🧵(4) Learn more: hmml.org/collections/...

🧵(3) The availability of these manuscripts improves access to the modern Middle East manuscript collection of Paul Sbath (1887–1945), whose collection was divided between the Vatican and his native Aleppo upon his death. HMML Reading Room (vhmml.org) now has 477 Salem collection objects.

🧵(2) Estimated dates range from the 13th century to the 20th century. Most of the manuscripts are written in Arabic; there are some texts in Syriac, Italian, French, and Latin, as well as one extensively decorated manuscript in Armenian (GAMS 01000), the only Armenian manuscript in the collection.

Opening pages of a commentary on Islamic law, copied in 1611 CE. (GAMS 01147)

🧵(1) Digitization & cataloging is complete for 41 manuscripts in the collection of the Fondation Georges et Mathilde Salem in Aleppo, Syria. The collection includes texts by a variety of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish authors on topics ranging from medicine to grammar to poetry and literature.

Prof. Getatchew Haile -- A Giant in His Field and in the Hearts of All Who Knew Him “Much has been said about the scholarly achievements of Prof. Getatchew Haile...”

Professor Getatchew Haile, renown scholar and advocate in the field of Ethiopian Studies, was born on this day—April 19—in 1931.

In tribute to our colleague, Joe Rogers shares this remembrance of Getatchew as a neighbor in Minnesota: hmml.org/stories/getatchew-haile%E2%80%94giant-in-his-field

Logo with the words “OUR FUTURE MEMORY” in large letters filled with photographic imagery. To the right is Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) After Violence Project logo, with “HMML” above a boxed design containing the words “AFTER VIOLENCE PROJECT” and a small play icon.

📢 A step forward for digital memory rights!

@InternetArchive.EU new signatories have joined the “Statement on Digital Rights,” strengthening a global push to protect how memory institutions preserve & share knowledge, history, and testimony.

🔗⤵️
blog.archive.org/2026/04/10/d...

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In-Person Event. Reading Without Words: Hidden Stories of Ethiopic Manuscripts. Workshop with Dr. Jeremy R. Brown. Date: April 23 (workshop 3:30–4:30 p.m., reception to follow). Location: Minnesota Humanities Center, St. Paul, MN. RSVP: HMML.org

On Thursday, April 23, at 3:30 p.m. (CT), join Dr. Jeremy R. Brown in Minnesota for a hands-on, in-person workshop that brings the world of Ethiopic manuscripts to life, showing what we can learn simply by looking closely.

RSVP for this free, in-person workshop: hmml.org/events

An historic illustration of two butterflies and a hairy caterpillar. There are green leaves and white flowers in the background.

The Biodiversity Heritage Library is turning 20! 🎉

We’re starting celebrations with a special anniversary blog series #BHLat20: Treasures from BHL, featuring remarkable works chosen by the people who know them best: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/03/cele... #ILoveBHL

An icon depicting the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church. Represented in continuous narration around a larger central image of the feast of Easter are 12 feasts: the Nativity of the Theotokos, the entrance of the Theotokos into the temple, the Annunciation, the Nativity of Christ, the Theopany, the Ascension, the elevation of the Holy Cross, the Dormition of the Theotokos, the Last Supper, Pentecost, Palm Sunday, and the presentation of Christ in the temple. Text in Old Church Slavonic appears at the upper and lower edges of the icon. View this and other icons in HMML Museum (HMML 02006 009): vhmml.org/museum/view/5916

Represented in continuous narration around a larger central image of the feast of Easter are 12 Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

This icon (HMML 02006 009) was part of a large donation to HMML of Russian icons from the collection of Edmund Gronkiewicz. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3PhXDeh

The Art of Flowers in the Tale of Genji “In the woodblock print “Evening Banquet for Cherry-Blossom Viewing...”

Murasaki Shikibu’s 11th-century novel "The Tale of Genji" has remained popular and influential in Japan for more than a thousand years, including in visual art.

Katherine Goertz considers the role of #Flowers in the novel by examining an Edo-period print woodblock print: https://bit.ly/3OeySzq

Across Borders and Centuries: Protecting Humanity’s Written Heritage. May 16 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis 10 a.m.—Museum Without Glass 11 a.m.—Presentation by Columba Stewart 12 p.m.—Reception Register for this free event at HMML.org

On May 16, join HMML in Minnesota to celebrate 60 years of preserving and sharing handwritten heritage. This special event features conversations with curators, a keynote by Executive Director of HMML Dr. Columba Stewart, and a reception.

