Der Dämonenglaube im Bereich des Islams : eine unbekannte Materialsammlung im Nachlass Fritz Meiers (1912-1998)

Betr. den Nachlass Fritz Meier in der Universitätsbibliothek Basel Fritz Meier (1912–1998), well known Swiss Orientalist and professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Basel between 1949 and 1982 bequeathed his personal scientific papers – about 25’000 folios – to the Universitätsbibliothek Basel This valuable collection consists of several, nearly finished manuscripts and a large number of scientific notes – mostly in form of typoscripts – on as different topics as the veneration of saints, sufism, gnosis, religious questions, Persian and Arabic poetry as well as on folklore. About 2’400 of these folios deal with various aspects of demonology in Arabic, Persian and partially Turkish literature (mostly but not exclusively dating from the classical period, ca. 9th –15th century). Demonology has caught Fitz Meier's interest for over forty years. His notes, usually extensive translations of oriental sources, are extremely valuable in the field of Islamic Studies. They contain entries on various aspects of demonology and a list with names of djinns. These materials facilitate the orientation in the huge field of demonology in written sources. A study on this aspect of Islam is still missing. The author of the present article is preparing a monograph on this topic taking the materials collected by Fritz Meier as it's starting point.