"The Significance of Islamic Manuscripts". Proceedings of the Inaugural Conference of Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation. London, 1992.
2.
Over 50 languages are included in the survey. For further details see: Index of Languages, World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts vol. 1, London, 1992, p. 553, and vol. 2, London, 1993, pp. 703-704.
3.
Hunwick, John O. "CEDRAB: The Centre de Documentation et de Recherches Ahmad Baba at Timbuktu". Sudanic Africa, 1992.
4.
As far as the description of each manuscript is concerned the Foundation has provided a format which contains the main features of cataloguing and handlisting, i.e., title, author, language, subject, date of compilation, name of copyist, date of copying, dimensions, etc. All handlists will be in the Arabic script, but will bear the full title and full name of the author in the Library of Congress transliteration system as well.
5.
See Sammlung arabischer Handschriften aus Mauretanien, by Ulrich Rebstock, Wiesbaden, 1989, pp. 278, and: Katalog der arabischen Handschriften in Mauretanien, prepared by U. Rebstock, R. Osswald and A. Wuld 'abdalqadir, Beirut, 1988, pp. 160. Also C. Stewart of Illinois University has recorded some Islamic manuscripts from Mauritania in a database but it is still not clear what he will do with his data. The problem of his recording lies in the lack of any transliteration system.
6.
The Foundation's "Albania" Survey gave a much smaller figure for these two collections. The figure here is based on a report of an Archaeographical Expedition to Albania (22nd August - 12th September 1992) received at the Foundation from W. R. Veder, University of Amsterdam. The report stated that all manuscripts including the Islamic ones were counted on this expedition.
7.
Introduction to "Sudan", by R. O'Fahey, forthcoming in World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts, vol. III.
8.
The main requirements for admission to a course is that applicants are a curator or in charge of a collection of Islamic manuscripts in their native country, they possess a good knowledge of classical Arabic and are keen to continue to work in the field of Islamic manuscripts in their native country.
9.
The proceedings of the first conference under the title The Significance of Islamic Manuscripts, London, 1992 has already been published by the Foundation in English (ISBN 1 873992 05 X) and Arabic (ISBN 1 873992 06 8). The proceedings of the codicology conference are being edited and will be published in 1994.
