Center for Islamic Theology

Şeyma Nur Ünal, M.A.

Research Assistant

at the Chair of Quranic Studies
Family Coordinator at the Center for Islamic Theology

Office
Center for Islamic Theology
Liebermeisterstr. 18, 72076 Tübingen
6th level, Room 603

+49 7071 29-75380
seyma-nur.uenal@zith.uni-tuebingen.de

Office hours:
by appointment

Research

Main research areas

  • Quranic Manuscript Studies
  • History of the Quranic Text
  • Quranic Recitation and Reading Traditions
  • Arabic Language and Rhetoric
  • Female Scribes of the Quran
  • Stories of the Prophets in Interreligious Comparison

Short Vita

since October 2021
Research Assistant

at the Chair of Quranic Studies, Center for Islamic Theology, University of Tübingen

2020 - 2021

Completed coursework for the PhD program in Arabic Language and Rhetoric (CGPA: 4.00/4.00) at Ankara University

2018 - 2020
M.A. in Arabic Language and Rhetoric

at Ankara University: (CGPA: 4.00/4.00) Thesis title: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Fuat Sezgin’s Contribution to Arab-Islamic Literature

2014 - 2018
B.A. in Islamic Theology

at Ankara University, graduated with distinction

2013
Arabic Language Preparatory Year

at Ankara University

Publications

  • Funda Eryurt und Şeyma Nur Ünal „Die Kunst des Bewahrens - auf der Spur der Koranfragmente in Tübingen”, ZefiD 2 (August 2024) 67-96.
  • Das Koranfragment (M a VI 155) mit Faksimile-Ausgabe. Bearbeitet und kommentiert von Şeyma Nur Ünal und Funda Eryurt. Unter Mitwirkung von Prof. Dr. Omar Hamdan. Tübingen: Lehrstuhl für Koranwissenschaften - Zentrum für Islamische Theologie - Universität Tübingen, 1. Aufl., 2024/1445, 80 S./41 S. [Omar Hamdan (Hrsg.): Tübinger Koranhandschriften; Heft 3].
  • Omar Hamdan: Kanon Olarak Kur’ân. Çev.: Şeyma Nur Ünal. Ankara: Fecr Yay. 2023, 278 S.
  • Das Koranfragment (M a VI 166) mit Faksimile-Ausgabe. Bearbeitet und kommentiert von Omar Hamdan, Şeyma Nur Ünal, Funda Eryurt. Tübingen: Lehrstuhl für Koranwissenschaften - Zentrum für Islamische Theologie - Universität Tübingen, 1. Aufl., 2023/1443, 137 S./121 S. [Omar Hamdan (Hrsg.): Tübinger Koranhandschriften; Heft 2].
  • Şeyma Nur Ünal: „Cahiliye Arabının Yoldaşı: Silah”, in: Siyer Yıllığı III. Hrsg.: Şaban Öz. İstanbul: Endülüs Yay. 2020, S. 51-54.
  • Şeyma Nur Ünal: „Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin ve Arap Edebiyatı”, in: Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin ve İslâmî İlimler. Hrsg.: Feyza Betül Köse. Kahramanmaraş: SAMER Yay. 2019, S. 185-196.

Awards and scholarships

2022-2025: Maturidi PhD Scholarship

2020-2021: PhD Scholarship from the Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation

2018-2020: Master's Scholarship from the Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation

2018: Award for highest cumulative GPA (3.88/4.00) in the graduating class at the Faculty of Theology, Ankara University

2013-2018: Bachelor's Scholarship from the Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation

Courses taught

Summer Semester 2026: The Tübingen Quranic Manuscripts: An Overview (S) 

Summer Semester 2026: Taḏhīb: Islamic Book Illumination (S)

Winter Semester 2025/26: Quranic Recitation (Tağwīd) (S)

Summer Semester 2025: Quranic Recitation (Tağwīd) (S)

Winter Semester 2024/25: Theological Reflections on the Quran: Insights from Classical Scholars into Quranic Studies (S)

Summer Semester 2024: Debates on the Quran: Texts on Quran Critique and its Defense (S)

Winter Semester 2023/24: Iʿǧāz al-Qurʾān: Research on its Miraculous Character (S)

Summer Semester 2023: The Bible and the Quran: Comparative Theological Treatises (S)

Winter Semester 2022/23: The Classification of Theological Sciences in Arab-Islamic Scholarship: An Introduction (S)

Summer Semester 2022: The Quran and its Translation into German (S)

Winter Semester 2021/22: Introduction to the Philological Studies of the Quran (S)

Symposia, lectures and events

“Female Script: The Presence of Women in the Transmission of the Qurʾānic Text”
Lecture accompanied by an exhibition of selected Qurʾānic manuscripts produced by women, organized by the Gender Equality Commission of the ZITh, January 20, 2026, Room 223, ZITh, University of Tübingen. 

“My Erasmus+STT-Experience in Morocco”
Evening event organized by the Student Council of the Center for Islamic Theology (ZITh). January 10, 2025, Seminar Room, ZITh, University of Tübingen.

“Are You Allowed to Be Different?” - An Islamic Perspective
"Contributions and Prayers for Peace by People of Different Religions in Tübingen". October 16, 2024, Jakobuskirche Tübingen.

The Quran Fragment (Ma VI 155) and its Unique Features, Including a Facsimile Edition
"Insights into the Tübingen Quran Manuscript Series". June 19, 2024, University Library Tübingen.

The Influence of the Quran in Goethe's West-Eastern Divan
Presented at the 6th International Student Symposium on "The Qur'an and the Culture of Recitation in the Islamic World". December 16-17, 2020 Panel I.

Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin and Arabic Literature
Presented at the 1st National Young Academics Symposium on "Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin and the Islamic Sciences" organized by the KSÜ Siyer-i Nebi Research Center, 2019.

International academic visits

March 2026: Oxford – Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies (CMCS) – ERASMUS+STT

September 2025: Bosnia and Herzegovina – Research visit at the Faculty of Islamic Studies (University of Sarajevo) and Qurʾānic manuscript research at the Gazi Husrev-Beg Library

January 2025: Morocco – University of al-Qarawīyīn – ERASMUS+STT

July 2024: Istanbul – Successfully completed the 12th Taḥqīq course on the critical edition of Arabic manuscripts, ISAM

September 2023: Uzbekistan – Study trip funded by the Maturidi Doctoral Scholarship Program

July & August 2019: Lebanon – Intensive Arabic language course for non-native speakers