Lecture: From Greek Conquerer to Muslim Prophet: Alexander the Great in Islam.

In the Islamic sphere, the portrayal of Alexander took a surprising and unexpected turn. Alexander’s figure is already hinted at in the Qur’an in the description of the “two-horned one." However, the later tradition, especially the work of medieval Persian poets, gives us an Alexander driven not by conquest but by justice; having attained perfect philosophical wisdom, the Macedonian warrior became a monotheistic prophet.

Dr. Sam Thrope, of The National Library of Israel is giving a lecture in which he will discuss the changing figure of Alexander from ancient Greece to Medieval Iran. 

Samuel Thrope is the Curator of the Islam and Middle East Collection at the National Library of Israel. Born and raised in Arlington, Massachusetts, Thrope earned his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught at the Hebrew University. His latest book is a translation, with Domenico Agostini, of the Zoroastrian creation myth the Bundahishn.

Image: Alexander comforting the Dying Darius, from a 17th century Indian manuscript of Nizami's Book of Alexander. From the National Library of Israel collection (Ms. Yah. Ar. 1021)

Monday, 25 April, 8 pm Israel / 7 pm CET / 6 pm UK / 1 pm EST