Illuminating Faith: Art and Culture form the Middle East

Collections: The Mingana Collection

The Mingana Collection consists mainly of Arabic and Syriac Middle Eastern manuscripts (c. 3000), a very small number of Hebrew/Jewish works, a few coins, seals and a few clay tablets. The Collection was founded in Birmingham between 1925 and 1929 by Edward Cadbury, the Chairman of Council of Woodbrooke College and a founding member of the Selly Oak Colleges, who sponsored and financed the Collection, and housed it in the Selly Oak Colleges Library. He named the Collection after its collector, Alphonse Mingana. The Arabic manuscripts are the third largest collection in the UK. The content is mostly religious, mainly Islamic and early Near Eastern Christian. A recent publication is a catalogue of the illustrated manuscripts of the Collection compiled by Prof. Lucy Anne Hunt. For more information on the Collection see http://www.olrc.bham.ac.uk/special/collection_mingana.htm.

Exhibition and Events

Exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
12 February - 02 October 2005

Displays included manuscripts from the University's Mingana Collection, textiles, ceramics and metalwork.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DH

Events from December 2004 - August 2005

Events included calligraphy, music, drama, talks and workshops for all ages.

More information

For more information about this project please contact:
Meline Nielsen m.nielsen@bham.ac.uk or Zelina Garland Zelina_Garland@birmingham.gov.uk

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