Middle East Studies Lecture
Geo-Poetics and the Reconstruction of Pre-Islamic Arabian History
- Date
- Tuesday 10 February 2026
- Time
- Series
- Middle East Studies Lectures
- Location
-
Herta Mohr
Witte Singel 27A
2311 BG Leiden - Room
- 1.128 (Verbarium)
Pre-Islamic Arabia holds singular importance as the birthplace of Islam, yet it also presents a great problem to historians since it seems to lack a reliable historical record, and Islam’s origins thus remain hidden tantalisingly beyond historians’ view. But a method to gain deep insight into pre-Islamic Arabian society is possible through a new critical approach to pre-Islamic poetry. This presentation introduces “GeoPo” - an ERC Consolidator funded project that begins this year - and discusses its mission to use poetry to revolutionise our understanding of Arabia’s past.