Pedro S谩nchez Rodriguez聽is a Librarian at the聽Aga Khan聽Library who oversees the聽Aga Khan聽Library Digital Collections (AKLDC) project, together with聽Shah Hussain, Librarian. Here, for World Book Day, they discuss the recently launched Ismaili Printed Materials Collection and the amazing response it has already received.
奥别听initiated the AKLDC project in 2019. Its aim is to create high-quality digital copies of a selection of books in the聽Aga Khan聽Library rare book collection and publish them on an open-access platform. By doing so, we are seeking to protect historical materials as well as aiming to promote and facilitate research by providing access to a selection of important books that are not easily accessible due to their physical condition or their scarcity.
The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has proved that our digital approach is necessary now more than ever, and researchers and students in various academic fields and regions have been enthusiastic about accessing our resources online without restrictions. When travelling and research funds are quite limited, a platform like AKDLC becomes essential to continue research.
In particular, and perhaps not surprisingly, the Ismaili Printed Materials Collection鈥攚hich we inaugurated with an initial 62 books in early 2021鈥攈as received an amazing reception. The Ismaili Printed Materials represent the core of the聽Aga Khan聽Library鈥檚 collections and include outstanding and often unique resources for the scholarly study of the history, thought and traditions of the IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja士far al-峁⒛乨iq (d. 765), as his successor.. With the digitisation of part of this valuable collection, we aim to provide students, researchers and the wider Ismaili communities with easy access to some of these key resources and a glimpse into our vast collections.
The materials already digitised, and those forming the next batch we will be uploading, are print books from the 19th and early 20th century that cover some of the key themes for the study of the Ismailis and their traditions. They include monographs, critical editions of manuscripts,聽Safarnamah聽(or books of travels), religious sermons and devotional literature. These books, published in many regions, languages and scripts, illustrate the expansion and diversity of Ismaili communities.
Some of the highlights of the collection include critical editions and translations of the works of the famous Fatimid Jurist,聽Qadi聽al-Nu鈥檓an (d. 974); the renowned Persian poet and traveller, Nasir-i Khusraw (d. 1088); and the medieval philosopher and astronomer, Nasir聽al-Din聽Tusi (d. 1274), to name a few. Also included in the collection are extensive holdings of religious lyrical literature known as聽ginans聽attributed to Ismaili pirs in the Indian sub-continent.
The collection also contains the research of the famous Russian scholar and pioneer of modern Ismaili studies, Vladimir Ivanow (1886鈥1970), and many works authored by other European Orientalists.
The next phase of the AKLDC will include digitised materials from our Ottoman collection and a further selection of Ismaili printed materials, which will be available in early 2022. This will include several of our early 20th Century editions of the works of the famous Ismaili poet Nasir-i Khusraw, and a rare 1921 edition of聽Gulz膩r-i Shams-i Tabr墨z, among many other essential texts.
