Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage in Dubai participated in the First International Forum on African Manuscript Heritage. Held at the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg from September 22 to 25, 2026, the event was organized through a collaboration between the Sheikh Al-Tahir Al-Zawi Center for Studies, Research, and Heritage Editing (Libya) and the National Library of Russia.
The forum was titled: “Comprehensive Study of African Manuscript Heritage: Codicology, Paleography, Texts, History of Collections, Cataloging, and Preservation.” The Center was represented at the forum by Dr. Bassam Adnan Daghistani, Head of the Preservation, Treatment, and Restoration Department. He presented a paper titled: “The Work of the Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage in Preserving, Treating, and Restoring Manuscripts from Mali and Mauritania: Timbuktu and Tichitt as Case Studies.”
In his paper, Dr. Daghistani outlined the efforts undertaken by the Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage in Timbuktu and Tichitt since 1997. These efforts included establishing specialized restoration centers in both cities, equipping them with the necessary machinery and tools, and organizing ongoing specialized training courses in Dubai, Timbuktu, and Tichitt.
The paper also highlighted the Center’s role in relocating Timbuktu’s manuscripts to the capital, Bamako, during the conflict that erupted in northern Mali in 2012—an initiative that helped save approximately 400,000 manuscripts from destruction.
The presentation garnered significant interest and appreciation from forum participants, owing to its well-documented account of the Center’s experience and efforts in manuscript preservation, treatment, and restoration, particularly in Mali and Mauritania.
On the sidelines of the forum, Dr. Bassam Daghistani held meetings with various cultural and heritage institutions in St. Petersburg—including the National Library of Russia, the Faculty of Oriental Studies at St. Petersburg State University, and the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts. These meetings aimed to explore prospects for cooperation with the Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage regarding manuscript cataloging, imaging, and restoration, as well as the exchange of expertise in these fields.
The forum was attended by the Libyan Minister of Culture, Mr. Salem Mustafa Al-Alem; the Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Ms. Zhanna Alekseeva; ISESCO representative Dr. Adham Hanash; the Director General of the Sheikh Al-Tahir Al-Zawi Center; and the Director General of the National Library of Russia, alongside a number of local and international cultural and academic figures.
The forum also featured the participation of a distinguished group of researchers and specialists from Russia, the United States, Italy, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Nigeria, and Libya, who presented research papers addressing the various disciplines and themes encompassed by the forum’s subject.
