É. Apor , I. Ormos (ed.): Goldziher Memorial Conference, June 21–22, 2000, Budapest.

ORMOS, István: The Correspondence of Ignaz Goldziher and Max Herz

ISTVÁN ORMOS representative of Austria-Hungary in Cairo, joined the unofficial negotiations, and Herz acted as a sort of intermediary between the Prince and Goldziher. This is attested by Prince Ahmad Fu'äd's letter to Goldziher when he introduces himself giving Herz as a reference. Goldziher seems to have turned down the invitation right away, yet Herz did his best to convince him of the advantages and desirability of such a stay in Cairo. Goldziher seemed to have objections - it is not clear what they were - which Herz strove to refute giving details concerning the visits of such acquaintances of Goldziher as Guidi, Santillana, Nallino and Littmann. He reminded Goldziher that he would be in good company among such persons as Littmann, Nallino and Snouck Hurgronje.

8

6 On one occasion Herz copied for Goldziher an Italian letter by Fago, Prince Ahmad Fu'äd's secretary, on this subject.

8 This letter shows how important Goldziher was in the prince's eyes because he is asking Herz to do everything possible - and impossible to have Goldziher accept the invitation: "My Dear Herz Bey, to come to the point at once I am asking you most fervently in the name of His Highness Prince Fuad to be so kind as to do everything possible (and even impossible) in order that Prof. Goldziher might agree to come to the Egyptian University at 15 November of this year to deliver a course on the history of philosophical doctrines in Arabic. (Illustre e carissimo Herz Bey, senza preambuli, La prego caldissimamente da parte di S. A. il Principe Fuad di voler fare tutto il possibile (e anche Pimpossibile!) percbe il prof. Goldziher accetti di venire il 15 novembre di quest'anno all'Universitá Egiziana, per tenervi in lingua araba, il corso di storia delle dottrine filosofiche.)" In the course of this discussion Herz Pasha informs Goldziher that the subject he is supposed to lecture on was taught by Santillana in the previous academic year. Santillana arrived in Cairo with the fair copy of the text of his lectures but to his great distress he discovered that the level of his lectures was far too high for his students so he was compelled to write his lectures anew from day to day. Herz also mentions that Guidi was compelled to make use of some sort of a translator to make himself understood sometimes: "I 8

6 Snouck Hurgronje had also been invited to the Egyptian University in Cairo but he did not go there, either. I owe this piece of information to P. Sj. van Koningsveld. In his letter of 28 July 1911 (see the following footnote) Mr. Fago informs "illustre e carissimo Herz Bey" that - among others - Snouck Hurgronje has agreed to go to Cairo: "II principe Fuad a ottenuto l'accettazione del prof. Littmann, del prof. Snouck Hurgronje di Leiden e dei professori italiani (Nallino & Meloni)." 8

7 Letter dated Paris, 28 July 1911 (the original); copy dated Vetriolo (Trento), 4 August 1911. Dr. Vincenzo Fago studied law and philology. Between 1903 and 1908 he worked in the Italian National Library in Rome. In 1908 he was sent to Cairo by the Italian Government accompanying a donation of 500 books. His task was the organization and the administration of the University Library. He was dismissed in 1913. See Donald Malcolm Reid, Cairo University and the Making of Modern Egypt, Cairo 1990, 39. 184