Summer Intensive Course: "Reading Siyaq: The Secret Script of Iranian Chanceries"

Learn how to decipher Persian siyaq – University of Marburg (Germany) Iranian Studies Department

August 19-23, 2013  |  Application deadline: May 15, 2013

For centuries, all accounting in state chanceries and divans, as well as in many trading houses of the Middle East has been conducted through a modified system of Arabic numerals, a kind of shorthand known as siyaq. This special writing system has early on given rise to the notion of a “secret script” and been treated as such in the writings of early European travelers and orientalists. While Ottoman siyaq has been studied extensively and thus been part of the curriculum for many years, the siyaq employed in Iran and India has received much less attention.

Even today, only a handful of specialists are able to deal with Persian siyaq. While we have siyaq manuals from Iran at our disposal from as early as the Mongol period, the practical need to read siyaq becomes more pressing for the modern periods since the Safavids. This is especially true for the large amount of documents, balance sheets, ledgers and state revenue calculations from the Qajar period. For anyone interested in first-hand archival sources treating questions of social and economic history, a basic knowledge of siyaq numerals and calculation methods is indispensable.

The Iranian Studies Department in the medieval historic university town of Marburg is now offering a unique opportunity to learn this script in a one-week intensive summer course for all interested persons: graduate students, researchers or academic staff. Taught by renowned specialists from Iran, this will be the first time ever for a Persian siyaq-course to be offered anywhere outside Iran. A registration fee of 50 € covers tuition, teaching material, coffee breaks and a farewell dinner. Scholarships for bed & breakfast accommodation are available. The deadline for application is 15th May 2013. Early submission is recommended as overall attendance is limited.

Please click here for more information on applying, scholarships and program schedule.