Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures at UM

17/07/2026

💻📖 [WEBINAR]
Writ Large: Zahra Kazani - on medieval Arabic calligraphy

Message from Tim Brookes:

Dear friends, followers, and fellow-discussers:
Next Sunday, July 19th, my guest on Writ Large will be Zahra Kazani, who studies medieval Arabic calligraphy--fascinating and beautiful in itself--and in the process has discovered something very interesting and highly unusual about illustrated manuscripts medical subjects. In short, they operate in multiple directions. (Check out the attached photograph.)

She writes, "How does a viewer approach and interpret writing arranged in non-linear orientations? Is it a verbal puzzle to be deciphered, an iconographic image to be viewed, or merely decoration? This talk examines a medieval Arabic manuscript on antidotes—one of the earliest extant illustrated manuscripts in Arabic—to explore visual experimentations with Arabic calligraphy. Through this case study, I consider how medieval societies constructed, visualized, and perceived knowledge in ways that often run counter to modern assumptions about reading, meaning, and legibility."

5 p.m. British Summer Time, as usual.

Register free at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/MgpJRelKTH6Uuf1owdrdpQ

--
Tim Brookes
Check out my new book By Hand at https://www.endangeredalphabets.com/by-hand/.
The Endangered Alphabets Project
www.endangeredalphabets.com
and The Atlas of Endangered Alphabets at
www.endangeredalphabets.net
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01/07/2026

Dr Kurstin Gatt from our Department, together with Prof. Michael Spagnol from Il-Malti fl-UM, recently presented the proceedings of the AIDA Malta 2024 Conference during this year’s AIDA Conference in Catania, Sicily.

The volume, Rooted in the Mediterranean: Studies in Arabic Dialectology (AIDA Malta 2024), is published by Malta University Press and brings together 25 peer-reviewed contributions on Arabic dialectology, Maltese, sociolinguistics, and language contact.

Anyone interested in purchasing the book or reading more about it can find further information here:

This international conference focuses on the study of Arabic dialects and Maltese, from linguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives

23/06/2026

22/06/2026

AIDA Malta proceedings 2024 are finally out!

Check out the publication here:

https://www.um.edu.mt/mup/store/product/rooted-in-the-mediterranean-studies-in-arabic-dialectology-aida-malta-2024/

18/06/2026

✍️ Registration open [link below]

[CONFERENCE]
The 11th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies
9 and 13 November 2026
University of Malta Valletta Campus
Malta

https://www.um.edu.mt/events/xippc2026/

The 11th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies will take place at the Old University Building (the former Jesuits’ Complex) in Valletta between the 9 and 13 November 2026. It is hosted by the University of Malta in collaboration with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the National Museum of Archaeology/Heritage Malta, and the Missione Archeologica Italiana a Malta.

18/06/2026

📣 Call for Applications

We are pleased to share the call for applications for the summer school:

Aesthetic Pleasure and Eclectic Delight: Arabic Literature and Arts Beyond Canonical Duty

Participants will have the opportunity to present their research in an international academic context, receive individual language coaching, and practise using Arabic or English as an academic language.

📍 Location: Malta
📅 Main sessions: 29–31 October 2026
🗓️ Preparatory meeting: July
🗓️ Individual coaching sessions: September and October
⏰ Application deadline: 10 July 2026

Applicants should submit:

• an abstract of their research project, 3–5 pages
• a short letter of motivation
• a CV
• the names, affiliations and email addresses of two academic references

The applications should be sent to [email protected]

A wonderful opportunity for young scholars interested in Arabic literature, culture and philology to engage in a genuinely international and multilingual academic exchange.

Please share with students, colleagues and anyone who may be interested.

The summer school project “Arabische Philologien im Blickwechsel / نحودراسات عربية برؤى متعددة ” has a twofold agenda: to facilitate the systematic exchange of perspectives and experiences between scholars based in the West and in the Arab world, and to foster the use of ...

03/06/2026

A heartfelt thank you to Prof. Angela Daiana Langone, Dr Maura Tarquini, and Dr Emanuela De Blasio, for joining us for our 'Talks on the Arab World' event.

We had three very interesting and engaging talks on comics in Syria, Arabs and Sardinia, and popular performance in 20th-century Tunisia. It was a pleasure to welcome our speakers and to share such rich discussions on culture, history, and the Arab world.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the conversation.

14/05/2026

🎓 Scholarship opportunities for Tunisian nationals 🇹🇳

If you know anyone from Tunisia who is interested in pursuing studies or research in:

🌱 Sustainable Energy
🌍 Geosciences
🤝 Humanitarian Action
⚛️ Physics

please share this call with them.

This could be a great opportunity for Tunisian students and researchers wishing to continue their academic journey and develop their expertise in these important fields.

📢 Feel free to circulate this among your contacts, colleagues, students, or anyone who may benefit from it.

Scholarships for Tunisian nationals to study at the UM

13/05/2026

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting Professor Bruno Herin from INALCO, Paris, for a talk on the dialect of Mellieħa.

Prof. Herin discussed a number of features of the Mellieħi dialect, including possible remnants from Arabic, and opened up an interesting discussion on the existing link between Maltese and Arabic.

Thank you to Professor Herin for sharing his research with us, and to everyone who attended and took part in the discussion.

The event was co-organised by the Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures at UM and Il-Malti fl-UM

12/05/2026

🎉Come and join us at the Department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Malta!📢