The Salafī and the Orientalist

TheUniversity of Turin/Italy owns the collection ofmaterials (manuscripts, books, offprints and all the archive) belonging to the German Orientalist Paul Ernst Kahle (1875-1964). One of the most significant items in the collection of thousands of letters from around 2.500 correspondents is the correspondence between Kahle and the MoroccanTaqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī (1893-1987) who hadbeen collaborating with Kahle and stayed in Germany in the years 1936-1942. The relationship between Kahle and al-Hilālī is particularly significant because of the relevance of the protagonists in their respective realms, as, respectively, a famous Orientalist and a key figure in 20th‐century Salafism. The letters highlight their intimacy and friendship through the years and the scholarly exchange between them. From these letters written in German, English and Arabic, al-Hilālī appears as a fascinating character with many personalities and the letters as a whole further enrich a biography that attests toall that hewas at the sametime: anobserver of theWest and Islamicactivist, a scholar according to Orientalist tradition and a Salafi.