Petra Sijpesteijn is professor of Arabic. Her research concentrates on recovering the experiences of Muslims and non-Muslims living under Islamic rule, using the vast stores of radically under-used documents surviving from the early Islamic world. Starting in 2017, she manages an international research project entitled "Embedding Conquest: Naturalising Muslim Rule in the Early Islamic Empire (600-1000)", funded by the European Research Council. Since 2014, she has been director of the Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam (LUCIS).
Coursera
Dive into the vibrant past of the medieval Arabic world with our course. Learn how Arabic became the dominant language across an expansive region from southern Spain to the Chinese border. Uncover the secrets behind this period's booming trade, scientific advancements, and scholarly achievements.