles; a roundtable; an Arabic edition; a pedagogy file; 7 book reviews; & some short communications.
Here’s a thread to gather some highlights! 🧵
Al-ʿUsur al-Wusta
Middle East Medievalists (MEM) is an international professional non-profit association of scholars interested in the study of the Islamic lands of the Middle East during the medieval period (defined r...
journals.library.columbia.edu
December 8, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Thanks to all authors, reviewers, & readers as we close out issue 33!
We published 550 pages in 2025: 7 articles; a thematic dossier w/ 4 more articles; a roundtable; an Arabic edition; a pedagogy file; 7 book reviews; & some short communications.
Here’s a thread to gather some highlights! 🧵
We published 550 pages in 2025: 7 articles; a thematic dossier w/ 4 more articles; a roundtable; an Arabic edition; a pedagogy file; 7 book reviews; & some short communications.
Here’s a thread to gather some highlights! 🧵
Imperial Islam is Moon-worshiping—but Sun-worshiping too, straining algorithmically for the stars. Symbolized by 'Ali and Jesus, early modern Persianate Selenocentrism and Heliocentrism are Hermetically useful global-comparative categories for decolonizing the historiography of science and empire.
October 29, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Imperial Islam is Moon-worshiping—but Sun-worshiping too, straining algorithmically for the stars. Symbolized by 'Ali and Jesus, early modern Persianate Selenocentrism and Heliocentrism are Hermetically useful global-comparative categories for decolonizing the historiography of science and empire.
New article alert!
Join us in exploring a phrase from Ibn Saʿīd al-Maghribī’s 13th-c. geography. He refers to the Damādim of northeast Africa as “Tatars of the Sūdān.” Hannah Barker interrogates the racializing discourses at play in such comparative claims.
[image: British Library Or 1524]
Join us in exploring a phrase from Ibn Saʿīd al-Maghribī’s 13th-c. geography. He refers to the Damādim of northeast Africa as “Tatars of the Sūdān.” Hannah Barker interrogates the racializing discourses at play in such comparative claims.
[image: British Library Or 1524]
September 27, 2025 at 1:30 PM
New article alert!
Join us in exploring a phrase from Ibn Saʿīd al-Maghribī’s 13th-c. geography. He refers to the Damādim of northeast Africa as “Tatars of the Sūdān.” Hannah Barker interrogates the racializing discourses at play in such comparative claims.
[image: British Library Or 1524]
Join us in exploring a phrase from Ibn Saʿīd al-Maghribī’s 13th-c. geography. He refers to the Damādim of northeast Africa as “Tatars of the Sūdān.” Hannah Barker interrogates the racializing discourses at play in such comparative claims.
[image: British Library Or 1524]
New article alert!
The exploits of the ʿudhrī lovers Jamīl and Buthayna are well known, full of potential for romance and scandal and violence. This article asks how such celebrated stories read differently when read with an eye to Buthayna’s experiences instead of Jamīl’s performances
The exploits of the ʿudhrī lovers Jamīl and Buthayna are well known, full of potential for romance and scandal and violence. This article asks how such celebrated stories read differently when read with an eye to Buthayna’s experiences instead of Jamīl’s performances
July 17, 2025 at 3:28 PM
New article alert!
The exploits of the ʿudhrī lovers Jamīl and Buthayna are well known, full of potential for romance and scandal and violence. This article asks how such celebrated stories read differently when read with an eye to Buthayna’s experiences instead of Jamīl’s performances
The exploits of the ʿudhrī lovers Jamīl and Buthayna are well known, full of potential for romance and scandal and violence. This article asks how such celebrated stories read differently when read with an eye to Buthayna’s experiences instead of Jamīl’s performances
New article alert!
How can we rethink word stress in Classical Arabic? This article looks to an unexpected source: the traditional recitation of metra in Persian metrics. This evidence clarifies controversial patterning in Classical Arabic, with implications for Proto-Arabic word stress, as well
How can we rethink word stress in Classical Arabic? This article looks to an unexpected source: the traditional recitation of metra in Persian metrics. This evidence clarifies controversial patterning in Classical Arabic, with implications for Proto-Arabic word stress, as well
July 10, 2025 at 7:23 PM
New article alert!
