NOLDEKE, THEODOR

born March 2, 1836, Harburg, Hanover died Dec. 25, 1930, Karlsruhe, Ger. German Orientalist noted for his Semitic and Islamic studies, which included a history of the Qur'an (1859). After holding several academic posts, Nldeke became professor of Oriental languages at the University of Strasbourg (18721906), then within the German Empire. His large contribution to the history of Semitic languages included the publication of several grammars. His other scholarly works included Geschichte der Perser und Araber zur Zeit der Sasaniden (1879; History of the Persians and Arabs to the Sasanid Period), a version of the Arabic chronicle of at-Tabari. Among his works intended for a general readership were Orientalische Skizzen (1892; Sketches from Eastern History, 1892) and a life of Muhammad (1863).