Catalogue of the Islamic Manuscripts from the Kahle Collection in the Department of Oriental Studies of the University of Turin

The catalogue of the "Paul Kahle" manuscript collection at the University of Turin is an important step in the path of knowledge, study, conservation and valorization of the cultural heritage of libraries of the Piedmont region. The richness and variety of the collections housed at the University are the result of a historical sedimentation, sometimes linked to important personalities of the University, sometimes stratified over time and with the specialization of studies. This has led to the creation of valuable book and documentary collections that reflect the various branches of knowledge and research developing and deepening in the University.

The manuscripts are described in an analytical way in terms of their textual and material aspects; information is gathered not only through the content of the manuscript, but also its physical features. As such they are "handmade" artifacts in that they are an expression of crafts, techniques and knowledge which make the manuscript a cultural asset as a whole. Finally, beyond the information collected and described analytically on individual manuscripts, the collection is studied as a whole with reference to the history of its creation, the personal vicissitudes of Paul Kahle, who was professor in Bonn and forced into exile in England in 1939, and the sequence of events which led the Kahle collection to join the collections of the University.

The focus of Regione Piemonte in relation to valuable collections housed in the region, in the awareness of their richness, complexity and historical value, is at the origin of the support that is continuously given to their cataloging, preservation and enhancement. The manuscripts presented in this catalogue are in fact part of a larger collection of books and documents, the "Paul Kahle" collection, hosted by the Department of Oriental Studies, which is still currently in the process of a comprehensive description and reorganization in order to allow the widest use, not only locally-oriented. From this point of view, the choice of the English language for this catalogue means the international perspective of the valorization of this heritage, which is hosted in Piedmont, but bears international values.