On Tuesday morning, Qatar National Library and the Libraries Department at the Ministry of Culture celebrated “Arab Manuscript Day”, an occasion dedicated to showcasing the richness of Arab heritage and the enduring value of manuscripts as the memory of the nation and a bridge between civilizations. The event also served as a reminder of the importance of preserving the cultural and scientific legacy of the Arab and Islamic worlds.
On this occasion, Mr. Ibrahim Al-Bohashem Al-Sayed, Director General of Qatar National Library, emphasized the prominent role played by the State of Qatar—through the Ministry of Culture, the National Library, and the Libraries Department—in safeguarding Arab manuscripts and promoting their significance across literary, jurisprudential, scientific, and historical fields. These manuscripts have played a critical role in shaping Arab and global intellectual traditions over the centuries.
Al-Sayed underscored the importance of Arab manuscripts as a civilizational legacy, a treasury of intellectual memory, and a conduit of humanistic and social values. This year’s celebration, held under the theme “The Manuscript: Life of a Nation and Beacon of Civilization”, aimed to highlight the pivotal role manuscripts play in shaping Arab cultural identity.
He added that Arab Manuscript Day, established by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), stands as a symbol of the shared heritage of the Arab world and a bridge across diverse civilizations. Manuscripts represent the historical, intellectual, and social memory of the nation, encompassing a wide array of sciences and knowledge that contributed to civilizational and intellectual advancement.
Al-Sayed explained that this celebration forms part of a broader pan-Arab initiative to preserve manuscripts, adding that Qatar National Library is one of the region’s leading institutions in digitizing rare manuscripts and facilitating access for scholars and researchers.
The event was attended by numerous heritage and manuscript enthusiasts. It featured a seminar entitled “The Arab Manuscript: Life of a Nation and Beacon of Civilization”, held in the Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani Hall—named after the late founder of Qatar National Library and a pioneer in preserving Arab manuscripts. The event also included a workshop on the fundamentals of manuscript preservation and restoration, hosted in the Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani Hall.
The seminar featured a lecture by historian and heritage consultant Mr. Mohammed Hammam Fikri, Rare Books and Heritage Advisor at Qatar Foundation, and was moderated by Dr. Khaled Al-Halabi, Head of Libraries at the Police Academies and Chairman of the Arab Knowledge Management Foundation. Both speakers highlighted the significance of Arab manuscripts in preserving the cultural and scientific legacy of the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Fikri noted Qatar’s early interest in manuscript preservation, including their exchange as prestigious gifts among leaders. He highlighted the role of Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani in promoting this interest throughout the Gulf and the Arab world, and emphasized the need to link heritage with the future, treating manuscripts as scientific and historical treasures.
Describing manuscripts as “the soul of civilization,” Fikri explained that they are not mere historical documents, but vital reflections of Arab and Islamic creativity in areas such as religion, language, medicine, astronomy, and philosophy. He recounted his personal four-decade journey with manuscripts, calling them “sacred legacies” that embody ancestral wisdom.
He further discussed his efforts to repatriate manuscripts acquired through international auctions and highlighted Europe’s early recognition of their value. Fikri stressed that Arab manuscripts, whether written in Arabic or Arabic script, form the memory and cultural identity of the Arab nation. Their significance spans far beyond religious texts, encompassing medicine, astronomy, agriculture, and more.
He also introduced the field of codicology, which examines the physical attributes of manuscripts—including paper, binding, and ink—and stressed the value of critical textual analysis. Fikri praised modern technologies that facilitate digital manuscript study, enabling researchers to compare different copies with ease.
Notably, Qatar National Library was relaunched in its modern form at the beginning of March, as part of a nationwide effort to promote reading and knowledge dissemination. As one of the oldest national libraries in the region, it remains central to Qatar’s commitment to safeguarding cultural heritage and strengthening national identity.