How can we rethink word stress in Classical Arabic? This article looks to an unexpected source: the traditional recitation of metra in Persian metrics. This evidence clarifies controversial patterning in Classical Arabic, with implications for Proto-Arabic word stress, as well
How can we rethink word stress in Classical Arabic? This article looks to an unexpected source: the traditional recitation of metra in Persian metrics. This evidence clarifies controversial patterning in Classical Arabic, with implications for Proto-Arabic word stress, as well
The Editors of @alusuralwusta.bsky.social endorse @mesa1966.bsky.social's March 13 Statement on the repression of academic freedom and March 28 Joint Statement regarding Columbia.
Letters from The Board
mesana.org
April 8, 2025 at 9:46 PM
The Editors of @alusuralwusta.bsky.social endorse @mesa1966.bsky.social's March 13 Statement on the repression of academic freedom and March 28 Joint Statement regarding Columbia.
New article alert!
Explore the history of 15th-century Diyarbakır with us today! This new article relies on literary & epigraphic sources to tell a story of Aqquyunlu rulers & their relationship to the famous Armenian bishop, painter, & poet Mkrtičʻ Nałaš
[shown here: remains at nearby Ergani]
Explore the history of 15th-century Diyarbakır with us today! This new article relies on literary & epigraphic sources to tell a story of Aqquyunlu rulers & their relationship to the famous Armenian bishop, painter, & poet Mkrtičʻ Nałaš
[shown here: remains at nearby Ergani]
January 21, 2025 at 3:56 PM
New article alert!
Explore the history of 15th-century Diyarbakır with us today! This new article relies on literary & epigraphic sources to tell a story of Aqquyunlu rulers & their relationship to the famous Armenian bishop, painter, & poet Mkrtičʻ Nałaš
[shown here: remains at nearby Ergani]
Explore the history of 15th-century Diyarbakır with us today! This new article relies on literary & epigraphic sources to tell a story of Aqquyunlu rulers & their relationship to the famous Armenian bishop, painter, & poet Mkrtičʻ Nałaš
[shown here: remains at nearby Ergani]
New article alert!
We invite you to explore a text composed in the northern reaches of the Caliphate in 744: the Armenian martyrology of Vahan of Gołtʻn. This article includes a translation and intro that analyzes the text’s construction of the Umayyad world and Armenian experiences within it
We invite you to explore a text composed in the northern reaches of the Caliphate in 744: the Armenian martyrology of Vahan of Gołtʻn. This article includes a translation and intro that analyzes the text’s construction of the Umayyad world and Armenian experiences within it
January 15, 2025 at 6:55 PM
New article alert!
We invite you to explore a text composed in the northern reaches of the Caliphate in 744: the Armenian martyrology of Vahan of Gołtʻn. This article includes a translation and intro that analyzes the text’s construction of the Umayyad world and Armenian experiences within it
We invite you to explore a text composed in the northern reaches of the Caliphate in 744: the Armenian martyrology of Vahan of Gołtʻn. This article includes a translation and intro that analyzes the text’s construction of the Umayyad world and Armenian experiences within it
New article alert!
Ibn Khaldūn’s Muqaddima offers the most extended reading of a series of maps known from medieval literature. In this article, Alfred Hiatt parses Ibn Khaldūn’s text alongside manuscripts of al-Idrīsī’s 12th-cent. geography, prompting questions about Ibn Khaldūn’s art of history
Ibn Khaldūn’s Muqaddima offers the most extended reading of a series of maps known from medieval literature. In this article, Alfred Hiatt parses Ibn Khaldūn’s text alongside manuscripts of al-Idrīsī’s 12th-cent. geography, prompting questions about Ibn Khaldūn’s art of history
January 13, 2025 at 3:07 PM
New article alert!
Ibn Khaldūn’s Muqaddima offers the most extended reading of a series of maps known from medieval literature. In this article, Alfred Hiatt parses Ibn Khaldūn’s text alongside manuscripts of al-Idrīsī’s 12th-cent. geography, prompting questions about Ibn Khaldūn’s art of history
Ibn Khaldūn’s Muqaddima offers the most extended reading of a series of maps known from medieval literature. In this article, Alfred Hiatt parses Ibn Khaldūn’s text alongside manuscripts of al-Idrīsī’s 12th-cent. geography, prompting questions about Ibn Khaldūn’s art of history
We close out the 2024 issue with a thousand and one thanks to our authors, reviewers, & readers! 618 pages of research articles, thought pieces, pedagogy file, conference reports & book reviews. here is a master thread that describes them all! 🧵⬇️
Share & follow because 2025 is going to bring more!
