In 19th-century Damascus, Khālid al-Naqshabandī builds a library that becomes a centre for scholarly exchange. Later, its preservation requires legal ingenuity on the part of his heirs, until it is eventually scattered around the world. In our PhD research series, Joud Nassan Agha tells its story.

Once a vital hub of Ottoman culture, Süleyman Efendi’s library was dispersed across Europe as a result of conquest. PhD researcher Rawda El-Hajji shows how tracing these scattered manuscripts helps reconstruct lost intellectual communities and reveals the fate of cultural heritage in times of conflict.

Early Tamil poetry, rich with tales about journeys, patrons, and cultural exchange, reveals a vibrant blending of languages. PhD researcher Maanasa Visweswaran explores how Sanskrit influences and the use of Grantha script shaped these classical Tamil manuscripts.