Arabic Department Library

This collection, located in the department, hosts nearly 2,000 books donated by the late Professor Muhammad Alwan. For more information, or to check out a book, please visit the library or navigate the collection online using our website.

About the Collection

This collection was made possible by the generous donation of Muhammad Baqir Alwan, former professor of Arabic at Tufts, in whose memory this library is dedicated. Ustadh Alwan (1930-2024) was born in Iraq where he first became interested in education. He fled Iraq for the UK where he began his studies, before finishing them in the United States. Ustadh Alwan earned his PhD in Arabic Literature and taught at universities around the country and the world.

His collection of books demonstrates the immense care and passion he had for Arab literary and religious history, among other subjects. An accomplished academic and translator, Alwan’s works include translated poems of Langston Hughes and مـعـتـقـدات الـعـرب الـبـدائـيـة، قـصـيـدة الـحـكـم الـبـهـرانـي في عـجـائـب الـمـخـلـوقـات. In the spirit of Ustadh Alwan’s admiration and care of education, the Arabic department hopes this library will provide the community with comprehensive access to literature on the Arab World.

Spring 2026 Arabic Library Launch

Undoubtedly, the most unique and innovative aspect of our 2026 year in the Arabic was the six library events this semester, each with the intentional goal of partnering with different programs and departments on campus to bring in other campus communities, including:

Launch Party: Students, faculty, and staff members gathered to celebrate the launch of the new book collection in the Arabic Department and heard about goals for the year.

Calligraphy Event: Learning how to decipher complex Arabic calligraphy and tips and tricks on how to identify letters.

Chinese Event: Professor Yang facilitated an event to decipher the sociocultural context of a Mandarin-Arabic bilingual Qur’an.

Qur’anic Arabic Event: A discussion about Qur’anic Arabic with students from the upper level course leading mini presentations.

Islamic Texts Library Event: Over a dozen students joined for a discussion in collaboration with the MSA about the daily role and importance of Tafsir and Hadith.

Orientalism in Publishing Event: Dr. Sarah Rogers from the History of Art and Architecture Department led a workshop about Orientalist works about the Arab world and uncovering their historical and political contexts.