Manuscripts and Research Materials on the Egyptian Shadow Play in the Paul E. Kahle Archive in Turin

This article offers an overview of the sources and the research materials on the shadow play Paul E. Kahle collected during his lifetime. The collection consists of around 30 Arabic manuscripts purchased during his stay in Egypt (1903 –1909) at the early beginning of the 20th century along with numerous other materials on this genre he collected throughout his life. This research documents how Kahle’s materials range from fieldnotes taken during the years of permanence in Egypt to the drafts of the editions of the Arabic texts and their translations into German and English. From the beginning of his career until his later years, he carried on editing and translating Ibn Dāniyāl’s Khayāl al-ẓill along with other single shadow plays, although a large part of his research work remained unpublished. By reviewing the manuscript sources and the research materialsnowpreserved at the Paul E. KahleArchive in Turin, this article brings to light the many relationships Kahle weaved to study these texts during his lifetime, while also showing his legacy in this field of study and beyond.