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

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.

On Wednesday 23th, the Louvre museum in Paris will unveil two leaves of a unique Qur’ān manuscript attributed to caliph ‘Uthmān, coming from Katta Langar, a village located in South-East of Uzbekistan. A brief look back at the history of this mysterious manuscript🧵1/10 pic.twitter.com/Y92BDPOlhW

— Dr. Éléonore Cellard (@CellardEleonore) November 21, 2022

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.

🇸🇱 Uzbekistan will show 17 unique historical exhibits in Saudi Arabia

The First Biennale of Islamic Art opens in Jeddah on January 23.

Uzbekistan will present several pages of the Kattalangar Quran of the 8th century, one of the most important manuscripts of the Islamic world, pic.twitter.com/hAQek2ajkx

— marina alikantes (@Marianna9110) January 14, 2023