Professor Jan Just Witkam, president of MELCom International from 1990 to 1998, passed away at his home in Leiden on 4 September 2026. He was 80 years old. He died in the presence of his sister and his daughters.
Jan Just Witkam’s involvement in MELCom International dates back to the 1970s, when the organisation was still in its infancy, and he served as its president between 1990 and 1998.
He was very active during his years with MI, organising a number of conferences and contributing papers that were always interesting and insightful. In them, he bridged wide geographical areas and diverse topics, demonstrating his enormous knowledge of Middle Eastern manuscripts and early imprints.
He was a regular attendee at the annual conferences until his retirement in 2005 as Head of the Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books at Leiden University Library, and continued to attend occasionally until 2011. From 2001 until 2010, he was also part-time Professor of Palaeography and Codicology of the Muslim World at Leiden University.
After his retirement, he continued to publish articles, a good number of them in the Journal of Islamic Manuscripts, which he had initiated.
MELCom International will remember him with great respect and esteem.