RSVP for this free, in-person event: hmml.org/events

Fenqitho for Easter, liturgy for the feast of the Resurrection, photographed in the manuscript collection of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Archdiocese of Homs, in Homs, Syria. View in HMML Reading Room (SOAH 00048): vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/502653

Penqítā for Easter, liturgy for the feast of the Resurrection, photographed in the collection of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Archdiocese of Homs, in Homs, Syria.

View this manuscript (SOAH 00048): https://bit.ly/41gM2yI

Learn more about the collection: https://bit.ly/4bAIITZ

In-Person Event. Reading Without Words: Hidden Stories of Ethiopic Manuscripts. Workshop with Dr. Jeremy R. Brown. Date: April 23 (workshop 3:30–4:30 p.m., reception to follow). Location: Minnesota Humanities Center, St. Paul, MN. RSVP: HMML.org

On Thursday, April 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota, join Dr. Jeremy R. Brown for a hands-on, in-person workshop that brings the world of Ethiopic manuscripts to life, showing what we can learn simply by looking closely.

RSVP for this free workshop: hmml.org/events

Treatises of Consolation: Muslim Scholars Comfort Themselves and Others Who Have Lost Children “The Black Death pandemic of the 14th century dramatically reshaped many cultures...”

For other examples of this genre by Sunnī authors, see a story by Dr. Josh Mugler, curator of Eastern Christian & Islamic manuscripts at HMML: hmml.org/stories/series-death-muslim-scholars-who-have-lost-children

Winter Lecture Series. Now available for streaming: • “The Extraordinary, Ordinary Work of Building a Digital Library” • “Manuscripts in Partition” • “Finding Common Ground Across Cultures: Building Relationships Through HMML’s Work” View each lecture on YouTube: https://bit.ly/WLS-2026-playlist HMML Events.

That’s a wrap on HMML’s Winter Lecture Series for 2026! Stream each lecture online: https://bit.ly/WLS-2026-playlist

To stay in touch about upcoming events, sign up for HMML’s free e-newsletter: hmml.org/newsletter

The manuscript (MUL 00105) is in the collection of Mumtazul Ulama Library in Lucknow, India. See each page in HMML Reading Room: vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/833306

This Arabic text on coping with the death of loved ones and children was written in 1547 CE by the Lebanese author Zayn al-Dīn al-Shahīd al-Thānī, the "Second Martyr" of Shīʻī Islam.

Copied in 1710 CE, it is now in the collection of Mumtāz al-ʻUlamā Library in Lucknow, India: https://bit.ly/4rpp2Iv

Marc Chagall, "The Lament of Jeremiah and Daniel in the Lion's Den," a lithograph from the 1956 series "The Bible" for the art review journal Verve.

Marc Chagall's Jeremiah, a lithograph from the 1956 series "The Bible" for the art review journal Verve.

Collection of Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota. View this and other works by Chagall in HMML Museum (AAP3300): https://bit.ly/4t26TC3

Winter Lecture Series: Finding Common Ground Across Cultures YouTube video by Hill Museum & Manuscript Library

I haven't yet watched Matt Heintzelman's talk on @visithmml.bsky.social's early work in Austria (1965–1973) but I'm looking forward to catching up later today. Here's the link: youtu.be/6rH9pN9TzVw?...

#medievalsky

A miniature of the Annunciation in a Book of Hours created in the mid-15th century.

A miniature of the Annunciation in a Book of Hours created in the mid-15th century.

Written in Latin on parchment, this book is part of HMML's Rare Books & Manuscripts Collection in Collegeville, Minnesota. View each page in Reading Room (HMML 00003): https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/510545

Meet Dr. Jennifer Carnell, cataloger of Western manuscripts at HMML.

Jennifer generously answered five questions to share insights into her path and work. Learn more: https://hmml.org/stories/meet-dr-jennifer-carnell/

#PeopleOfHMML #MeetOurTeam #HMMLStaff #Manuscripts #Libraries

“I loved the man, and do honour his memory (on this side idolatry) as much as any.”

On #WorldPoetryDay, we celebrate a poem by Ben Jonson, “To the memory of my beloved, the author Mr. William Shakespeare and what he hath left us.”

Learn more with Dr. Audrey Thorstad: https://bit.ly/3MZeT7t

A manuscript in the collection of Bibliothèque Cheick Hamma Hamma, in Dibla (SAV CHH 03872): vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/798167

A manuscript in the collection of Bibliothèque Ahmad Baba Aboul Abbass, in Timbuktu (SAV CAB 02523): vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/724258

A manuscript in the collection of Bibliothèque de Manuscrits al-Imam Essayouti, in Timbuktu (ELIT ESS 04473): vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/159519

For ʻĪd al-fiṭr, pages from 3 khuṭab (homilies) in 3 family libraries in Mali: Bibliothèque Cheick Hamma Hamma (SAV CHH 03872), Bibliothèque Ahmad Baba Aboul Abbass (SAV CAB 02523) and Bibliothèque de Manuscrits al-Imam Essayouti (ELIT ESS 04473).

