We are happy to announce The First Workshop in Arabic Epigraphy at Oxford, to be held at the Oriental Institute from December 6th-9th, 2006. The workshop brings together some of the leading scholars of Arabic Epigraphy, Dr Ali al-Ghabban (Supreme Commission for Tourism, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Professor Robert Hoyland (University of St Andrews), Professor Lorenz Korn (University of Bamberg) and Professor Jeremy Johns (University of Oxford) to teach how to approach problems in the study of Arabic epigraphy, and give some initial training in the reading of inscriptions.

The chronological focus is the first six hundred years of Islam. We will examine inscriptions from a wide geographical area, from the Arabian peninsula, Syria, Egypt, the Turkish Jazira and Sicily. As there is no comparable course or training in the United Kingdom at the moment, the three-day workshop provides a unique opportunity to learn about these important source materials.

There will be an introductory lecture on Arabic Epigraphy by Robert Hoyland on Wednesday, the 6th of December (5 p.m., Wolfson College). From December 7th to 9th, Lorenz Korn. Ali al-Ghabban, Robert Hoyland and Jeremy Johns will act as instructors in the workshop. Each instructor will lead one or two two- hour interactive sessions, and the materials to be discussed in the workshop will be distributed for advance study.

The workshop is aimed primarily at graduate students and those who have recently completed their doctorate. If you would like to participate in the The First Workshop in Arabic Epigraphy at Oxford, please write to Teresa Bernheimer
or Rotraud Hansberger by November 1st, 2006, with details of university afflilation, subject, and particular interest in this seminar.

Participation in the workshop is free of charge, but numbers are limited. For participants from outside Oxford, a few rooms have been reserved in Wolfson college at the reduced rate of 40 pounds for the first night, and 27 pounds for all subsequent nights. The rooms may also be shared.

Professor Jeremy Johns, Dr Petra Sijpesteijn, Teresa Bernheimer, Rotraud Hansberger.