QNL Offers Specially Curated Events on Quranic Manuscripts During Ramadan

Qatar National Library

Doha- 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 nations prime institution of reference for Arabic and Islamic heritage and civilization.

On 30 March, the Library will host an online international seminar titled "Quranic Manuscript Traditions: Readings from the Qatar National Library Collection." The seminar will gather international experts who have studied the traditions of the production of Quran manuscripts over 14 centuries and over a sprawling geographical area and will also focus on Qurans from the periphery of Islam. The lecture will discuss Quranic manuscripts from the Librarys rich collection in relation to important, relevant manuscripts from various other collections around the world.

The Librarys 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 Quranic Manuscripts: A New Approach,". The lecture, delivered by Mahmoud Zaki, Manuscript Specialist at the Library, will introduce participants to new scientific approaches to studying Quranic manuscripts that include sciences and research disciplines such as the history of the Quranic text, Quranic studies, and the codicology of the Quranic manuscripts.

Lastly, a Quran recitation session will be held on 13 April 2022, allowing participants to recite the Quran from manuscripts dating back from the first and second Hijri centuries. The sessions recitation will be moderated by Ahmed Khaled Shukri, Professor of Quranic Studies at Qatar University, who will be joined by Ahmed Shaker, Researcher in Quranic 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 Librarys mission towards preserving and sharing Arab and Islamic heritage for future generations." The Library currently houses around a thousand Quranic volumes, ranging from complete Quranic manuscripts to individual sets, divided into thirty parts. The oldest of them are Quranic fragments written on parchment dating back to the 7th and 8th century of the Gregorian calendar and manuscripts of the Quran 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 Quranic 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 Quranic manuscript traditions of production, reading and analysis. They further aim to introduce interdisciplinary research approaches when studying these materials." The Quranic manuscripts events come in the framework of the Librarys 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. 

Source: QNA