11 February 2018 26 Shvat 5778 Jerusalem Two Dozen Rare Islamic Manuscripts from National Library of Israel to be Displayed in United States for First Time – For Immediate Release– • Largest ever display of National Library of Israel treasures outside Israel • 24 rare manuscripts in Persian, Arabic, Turkish and Hebrew sent from Jerusalem • Royal Quran from personal library of Ottoman sultan to be displayed in Manhattan New York and Jerusalem – Twenty-four illustrated and illuminated manuscripts from the collections of the National Library of Israel (NLI) will be showcased as part of "Romance and Reason: Islamic Transformations of the Classical Past", opening at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) on February 14, 2018. The exhibit brings together an exceptional group of rare Islamic manuscripts that testify to the fertile relationship between medieval Islam and the classical world. It has been organized by ISAW in partnership with the National Library of Israel. Notable National Library of Israel treasures featured in "Romance and Reason" include a sixteenth century royal Quran lavishly illuminated with gold and personal stamps of Ottoman sultans; a rare fourteenth century Hebrew translation from Arabic of Aristotelian philosophy, begun in Spain and completed in Italy after the Iberian Peninsula's anti-Jewish riots of 1391; a seventeenth century work by Muslim polymath Nasir al-Din Tusi that preserves lost geometrical theorems of the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes; and a richly illustrated copy of Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi's Book of Glory from 19th century India. The Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Hebrew manuscripts from the National Library of Israel and other partner collections range from lavishly illuminated romances, to complex mathematical, astronomical, and scientific treatises. Treasures sent from Jerusalem to New York include manuscripts written from the 14th – 19th centuries in Iran, Spain, India and the Ottoman Empire, playing a central role in the exhibition's engrossing visual record of how, over the course of centuries, scholars, scientists, doctors, artists, and others in the Islamic world transformed Ancient Greek material for their own day. "With this exhibition in the heart of New York, we are proud to celebrate Israel's cultural richness and partner with ISAW in sharing our treasures with the American public. The National Library of Israel is invested in opening access to its collections and resources through digital, educational and cultural initiatives, as well as collaborations with other leading institutions like this. We are always striving to share our treasures with new and diverse audiences in Israel and across the globe," said National Library of Israel Director Oren Weinberg. About "Romance and Reason: Islamic Transformations of the Classical Past" "Romance and Reason" opens a window onto the fruitful discourse between Islam and the classical world with two thematic installations: one devoted to Islamic versions of the story of Alexander the Great, the other to scientific, medical, and mathematic topics. The exhibition presents some thirty illuminated versions of the medieval Persian accounts of the life of Alexander: the Shahnamah, or Book of Kings, an epic poem written by Abu al-Qasim Firdausi between 977 and 1010 CE, and the Khamsa, or Quintet, by Nizami Ganjavi, dating from the late 12th century CE. With a variety of exquisitely executed illuminations, the manuscripts were created over the course of five centuries. Together, they portray the evolution of Iskandar’s character and identity, showing him as warrior, king, seeker of truth, prophet, and more. 11 February 2018 26 Shvat 5778 Jerusalem The second section of "Romance and Reason" is devoted to medicine, mathematics, science, and philosophy. The advances in these fields – including Nasir al-Din Tusi's improvements to Greek astronomy, Avicenna's corrections of Galen's medical theories, and al-Kashi's innovations in mathematics – depended on massive and unprecedented efforts sponsored by the Abbasid caliphs, between 750 CE and the end of the tenth century, to translate Greek works into Arabic. Translators and commentators rendered almost the entire extant classical Greek corpus into Arabic, texts which then served as the foundation for discovery and until the modern age. "Romance and Reason" will incorporate items from other leading collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morgan Library & Museum, the National Library of Medicine, the Brooklyn Museum, Princeton University, the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Roberta Casagrande-Kim, Research Associate, ISAW; Samuel Thrope, Selector, National Library of Israel; and Raquel Ukeles, Curator of the Islam and Middle East Collection, National Library of Israel. Jennifer Y. Chi is the curatorial and design manager for the project. "Romance and Reason: Islamic Transformations of the Classical Past" will open on February 14, 2018 and continue until May 13, 2018. More details can be found on ISAW's website: http://isaw.nyu.edu/exhibitions/future-list About the National Library of Israel and its Islam and Middle East Collection Founded in Jerusalem in 1892, the National Library of Israel (NLI) is home to the intellectual and cultural treasures of the Jewish people, the State of Israel and its region throughout the ages. NLI has recently embarked upon an ambitious journey of renewal driven by the principle of opening access to its treasures for diverse audiences in Israel and around the globe. This is taking place through a range of innovative educational, cultural and digital initiatives, as well as through the construction of a new landmark complex designed by Herzog and de Meuron. The new home of the NLI, adjacent to Israel's Parliament in Jerusalem, is schedule to open in 2021. The National Library of Israel holds the country's premiere collection of Islamic Studies materials, which serve as a foundation for a range of cultural, education and digital initiatives. The Islam and Middle East Collection, one of the NLI's four core collections, was founded with the 1924 acquisition and transfer to Jerusalem of pioneering Islamic studies scholar Ignaz Goldziher's private library, and today numbers more than 400,000 volumes, including 134,000 in Arabic. Along with this ever-expanding research collection, the Islam and Middle East Collection also houses 1,800 Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscripts dating from the 9th to the 19th centuries, as well as significant collections of photographs, music, posters and more. The majority of the collection's manuscripts were acquired and donated by Abraham Shalom Yahuda (1877-1951), a Jerusalem-born scholar and one of the early twentieth century's most important collectors of Islamic and Persian manuscripts. The rich and multifaceted collection includes works from the central Islamic lands, spanning all major Islamic disciplines and literary traditions. Highlights include illuminated items from royal Mamluk, Mughal, and Ottoman libraries; scholarly works copied during or near the lifetimes of their authors; and later autograph copies. About New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) Established in 2006, the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University is an independent center for scholarly research and graduate education, intended to cultivate comparative and connective investigations of the ancient world. ISAW encourages approaches that encompass cultures from the western Mediterranean to China, and that cross the traditional boundaries between academic disciplines, promoting methodologies open to the integration of every category of evidence and method of analysis. It 11 February 2018 26 Shvat 5778 Jerusalem also engages the larger scholarly community and the public with an ongoing program of exhibitions, lectures, and publications that reflect its mission and scholarship. Shelby White is the founder of ISAW and chairman of its board. Alexander Jones is Leon Levy Director. ISAW’s exhibition galleries are open free of charge: Wednesday–Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., until 8:00 p.m. on Fridays. Free guided tours at 6:00 p.m. on Fridays. For additional information, the public can visit www.isaw.nyu.edu. National Library of Israel media inquiries Zack Rothbart External Relations, National Library of Israel [email protected] Images High resolution images for download: Romance and Reason - National Library of Israel Images Additional images available upon request. Image credit as specified below. Diagram of the Eye, “Revision of The Book of Optics for Those Possessing Sight and Insight by Ibn al-Haytham,” Kamal al-Din al- Farisi (1260–ca. 1320), Ottoman Turkey, Nicomachus,the father of Iskandar and his retinue meeting with a 1511. Aristotle, teaching Iskandar while hermit who then opens the gates of the Aristotle looks on, “Khamsa”, Fortress of Darband by his prayer, From the collections of the National Library of Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209), “Khamsa”, Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209), Israel India, 17th century. India, 17th century. From the collections of the From the collections of the National National Library of Israel / Library of Israel / Photography by Ardon Photography by Ardon Bar-Hama Bar .