Title:

Bibliothèque Orientale, ou, Dictionaire universel: contenant généralement tout ce qui regarde la connoissance des Peuples de l’Orient: leurs Histoires et Traditions véritables ou fabuleuses: leurs Religions, Sectes et Politique: leurs Gouvernement, Loix, Coûtumes, Moeurs, Guerres, et les Révolutions de leurs Empires: leurs Sciences, et leurs Arts: leurs Théologie, Mythologie, Magie, Physique, Morale, Médecine, Mathé- matiques, Histoire naturelle, Chronologie, Géographie, Observations Astronomiques, Grammaire, et Réthorique: les Vies et Actions remarquables de tous leurs Saints, Docteurs, Philosophes, Historiens, Poëtes, Capitaines, et de tous ceux qui se sont rendus illustres parmi eux, par leur Vertu, ou par leur Savoir: Des Jugemens critiques, et des Extraits de tous leurs Ouvrages: de leurs Traitez, Traductions, Commentaires, Abregez, Recüeils de Fables, de Sentences; de Maximes, de Proverbes, de Contes, de bons Mots, et de tous leurs Livres écrits en Arabe, en Persan, ou en Turc, sur toutes sortes de Sciences, d’Arts, et de Professions

Short title

Bibliothèque orientale

Title variations

Title in English

Oriental Library, or, Universal Dictionary: containing generally all that concerns the knowledge of the Peoples of the East: their Histories and Traditions true or fabulous: their Religions, Sects and Politics: their Government, Laws, Customs, Manners, Wars, and the Revolutions of their Empires: their Sciences, and their Arts: Their Theology, Mythology, Magic, Physics, Morals, Medicine, Mathematics, Natural History, Chronology, Geography, Astronomical Observations, Grammar, and Rhetoric: the Lives and Remarkable Actions of all their Saints, Doctors, Philosophers, Historians, Poets, Captains, and of all those who have made themselves illustrious among them, by their Virtue, or by their Knowledge: Critical judgments, and Extracts of all their Works: of their Treatises, Translations, Commentaries, Abridgments, Collections of Fables, Sentences; of Maxims, Proverbs, Tales, Good Words, and of all their Books written in Arabic, Persian, or Turkish, on all sorts of Sciences, Arts, and Professions

Section

Language

French

Creation date

1697

Genre

Encyclopaedia

Content

Other

Content table

Formal Expression

Prose

Qur'an quotations

Yes

Original

Source

Use (macro-category)

Academic / Scientific

Use (micro-category)

Bibliographical references

https://www.zotero.org/groups/2447618/euqu_european_quran/collections/W8V4AJZW/tags/Barth%C3%A9lemy%20D'Herbelot/collection

Descriptive card

The Bibliothèque Orientale (BO) is an encyclopedic work comprising more than 8000 entries covering a wide range of topics related to Islamic civilization based on Arabic, Persian and Turkish sources. Ḥajjī Khalīfa's bibliographical catalogue, Kashf al-Ẓunūn (1653) is a major source but not an exclusive one. A vast collection of primary sources, the BO became the main reference work on the Orient and Islam and it remained so until the professionalisation of Oriental studies in the 19th century. Long citations of the Qur'an can be found in the twin entries on "Alcoran" and "Mohammed", as well as those on Qur'anic prophets and religious themes such as "Hayat" (life), "Eschk" (love), "Gennah" (paradise), "Afu" (forgiveness). The latter entries often privilege a mystical reading of the Muslim scripture, although elsewhere d'Herbelot caracterises the Qurʾān conventionally as a “pack of crude falsehoods” (BO, p. 599) assembled by an "impostor". The printing of the BO was completed after d'Herbelot's with the help of Antoine Galland, who also wrote a preface to the work.

Entry author

Emmanuelle Stefanidis