Rare Quran Manuscripts on Show at Saudi Islamic Arts Exhibition
Some of the Quran manuscripts were written 14 centuries ago, according to Ajil website.
Written on parchment in an early form of Arabic script known as Hijazi, some of them date back to the years 30 to 90 after Hijra.
Some of the manuscripts have been loaned to the exhibition by museums in Qatar and other Arab countries.
The arts biennale juxtaposes 280 historical artifacts from across the Islamic world – from ancient Quranic folios to a nearly 150-year-old Kiswa, the embroidered silken cover of the Kaaba, Islam’s first holy site – with contemporary installations and artwork commissioned by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Though many cultural institutions around the world hold collections of historical objects from Islamic civilizations, the Islamic Arts Biennale is considered a seminal event in global Islamic art exhibition and appreciation because few large-scale international shows have focused solely on Islamic art since the 1976 World of Islam Festival in London.
The exhibition is arranged around two central themes: Qibla, or the direction of the Kaaba, toward which over 1 billion Muslims around the world pray; and Hijrah, which signifies the displacement and migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina and the start of the Islamic calendar.
While the former considers rituals central to Islam, such as ablution, prayer, and congregation, the latter explores movement, loss, displacement, and, conversely, pilgrimage and cultural exchange.
The exhibition will run until May 23.
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