View all in HMML Reading Room (vhmml.org).

Finding Common Ground Across Cultures: Building Relationships Through HMML’s Work Dr. Matthew Z. Heintzelman Curator of Western European manuscripts & Special Collections March 25 from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (CT) Free, virtual Winter Lecture Series RSVP at HMML.org

On Wednesday, March 25 at 11am (CT), join Dr. Matthew Z. Heintzelman as he explores HMML’s early work in Austria (1965–1973), contemporary connections, and an approach to collaborations that build trust and lasting relationships.

RSVP for this free, virtual program: hmml.org/events

Plants in the Margins of Medieval Books “What do you first picture when you think of an illuminated medieval European manuscript...”

Although plants are a common motif in European manuscripts, medieval viewers would have hardly considered them commonplace.

Dr. Jennifer Carnell shares ways that plant life appears in these manuscripts and what the illuminations may have meant to the people who made them: https://bit.ly/4bn96Sl

One highlight of the collection is an Armenian Gospel dating to 1338 CE (AODA 00033, pictured). An example of the Van Monastic School’s color, patterns, and artistry, the manuscript includes miniatures that illuminate episodes from the Gospels and the life of Christ. Originating from Arckē (modern-day Adilcevaz, Turkey), the manuscript was safeguarded and carried to Aleppo by survivors of the Armenian Genocide in 1919–1920, a testament to both its sacred significance and enduring historical legacy.

Digitization & cataloging is complete for the collection of the Armenian Church, Diocese of Aleppo: 174 manuscripts relocated from the Armenian Holy Forty Martyr’s Church in Aleppo. A rare survival from one of the most volatile centers of #Armenian Christianity.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/49V9yXa

On International Women's Day (#IWD2026), learn about women and manuscripts in stories shared by HMML curators and catalogers: hmml.org/stories/tags/series-women

Cataloging is complete for 792 manuscripts in the collection of Johann Christian Senckenberg Library, Frankfurt University, Germany, microfilmed by HMML in 1989–1991. Many of the manuscripts were relocated from religious communities closed during the #Reformation.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4b0Uit4

Finding Common Ground Across Cultures: Building Relationships Through HMML’s Work Dr. Matthew Z. Heintzelman Curator of Western European manuscripts & Special Collections March 25 from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (CT) Free, virtual Winter Lecture Series RSVP at HMML.org

Manuscript preservation is about people and partnerships. On March 25 (11am CT), join Dr. Matthew Z. Heintzelman as he explores HMML’s early work photographing manuscripts in Austria, contemporary connections, & HMML's approach to collaboration.

RSVP for this free, virtual program: hmml.org/events

The front cover of the printed notebook shows two children studying, with the text in the girl's book shown upside down from our perspective so that it faces her; it says "Homeland: Love for the homeland is part of faith. The palm tree is tall. The date is its fruit." There are blank lines for the student's name, school, and class. Collection of Mar Behnam Monastery in Mosul, Iraq, digitized in 2012 in collaboration with Centre Numérique des Manuscrits Orientaux. View each page in HMML Reading Room (MBM 00512): vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/132382

The rear cover has a blank table for the student to write out their class schedule, and at the bottom there are unit conversion tables for distance and time (10 millimeters=1 centimeter, 60 seconds=1 minute, etc.), and a multiplication table. At the very bottom is an address and telephone number in Baghdad, Iraq, where more of these books could be purchased. Collection of Mar Behnam Monastery in Mosul, Iraq, digitized in 2012 in collaboration with Centre Numérique des Manuscrits Orientaux. View each page in HMML Reading Room (MBM 00512): vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/132382

For #NationalHandwritingDay, a standard student notebook issued by the Iraqi public school system in the 20th century. A Chaldean Catholic priest used the notebook to write a hymn and hagiography for St. Behnam.

Collection of Mar Behnam Monastery, Mosul, Iraq (MBM 00512): https://bit.ly/3Mvgxgj

Where We're Working: Anjuman-i Taraqqī-yi Urdū Pākistān “In November 1947, the Urdu scholar ʻAbdulḥaq entered his library in Delhi for the first time since the independence and partition...”

In this story by Dr. Josh Mugler, we look at the library of Urdu scholar ʻAbdulḥaq (1869–1961), whose lifelong work on behalf of #Urdu language, literature, and culture later earned him the nickname of Bābā-yi Urdū, "the Father of Urdu."

Read on: https://bit.ly/anjuman-hmml