OMAR was built at the University of Freiburg (Germany), in cooperation with the Center of Informatics of the Unversity of Tübingen (Germany). The databank contains images of approx. 2.500 Arabic manuscripts (in full text, 134.000 images) from Mauritania together with the corresponding bibliographical metadata.

The scans were taken from microfilms, stored at the University of Freiburg, whose originals are preserved at the IMRS (Institut Mauritanien de Recherche Scientifique) in Nouakchott (Mauritania). The microfilms where made by Rainer Oßwald, Ulrich Rebstock and Tobias Mayer during several research trips in Mauritania between 1979 and 1997.

A detailed description of these undertakings can be found in
» Ulrich Rebstock: Maurische Literaturgeschichte (= MLG), vol. I-III, Würzburg: Ergon Verlag 2001, vol. I: Einleitung.

» Maurische Literaturgeschichte: contents and introduction (in German, as PDF-File)

The databank was realized with the financial support of the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg and the German Research Association (DFG). 

OMAR-Databank - Details