Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage in Dubai participated in the international symposium “Faces of Memory: The Latest Techniques in the Preservation and Restoration of Manuscripts and Printed Heritage,” organized by the Matenadaran—Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in the Republic of Armenia. The event took place in the capital, Yerevan, from 14 to 17 October 2025.
The symposium was attended by Armenia’s Minister of Culture, the European Union representative, the Director of Matenadaran, along with a host of cultural and scientific figures from Armenia and abroad.
The Center was represented by Dr. Bassam Dagestani, Head of the Conservation, Treatment, and Restoration Department, who presented a research paper titled “Treatment and Restoration of Leather Manuscript Bindings.” In his paper, he highlighted the crucial role of manuscript bindings in ensuring the physical protection of manuscripts, thereby preserving their historical, artistic, and cultural identity and contributing to the safeguarding of the memory of nations.
Dr. Dagestani also reviewed the most prominent scientific and practical methods used in the treatment and restoration of manuscript bindings and their decorative arts, in addition to showcasing the Center’s efforts in reviving the craft of decorating leather bindings of Arab and Islamic manuscripts across the Arab and Islamic worlds. His paper received wide appreciation from participants for its methodological rigor and the quality of its findings.
The symposium saw the participation of researchers and specialists from Armenia, Georgia, Germany, France, Russia, Italy, Iran, Japan, the United States, and Kazakhstan, who presented valuable studies on the conservation, treatment, and restoration of various paper and textile materials.
On the sidelines of the symposium, Dr. Dagestani held a meeting with the Director General of Matenadaran, Mr. Ara Kozmalyan, during which they discussed the possibility of signing a cooperation agreement between the Juma Al Majid Center and Matenadaran in the field of preserving Armenian manuscripts. Both parties expressed a strong interest in future collaboration, with further discussions to be pursued during an upcoming visit by a delegation from the Armenian center to Dubai early next year.
