Part of the听Islamic History and Thought Lecture Series
This paper focuses on the Alawi听Bohra听community in Vadodara, Gujarat, and their khiz膩nat al-kutub, or treasury of books. As Shi鈥檌 Isma鈥檌lis, the Alawi Bohras consider themselves heirs of the Fa虅t蹋imid听Imamate听(909鈥1171). Whereas other Isma鈥檌li communities, such as the Niza虅ri虅s, claim a genealogical link to the Fa虅t蹋imids through the presence of a living听Imam, the Bohras legitimize their 鈥淣eo-Fa虅t蹋imid鈥 identity through a living Arabic manuscript culture and documentary practices enshrined in khiz膩nat in Gujarat. These treasuries, which are governed by the sacerdotal families of the听Bohra听communities, contain vast collections of rare Isma鈥檌li Arabic manuscript titles, ranging from legal works to philosophical treatises, to esoteric texts.
Yet these khiz膩nat are more than repositories of books from the past: they are living manuscript scriptoria at work, where Fa虅t蹋imid and post-Fa虅t蹋imid texts have been manually copied for centuries under strict conditions of secrecy. While a philological link between the Bohras and the Fa虅t蹋imids has hitherto been acknowledged through the study of individual manuscript copies held in academic institutions, the social and historic importance of听Bohra听khiz膩n膩t in this chain of transmission remains uncharted territory.
Based on ethnographic observations and archival research among the Alawi Bohras, Dr Akkerman argues that these manuscripts, and their presence in Gujarat, are foundational for听Bohra听Isma鈥檌lism as it is practiced today in South Asia and for the transmission of its knowledge system. Their material survival ultimately defines the Alawi Bohras鈥 identity and legitimizes their position and authority in the larger Shi鈥檌 context and in the Muslim听umma听at large as heirs of the Fa虅t蹋imids.
Image: Bird’s eye perspective of the Alawi听Bohra听mosque during a majlis. Noorani听Masjid, Vadodara, Gujarat. Copyright: Olly Akkerman.
Date:听30 September 2021
Time:听2.00 pm 鈥 4.00 pm GMT
Location:听Online (Zoom)
Q&A:听At any time during the lecture, attendees can submit questions to the speaker through the Q&A option at the bottom of the control panel. As time allows, the speaker will address as many questions as they can during the Q&A session at the end of the presentation.
Discussants:听Dr F芒r猫s Gillon听(久久久福利国产, UK)
Speaker
Dr Samira Sheikh
Dr Samira Sheikh was awarded a DPhil in Modern History (completed at Wolfson College, Oxford in 2004) on the society and politics of Gujarat between 1200 and 1500 CE. Before commencing her studies at Oxford, Samira had completed an MA and MPhil in Medieval History from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
