Purpose/Activities

 

The Orient Institute in Beirut (OIB) is an independent research institution mandated by the foundation German Institutes of the Humanities Abroad (DGIA). It carries out historical and contemporary research on the Middle East and the arab world. The OIB was founded in 1961 by the German Oriental Society (Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft, DMG) wit the support of the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the Volkswagen Foundation. In 1987, during the Lebanese civil war, the German staff was relocated to Istanbul. Initially operating as a branch of the Beirut institute, in 2009 the Orient-Institute in Istanbul became an independent academic institution.

 

Priority subjects of the OIB's work are:

anthropological and cultural research of the past and present in the Middle East,

oral and written traditions in Islam,

educational institutions and the transmission of knowledge,

urban and rural development and the problems of urbanization in the Middle East,

religious and political orders in the Middle East.

 

In particular the OIB

does basic research in the fileds of Arab, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies with a view to promoting co-operation between local and foreign researchers,

carries out and coordinates research projects and holds conferences on related subjects,

conducts a range of projects on social, religious, intellectual history and politics as well as the study of literature and languages of the Middle East,

provides assistance to guest researchers with regards to access to archives, libraries and other academic/historical institutions,

handles requests for and procures scientific research material and makes available the library stocks on oriental subjects.

 

The OI's library in Beirut holds a stock of currently (2010) more than 120,000 volumes and 1,700 academic journals, the OI's library Istanbul a stock of about 35,000 volumes and 1.320 academic journals (Ottoman, Turkish and other languages). The stock of the OI's library in Beirut is also accesible via the Institute's Online-Public-Acess-Catalogue.

Periodical Publications

Bibliotheca Islamica (BI) (published by the OI Beirut)

Beirut Texts and Studies (BTS) (published by the OI Beirut)

Istanbul Texts und Studies (ITS) (published by the OI Istanbul)

Pera-Papers (published by the OI Istanbul)