Rare manuscripts and historical copies of the Quran are now on display at the Holy Quran Museum in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Opened on March 5 in the Hira Cultural District, near the Masjid Al Haram, the museum reportedly spans 67,000 square metres and features exhibitions tracing the various efforts to preserve the holy texts throughout history.
The museum joins a number of renowned institutions, from Ireland to Uzbekistan, housing significant Quranic manuscripts, many of which are accessible to the public. Here are five notable places that offer access to view these historic works.
Topkapi Quran, Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul
One of the most important surviving manuscripts, the Quran holds a place of distinction in the renowned museum in Istanbul. Written on vellum (a high-quality parchment widely used in early Islamic documents), its large size suggests it was meant for public recitation and institutional use.
Relatively austere and devoid of elaborate ornamentation, it remains one of the most complete manuscripts of the period, serving as a key reference in the history and development of the Kufic script.
Quran of Ibn Al-Bawwab, Chester Beatty Library, Dublin
Dating back to the 11th century in Baghdad, this manuscript – written in the Naskh script – is attributed to the master Iraqi calligrapher Ibn Al-Bawwab. The document remains an essential reference for scholars studying the evolution of Islamic calligraphy and the broader cultural landscape of the Islamic world during this period.
Sultan Baybars' Quran, British Library, London
A comprehensive seven-volume manuscript produced during the 14th-century rule of Sultan Baybars II, the work is regarded as one the most important pieces to have emerged from Egypt's Mamluk era. Written in the gold Thuluth script, each page is lined with gold and polychrome ornamentation. It can now be found in London's British Library. The manuscript is hailed as an example of the Mamluk's period artistry and devotion to the faith.
Samarkand Kufic Quran, Hast Imam Library, Tashkent
Known as the Uthman Quran or Tashkent Quran, this manuscript is among the oldest in the world, with studies suggesting it dates back to the 8th to 10th centuries. It is said to be linked to Caliph Uthman ibn Affan (644–656 CE) and it is also regarded as a significant example of Central Asia’s role in preserving Islamic history.
Blue Quran, Zayed National Museum, Abu Dhabi
Another layer of the exquisite Blue Quran is set to be displayed at Zayed National Museum.
Earlier this year, the soon-to-open institution on Saadiyat Island announced a significant finding – hidden text beneath the manuscript’s ornate gold decoration. Using multispectral imaging, scholars uncovered verses from Surah Al-Nisa, a chapter from the Quran, suggesting that the covering may have been a cost-effective solution to correct a possible calligraphic error. Regarded as one of the most striking Quranic manuscripts in Islamic history, the Blue Quran is distinguished by its deep blue parchment and gold Kufic script.
The manuscript is fragmented, with pages dispersed across institutions worldwide. By exhibiting a portion of this remarkable work, Zayed National Museum will join institutions such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Louvre Museum in Paris and the National Library of Tunisia in preserving and showcasing its legacy.
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Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud
Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:
1. Always get the latest operating system on your smartphone or desktop, as it will have the latest innovations. An outdated OS can erode away all investments made in securing your device or system.
2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.
3. Multi-factor authentication is required. Move away from passwords as fast as possible, particularly for anything financial. Cybercriminals are targeting money through compromising the users’ identity – his username and password. So, get on the next level of security using fingertips or facial recognition.
4. Move your personal as well as professional data to the cloud, which has advanced threat detection mechanisms and analytics to spot any attempt. Even if you are hit by some ransomware, the chances of restoring the stolen data are higher because everything is backed up.
5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
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