Oberes Belvedere

Crescent moon over the Nile: how Byzantine Egypt became Arab

Drawing of Arabic Islamic rider on his horse drawn in golden color
Foto: © Papyrusmuseum / 2022 Österreichische Nationalbibliothek
Drawing of Arabic Islamic rider on his horse drawn in golden color

3 June 2022 - 7 May 2023

Between 639 and 642 AD, Egypt was conquered by Arab armies. Over the following decades, the caliphs, the “successors of the messenger of God”, extended their sphere of influence as far as Persia and Southern Spain. The Arab conquests and the spread of Islam represent a decisive turning point in world history.

Nowhere is the start of this period of flux better documented than in the Department of Papyri at the Austrian National Library: it is home to the most important and extensive collection of original texts from that time. Written in Greek, Coptic and Arabic, they provide valuable contemporary evidence of Egypt’s transition from a Christian-Byzantine country to an Arab-Islamic one.

This new special exhibition at the Papyrus Museum presents some of the most significant exhibits from the collection, including, for example, a papyrus document in which the Emir Abdella confirms receipt of 65 sheep for the Arab army: the document was written on 25 April 643 AD, making it the oldest dated papyrus with Arabic text surviving anywhere.

Venue

Papyrus Museum

Neue Burg, Heldenplatz
1010 Wien

Tickets & Info

Current Dates

  • Thu. 23 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
  • Fri. 24 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 25 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 26 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 28 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 29 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 30 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
  • Fri. 31 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 01 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 02 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
All dates

All Dates

March

  • Thu. 23 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
  • Fri. 24 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 25 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 26 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 28 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 29 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 30 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
  • Fri. 31 Mar 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

April

  • Sat. 01 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 02 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 04 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 05 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 06 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
  • Fri. 07 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 08 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 09 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 11 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 12 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 13 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
  • Fri. 14 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 15 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 16 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 18 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 19 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 20 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
  • Fri. 21 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 22 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 23 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 25 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 26 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 27 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
  • Fri. 28 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 29 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 30 Apr 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

May

  • Tue. 02 May 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 03 May 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 04 May 2023, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
  • Fri. 05 May 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 06 May 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 07 May 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fewer dates