This event in our series “Readings From the Qatar National Library Manuscript Collection” is dedicated to the first Islamic manuscript and the most important of the manuscripts of Islamic faith: the Holy Qur’an. The event is held on the occasion of “Arabic Manuscript Day,” which is celebrated on 4 April and marks the beginning of the month of the Qur’an, the glorified month of Ramadan.

The symposium will gather a number of international experts dealing with the traditions of the production of Qur’anic manuscripts over 14 centuries, covering a vast geographical area. Our journey will start in the Arabian Peninsula and will continue through the kingdoms of Africa and the Indian subcontinent, up to the lands of China and the Malay world. Focusing on the periphery of the Islamic World, we aim to contribute to an exciting but less-researched and less popular theme. The symposium's contributions will be based on the rich inventory of the Library’s manuscripts which will be presented in relation to important, relevant manuscripts from various other collections around the world.

Symposium's Agenda: Dates of lectures and sessions are in Qatar’s Time (GMT+3).

10:00 - 10:30 AM: Opening Statements (Huism Tan, Library’s Executive Director and Dr. Murad El-Refi, Director of the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts)

10:30 - 11:00 AM: Prelude: An Introduction to Qur’anic Manuscripts Disciplines; and An Overview of Qatar National Library’s Collections (Mahmoud Zaki)

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Hijazi Qur’anic Manuscripts (Ahmed Shaker)

12:00 – 12:10 PM: Mus’haf Al Zubarah (Mahmoud Zaki)

12:10 - 1:10 PM: Qur’anic Manuscripts of Sub-Saharan Africa (Dr. Mohameden Ahmed Salem)

1:10 -2:00: Break

2:00 - 3:00 PM: The Art of the Qur’an in Southeast Asia (Dr. Annabel Gallop)

3:00 PM - 3:45 PM: Qur’anic Manuscripts from China: Initial Observations on an Unexplored Tradition (Wassilena Sekulova and Mahmoud Zaki)

3:45 - 4:15 PM: Break

4:15 - 5:15 PM: Qur’anic Manuscripts of Indian Subcontinent in Bihari Script (Dr. Saima Syed)

5:15 - 5:30 PM: Wrap-up Panel Discussion

Click here to download the symposium flyer.

The event will be conducted online via Zoom in Arabic and English, with simultaneous interpretation provided, and live-streamed via the Library’s YouTube Channel.

Date: 30 March 2022

Time: 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Language: Arabic and English 

Target Audience: Researchers and the general public

Seats are limited, please click the button below to register.