Immerse yourself in the study of the Middle East with new books!

27. 11. 2025 Students of MUP now have access to hundreds of book titles on the Middle East, Islam, and Judaism. These volumes come from the private library of Břetislav Tureček, who has decided to make them available to the wider academic community.

“I have been lending my books to individual students interested in the Middle East for many years—whether for their research for bachelor’s and master’s theses or simply for their personal interest,” said Dr. Tureček. “But now that the catalogue of these books is available to all students, they will of course be used even more effectively,” added the head of the university’s Centre for Middle Eastern Studies.

Geographically, the books cover the region from North Africa through Israel and Palestine all the way to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Thematically, they focus mainly on modern history, security and military issues, cultural anthropology of Middle Eastern societies—including religion—and more.

Břetislav Tureček has been expanding his library for over three decades, buying books in bookstores and antiquarian shops not only across Europe but also in Middle Eastern intellectual centres from Cairo and Jerusalem to Beirut, Tehran, and Islamabad.

The list of English- and Czech-language books, which can now be requested for borrowing at cmes@mup.cz, currently includes around 220 items. Dozens more titles will gradually be added to the database THE MIDDLE EASTERN LIBRARY (xlsx file). Of course, the main catalogue of the MUP Library also holds hundreds of additional books on this topic.