The Leiden Lectures on Arabic Language and Culture were initiated in 2013 on the occasion of the 400-year anniversary of the founding of the chair of Arabic at Leiden University. Each year an outstanding scholar in the field is invited to present a lecture on the rich and enjoyable variety of classical Arabic texts and their significance and relevance for today’s world. This book contains the first three lectures delivered by Petra Sijpesteijn, James E. Montgomery and Geert Jan van Gelder. From the reasons to study Arabic in the 17th century and today, to the jokes written into apparently serious scientific treatises, these three lectures together demonstrate the historical and cultural richness of the Arabic literary world.