Metadee, a newly launched London digital NFT marketplace, has recently released a unique NFT collectable: a historically significant, handwritten Quran manuscript.
Authenticated and certified by the University of Oxford’s research laboratory for archaeology and the history of art, the handwritten Quran is currently held by the custodian family and is safely kept in Geneva, Switzerland.
After having travelled through modern-day Syria, Madinah and Makkah over the centuries, the family has protected and preserved some of the volumes, never opening them as they were signed by Zayd ibn Thabit, the personally appointed scribe of the Prophet Mohammed himself.
Almost 1,500 years since the handwritten Quran was completed, Metadee is now releasing it as an NFT to the public. According to Metadee's founder and managing director, Deepali Shukla, the rare collectables market is expected to reach $700 billion by 2032.
“Rare collectables and religious artefacts add the missing market segment that the NFT market may have been deprived of,” Shukla tells The National.
“Tokenising rare collectables and sacred scriptures allow these artefacts to be more accessible than ever, and will further contribute to the spread of ancient knowledge among global youth.”
Metadee is tokenising volumes three, four and five from the handwritten manuscript and offering the NFTs at $1 million each.
Shukla, a collector and art enthusiast, believes NFTs are the future.
“The nature of NFT as blockchain-based cryptographic assets results in more security than our traditional transactions,” she says. “It helps to prevent piracy and provide equal opportunities to showcase and commercialise art creations.”
One of the main attractors around NFTs is the way in which such digital artworks give creators autonomy over their work. Since NFTs are stored on a digital blockchain, they use unchangeable distributed ledgers which anyone within the network can access. This empowers and protects both creators of NFTs and customers, allowing the authentication of genuine work while reducing issues around fraud.
“Unlike the original manuscripts of Quran that need to be heavily guarded and repeatedly validated, its NFT is easily stored on the blockchain and transferable between owner/owners,” Shukla says.
“The NFT can be accessed from anytime and anywhere across the globe. Meanwhile, with web3 and metaverse changing the way people think, act, and breathe, everything in the digital space is highly likely to gain value.
"In the near future, people will prefer studying, learning, reading and archiving things online, and hence the manuscript NFT will surely witness a steady increase in value amid the digital space.”
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
More on Quran memorisation:
Honeymoonish
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Brief scores:
Kashima Antlers 0
River Plate 4
Zuculini 24', Martinez 73', 90 2', Borre 89' (pen)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
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RACECARD
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