Share & follow because 2025 is going to bring more!
December 20, 2024 at 5:31 PM
We close out the 2024 issue with a thousand and one thanks to our authors, reviewers, & readers! 618 pages of research articles, thought pieces, pedagogy file, conference reports & book reviews. here is a master thread that describes them all! 🧵⬇️
Share & follow because 2025 is going to bring more!
Share & follow because 2025 is going to bring more!
Check out Stephen Rapp’s pedagogy file on medieval Georgian coins to use in undergraduate classes!
This example combines familiar format: “there is no god but God alone, who has no associate; Muhammad is the messenger of God” in Arabic, w/ Georgian margin “Christ, exalt Bagrat, king of the Apʻxaz”
This example combines familiar format: “there is no god but God alone, who has no associate; Muhammad is the messenger of God” in Arabic, w/ Georgian margin “Christ, exalt Bagrat, king of the Apʻxaz”
December 19, 2024 at 7:18 PM
Check out Stephen Rapp’s pedagogy file on medieval Georgian coins to use in undergraduate classes!
This example combines familiar format: “there is no god but God alone, who has no associate; Muhammad is the messenger of God” in Arabic, w/ Georgian margin “Christ, exalt Bagrat, king of the Apʻxaz”
This example combines familiar format: “there is no god but God alone, who has no associate; Muhammad is the messenger of God” in Arabic, w/ Georgian margin “Christ, exalt Bagrat, king of the Apʻxaz”
UW announces the publication of its first-ever roundtable! it showcases a variety of perspectives on the Global Middle Ages—its possibilities, perils, & problems—from fields associated w/ Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies.
December 18, 2024 at 2:11 PM
UW announces the publication of its first-ever roundtable! it showcases a variety of perspectives on the Global Middle Ages—its possibilities, perils, & problems—from fields associated w/ Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies.
Since we are new(ish) to Bluesky, we want to make sure you did not miss all of the wonderful articles we published this year! We publish as soon as articles are through peer review and copyediting, so these have rolled out over the past 12 months:
🧵⬇️
🧵⬇️
Vol. 32 (2024)
| Al-ʿUsur al-Wusta
journals.library.columbia.edu
December 16, 2024 at 9:11 PM
Since we are new(ish) to Bluesky, we want to make sure you did not miss all of the wonderful articles we published this year! We publish as soon as articles are through peer review and copyediting, so these have rolled out over the past 12 months:
🧵⬇️
🧵⬇️
New article alert!
10th-c. traveler Ibn Faḍlān describes non-Muslim Rūs: “When the chieftain dies, the members of his household ask his jawārī and ghilmān, ‘Who will die with him?’ One answers, ‘I will.’”
Arabic texts suggest most funerary sacrifices among the Rūs were women
10th-c. traveler Ibn Faḍlān describes non-Muslim Rūs: “When the chieftain dies, the members of his household ask his jawārī and ghilmān, ‘Who will die with him?’ One answers, ‘I will.’”
Arabic texts suggest most funerary sacrifices among the Rūs were women
November 17, 2024 at 11:31 PM
New article alert!
10th-c. traveler Ibn Faḍlān describes non-Muslim Rūs: “When the chieftain dies, the members of his household ask his jawārī and ghilmān, ‘Who will die with him?’ One answers, ‘I will.’”
Arabic texts suggest most funerary sacrifices among the Rūs were women
10th-c. traveler Ibn Faḍlān describes non-Muslim Rūs: “When the chieftain dies, the members of his household ask his jawārī and ghilmān, ‘Who will die with him?’ One answers, ‘I will.’”
Arabic texts suggest most funerary sacrifices among the Rūs were women
al-Usur al-Wusta articles reached readers in 108 countries this year alone! Could we all agree to send an article to our friends in Turkmenistan in 2024??
November 30, 2023 at 7:37 PM
al-Usur al-Wusta articles reached readers in 108 countries this year alone! Could we all agree to send an article to our friends in Turkmenistan in 2024??