Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage in Dubai, in collaboration with the Library of Congress in Washington, hosted a virtual lecture titled “Eastern Manuscripts in the Library of Congress.” The lecture was delivered by Dr. Muhannad Al-Salhi, an expert on the Arab world in the Near East Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division at the Library of Congress. The event was attended by a distinguished group of Arab academics interested in Eastern manuscripts.
Dr. Muhannad began his lecture with an overview of the history of the Library of Congress and the services it provides to researchers and scholars. He also highlighted its extensive collection of printed books, manuscripts, documents, and rare periodicals.
The speaker then discussed some of the most significant and oldest books and manuscripts housed in the library, including the Giant Mainz Gospel, one of the last handwritten gospels in Western Europe, copied in 1453, and the Gutenberg Bible, the world’s first printed book, produced in 1455. He then turned to the library’s collection of Eastern manuscripts, such as a manuscript containing verses from Surat Al-Qasas dating back to the 11th century CE, written in Kufic script on parchment (made from calfskin), and a manuscript of Al-Itqan fi Ulum Al-Qur’an by Jalal al-Din Al-Suyuti, copied in 1700.
In the field of Hadith studies, the speaker showcased a copy of Umdat Al-Ahkam min Kalam Khayr Al-Anam by Abdul-Ghani Al-Maqdisi, copied in 1541, and a copy of Fath Al-Baqi bi Sharh Alfiyyat Al-Iraqi by Zakariyya Al-Ansari, copied in 1630. Regarding scientific manuscripts, he highlighted A Treatise on the Types of Errors in Administration by Avicenna, copied in the 18th century, and a copy of Al-Fawa’id fi Ma’rifat ‘Ilm Al-Bahr wa Al-Qawa’id by the renowned navigator and geographer Ahmad Ibn Majid, copied in the 15th century.
The lecture sparked significant engagement from attendees, who posed numerous questions to Dr. Muhannad, all of which he addressed. At the conclusion of the session, the Juma Al Majid Center expressed its gratitude to the speaker for his valuable contribution.
