Are you interested or do you know someone who's interested in doing a PhD on Arabic translations of the Bible? The new #BibliaArabica long-term project is looking for candidates! (tbh, that would have been my dream position a few years back) Spread the word!

We've got some HUGE news! We've DOUBLED in size overnight! Not only have we added "some" more Cairo Genizah fragments, but "ALL" of them @theul.bsky.social !!!
This now brings the total number of items in Cambridge Digital Library to OVER 160,000!
cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/...

The discovery of a new fossil species, A. (A.) aibai sp. nov., has clarified the gap between fossils and recent honey bees.

zookeys.pensoft.net/article/1623...

Details of a fragment from an Abbasid Qur’an 📚

Iron gall ink on perfect parchment 🐑

@theul.bsky.social MS Add.1118, 3/4th century AH/ 9/10th century CE

#IslamicManuscript #CambridgeUniversityLibraries #Parchment #JummahMubarak

A chance to learn about Mandaic from someone who knows 😎

Fantastic practical joke for medieval scribes.
(from §22 of this book payhip.com/b/BoYj4 by @majnouna.com)

A pleasure to welcome the new postgrads at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for a @theul.bsky.social induction! We showcased UL's services & our world-class Middle Eastern collection, from ancient manuscripts to modern works, all ready to support their research.
#CambridgeUniversity

Dr. Krisztina Szilágyi is teaching a short course on Christian Arabic texts & manuscripts, January 6-15, 2026 (Westminster College, Cambridge)

A bee-themed (but unidentified) #bookplate, in a five-volume edition of the letters of Zacharias Konrad von Uffenbach (1683-1734), printed at Ulm in 1753-56. A great collector of books, he visited Cambridge and its libraries in the early eighteenth century. @theulspeccoll.bsky.social XVII.11.33-37.

Sharing this on behalf of George Kiraz: There will be an introductory Syriac course at Cambridge in the winter term (January 2026). Please share with anyone who might be interested!

Conserved c.20 years ago, and holding up pretty well 📚🧿

@theul.bsky.social Add. 1116, fragments of a Qur’an, 9th century

#CULconservation #ParchmentConservation

Happy to see this old queen (Doris) was still going strong today. She is 4 years old. Her bees take their cue from her, very calm and quiet.

I think it might be a bit in the weeds, but if you want a cool intro to the world of Cairene Jews (and its discovery), there are a few greats: @nposegay.bsky.social

www.gorgiaspress.com/the-illustra...

A decent size onion!

🐝Did you know we keep bees at the UL? Dr Melonie Schmierer-Lee explains how she cares for our colony of bees, including queen bee, Brontë!

#CambridgeUniversityLibrary #UrbanBeekeeping #Beekeeping #Cambridge
@meloniesch.bsky.social‬

Video by Blazej Mikula

I first learned about the cairo genizah during a teacher workshop in cambridge back in 2017 (still the best PD I've experienced) and as a world history teacher the possibilities for the classroom blew my mind. since then I've been keen to have teachable resources so I'm really pleased to see this.

Here, our colleague Nadia Vidro reads a translation of the #letter — offering a rare glimpse into the everyday life of Jewish communities in medieval Afghanistan:

#medievalsky #digitalhumanities