Michael Jan de Goeje (August 13, 1836 – May 17, 1909) was a Dutch orientalist focusing on Arabia and Islam.

Early life

Michael Jan de Goeje was born in Dronrijp,

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

. He devoted himself at an early age to the study of oriental languages and became especially proficient in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, under the guidance of Reinhart Dozy and Theodor Juynboll, to whom he was afterwards an intimate friend and colleague. He took his degree of doctor at

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration w ...

in 1860, and then studied for a year in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where he examined and collated the Bodleian manuscripts of al-Idrisi (part being published in 1866, in collaboration with Dozy, as ''Description de l'Afrique et de l'Espagne''). About the same time he wrote ''Mémoires de l'histoire et de la géographie orientales'', and edited ''Expugnatio regionum''. In 1883, on the death of Dozy, he became Arabic professor at Leiden, retiring in 1906.

Career

Though perhaps not a teacher of the first order, he wielded great influence during his long tenure of the chair not only over his pupils, but over

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

s and eastern administrators who attended his lectures. His many editions of

texts are of the highest value to scholars; the most important being his great edition of

Tabari ( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...

. Though highly averse to politics, he took a keen interest in the municipal affairs of Leiden and made a special study of elementary education. He took the leading part in the

International Congress of Orientalists The International Congress of Orientalists, initiated in Paris in 1873, was an international conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences ...

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...

in 1905. He was a member of the

Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institut ...

, was awarded the German Order of Merit, and received an honorary doctorate of

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. At his death he was president of the newly formed International Association of Academies of Science. He became a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

in 1869.

Bibliography

Among his chief works are: *''Fragmenta historicorum Arabicorum'' (1869-1871
Fragmenta historicorum arabicorumVolume 1Volume 2Fragmenta historicorum arabicorumFragmenta historicorum arabicorum
*'' Diwan (poetry), Diwan of Moslim ibn al-Wâlid'' (1875) *''Bibliotheca geographorum Arabicorum'' (1870-1894
Bibliotheca geographorum arabicorum. Pars prima-[octavaBibliotheca geographorum arabicorumBibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorumالمجلد السابع من كتاب الأعلاق النفيسة
*''Annals of Tabari'' (''

History of the Prophets and Kings The ''History of the Prophets and Kings'' ( ar, تاريخ الرسل والملوك ''Tārīkh al-Rusul wa al-Mulūk''), more commonly known as ''Tarikh al-Tabari'' () or ''Tarikh-i Tabari'' or ''The History of al-Tabari '' ( fa, تاریخ طب� ...

'') (1879-1901) *

ibn Khordadbeh Abu'l-Qasim Ubaydallah ibn Abdallah ibn Khordadbeh ( ar, ابوالقاسم عبیدالله ابن خرداذبه; 820/825–913), commonly known as Ibn Khordadbeh (also spelled Ibn Khurradadhbih; ), was a high-ranking Persian bureaucrat and ...

Abu'l Qasim Ubaid'Allah, '' al-Kitab al-Masalik w’al- Mamalik'' (Livre des Routes et des Royaumes, الكتاب المسالك والممالك), about 870
Kitab Masalik wa al-mamalikKitab Masalik wa al-mamalik
Fr. translation: Leyde, 1889 ; repr. Francfort/Main, 1992. *An edition of Ibn Qutaiba's biographies (1904) *of the travels of

Ibn Jubayr Ibn Jubayr (1 September 1145 – 29 November 1217; ar, ابن جبير), also written Ibn Jubair, Ibn Jobair, and Ibn Djubayr, was an Arab geographer, traveller and poet from al-Andalus. His travel chronicle describes the pilgrimage he made to ...

(1907, 5th vol. of Gibb Memorial). He was also the chief editor of the ''

Encyclopaedia of Islam The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is an encyclopaedia of the academic discipline of Islamic studies published by Brill. It is considered to be the standard reference work in the field of Islamic studies. The first edition was published ...

'' (vols. i.-iii.), and contributed many articles to periodicals. He wrote for the 9th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.

Commemoration

De Goeje's name is preserved in that of the Stichting de Goeje which subsidises the publication of academic studies relating to the Middle East.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goeje, Michael Jan de 1836 births 1909 deaths Dutch orientalists Dutch Arabists Leiden University faculty People from Menaldumadeel Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Dutch scholars of Islam Members of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences Corresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Members of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters Members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Members of the Société Asiatique Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy