One Of The World’s Oldest Manuscripts Of The Quran Has Been Brought To Jeddah

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You can literally stroll around Jeddah’s Islamic Arts Biennale for a full day and still not be able to see all the exhibits that are housed in the place. But if you’re going there anytime soon, you definitely have to make it a point to not miss out on the exhibits from Uzbekistan. They’re housed in Gallery 5 of Jeddah’s hajj terminal.

Pages from the Katta Langar Quran, one of the oldest Quran manuscripts still in existence and dating to the early years of Islam, are the main draw.

It was preserved for many years in a mausoleum in the little community of Katta Langar, which sits atop a mountain in Uzbekistan.

Four of the 13 restored pages of the manuscript are being showcased, and two of them are being seen by the public for the first time, according to Arab News.

They’ve been placed inside a climate and light-controlled box, as, let’s face it, Jeddah’s hot and humid weather isn’t ideal for age-old manuscripts.

This Twitter thread is what you need to read if you want to take a deep dive into the history of this manuscript.

There are a lot of other significant Uzbek artefacts on display at the biennale, including ethnography and textile pieces, ceramic jugs and mugs from the 10th and 12th centuries, as well as the original “Al-Jami as-Sahib” book by the famous Imam al-Bukhari, among others.

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