Nick Posegay is co-author of the first illustrated introduction to the Cairo Genizah manuscripts at Cambridge University Library
This book is our way of celebrating 50 years since the founding of the Genizah Research Unit here at Cambridge University Library in 1974.
Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee
This October sees the publication of the first illustrated introduction to the unique collections of Cairo Genizah manuscripts at Cambridge University Library, revealing the forgotten stories of Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities at the centre of a millennium of world history.
The coffee table book, co-authored by Gates Cambridge Scholar Nick Posegay [2017] and Melonie Schmierer-Lee, has been published to celebrate 50 years of the Genizah Research Unit at the University of Cambridge.
Genizah means a hidden storage room and almost one thousand years ago, the Jews of Old Cairo began to place their worn-out books and scrolls into a hidden room in their synagogue. Over the years, they added all sorts of writings to the pile, sacred and secular texts alike.
When the chamber was emptied at the end of the 19th century, it held hundreds of thousands of paper and parchment fragments. Now known as the ‘Cairo Genizah’, it has become one of the most important sources of knowledge for the history of the Middle East and the Mediterranean world.
The Illustrated Cairo Genizah takes readers on a journey of discovery through more than 125 years of research at the University of Cambridge, showcasing over 300 full-colour manuscript images across 12 thematic chapters. From ancient Bibles to medieval magic and Renaissance printing presses, the book showcases the multicultural nature of medieval life in the Middle East.
Nick Posegay is a Leverhulme Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cambridge Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. His PhD examined interfaith exchange in the vocalisation of medieval Semitic languages. He is also an Affiliated Researcher to the Genizah Research Unit [GRU] and a member of the Cambridge Interfaith Forum.
Melonie Schmierer-Lee is a Research Associate at the GRU and the Littman Genizah Education Programme Public Engagement Officer.
Posegay and Schmierer-Lee say: “This book is our way of celebrating 50 years since the founding of the Genizah Research Unit here at Cambridge University Library in 1974. It has more than 320 images of Genizah fragments alongside facts, stories and questions. It is by far the coolest thing we’ve ever made, and we can’t wait for people to see it.”
Posegay is also co-editing a book of essays by three generations of scholars about their time at the GRU, stretching back to 1974. From the Battlefield of Books includes articles on medieval Jewish History, Hebrew and Arabic manuscripts, archival history and the story of the Cairo Genizah collections at the University of Cambridge.
*‘The Illustrated Cairo Genizah’ is available for pre-order here: https://linktr.ee/CambridgeGRU. A launch event will be held on 12th November at Heffers in Cambridge.
