On the occasion of Ramadan and in celebration of Arabic Manuscript Day held on 4 April 2022, Qatar National Library will host several online events dedicated to the study of Qur'anic manuscripts. The events promote cultural understanding and historical research on the region and position the Library as the nation’s prime institution of reference for Arabic and Islamic heritage and civilization.
On 30 March, the Library will host an online international seminar titled "Qur’anic Manuscript Traditions: Readings from the Qatar National Library Collection.” The seminar will gather international experts who have studied the traditions of the production of Qur’an manuscripts over 14 centuries and over a sprawling geographical area and will also focus on Qur’ans from the periphery of Islam. The lecture will discuss Qu’ranic manuscripts from the Library’s rich collection in relation to important, relevant manuscripts from various other collections around the world.
The Library’s monthly "Manuscript Studies Lecture Series” in collaboration with the Manuscript Center at Sultan Mohammed al-Fatih University in Istanbul, returns on 11 April with the lecture “Studying Qur’anic Manuscripts: A New Approach,”. The lecture, delivered by Mahmoud Zaki, Manuscript Specialist at the Library, will introduce participants to new scientific approaches to studying Qur’anic manuscripts that include sciences and research disciplines such as the history of the Qur’anic text, Qur’anic studies, and the codicology of the Qur’anic manuscripts.
Lastly, a Qur'an recitation session will be held on 13 April 2022, allowing participants to recite the Qur’an from manuscripts dating back from the first and second Hijri centuries. The session’s recitation will be moderated by Ahmed Khaled Shukri, Professor of Qur’anic Studies at Qatar University, who will be joined by Ahmed Shaker, Researcher in Qur'anic manuscripts, and Mahmoud Zaki, Manuscripts Specialist at the Library.
Wassilena Sekulova, Head of Manuscripts and Archives at Qatar National Library said: “The Heritage Library provides a rich collection of valuable historical texts, manuscripts and rare items which can be accessed by researchers, historians and the general public. Our vast collection of Arab and Islamic heritage is important in promoting cultural understanding and historical research in the region, thereby continuing the Library’s mission towards preserving and sharing Arab and Islamic heritage for future generations.”
The Library currently houses around a thousand Qur’anic volumes, ranging from complete Qur’anic manuscripts to individual sets, divided into thirty parts. The oldest of them are Qur’anic fragments written on parchment dating back to the 7th and 8th century of the Gregorian calendar and manuscripts of the Qur’an attributed to reputed scribers and calligraphers, including Ahmed Karahisari, Umar al-Aqta and Al-Zubara Mushaf, which was written in Qatar.
Mahmoud Zaki, Manuscripts Specialist at Qatar National Library said: “We look forward to sharing valuable insights about Qur’anic manuscripts based on our rich collection at the Heritage Library. Our events, which target academics, specialized researchers and the general public, aim to share knowledge and research on Qur’anic manuscript traditions of production, reading and analysis. They further aim to introduce interdisciplinary research approaches when studying these materials.”
The Qur’anic manuscripts events come in the framework of the Library’s mission to preserve the nation's and region's heritage by developing innovative programs and services that are delivered in a trusted information environment and a technologically exceptional setting. For a complete list of events at the Library, please visit the Events page on the Library’s website (www.qnl.qa/en/events).
