The Institute for South-East European Studies of the Romanian Academy has
hosted, since July 1, 2021, a project that I am heading as Principal Investigator,
having received an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council
(ERC AdG 2019 – Contract no. 883219 – Horizon 2020). Called TYPARABIC.
Early Arabic Printing for the Arab Christians. Cultural Transfers between Eastern
Europe and the Ottoman Near-East in the 18th century, the project is devoted
to researching the beginnings of Arabic printing in Eastern Europe and the
Middle East in the 18th century, the history of the first editors and presses that
produced books there before 1800 in the Arabic language, with Arabic type,
and the contribution of East-European printers, princes, and Church hierarchs
to the transfer of printing expertise and implements to the Ottoman provinces
of present-day Syria and Lebanon. This is the preface to a group of four texts that reflect the results of new research presented
at conferences in July and September 2023 (Habib Ibrahim, Fr Rami Wakim,
and Ioana Feodorov) and the preliminary findings of long-term studies undertaken
by Octavian-Adrian Negoiță in preparation of a forthcoming monograph.