Snake Swords And Bat Treasures: A Journey Into The World Of Oriental Storytelling

Magical motifs, adventurous heroic journeys, marvellous treasures and bloody battles – the Hakim epic, which originated in medieval Egypt, refers to both history and mythology. One of the more than three thousand Arabic manuscripts in the Gotha Research Library contains a passage from the monumental work, which is about the eccentric Caliph al-Ḥākim bi-Amrillāh (985–1021).

The Arabic scholars and manuscript experts Professor Amro Mounir and Professor Claudia Ott were guests at the Gotha Research Centre in 2024 as part of a scholarship from the Gerda Henkel Foundation to research the excerpt from the epic. On the last day of their stay, the two even discovered another manuscript fragment of the same epic in the library on the Friedenstein.

The event not only provides an insight into the historical significance of this find, but also brings the stories themselves to life. Amro Mounir, a historian at South Valley University in Qena, is not only an expert on the history of Egypt, but also well versed in the traditional Arabic art of storytelling. Together with Claudia Ott, he traces the historical connections between Gotha and Egypt and brings the voice of the hakawati – the oriental storyteller – back to the present day. With her award-winning new translation of the story collection "One Thousand and One Nights", Claudia Ott has made a significant contribution to making the Arabic storytelling tradition accessible to a wide audience. As an expert, she is involved in the current podcast series "1001 Nights" (ARD Audiothek), which is dedicated to the origins and development of this legendary collection of stories and gives the "mother of all series" a modern form.

With "Snake Swords And Bat Treasures", visitors can expect an evening full of exciting discoveries, scientific findings and lively storytelling. Admission is free.