Under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Italian “Ambrosiana Library”.

Sharjah Book Authority prepares to digitize 2,500 rare Arabic manuscripts

  • The agreement will allow the manuscripts to be displayed digitally for the first time in the world.

    From the source

  • Ahmed Al-Amri: “The project raises the efficiency of research efforts and puts libraries in their central place for any civilized project.”

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The Sharjah Book Authority signed a memorandum of understanding with the Italian Ambrosiana Library in Milan, through which it opens the door for cooperation and joint work to enhance researchers' access to sources of knowledge and science. The memorandum included a cooperation agreement to digitize more than 2,500 rare Arabic manuscripts dating back more than 450 years, which will be presented digitally for the first time in the world, through the electronic platform of the Sharjah Public Library, affiliated to the authority.

The memorandum of understanding and the agreement was signed in the Larosa Hall (the Rose Hall), Ahmed bin Rakad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, and Professor Lourenzo Ornaghi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ambrosiana Library. The most important Italian writers, thinkers and artists, most notably Leonardo da Vinci, studied there.

The collection of Arabic manuscripts in the Ambrosiana Library is one of the best and most important rare collections in Italy. It includes manuscripts on various topics, including: history, language, medicine and astronomy, in addition to manuscripts on the Prophet’s hadith, and a set of geographical maps.

In his speech during the memorandum signing ceremony, Al Ameri said: “The memorandum embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who affirms that the book is the bearer of knowledge that brings together the cultures of the world and opens up the horizons for communication, cooperation and joint action. In Sharjah, we believe that human experiences and their knowledge are common among civilizations and peoples, and that our role today is to add to them new sciences, literature and arts.

He added: "The memorandum constitutes an opportunity not only for the Arab reader and researcher, but for readers in various countries of the world, and we hope that it will be a new gateway for more joint work between Sharjah and Italian cities in various cultural and creative sectors, and that it will play an active role in bridging the distances between the Arab and Italian cultures." .

For his part, Professor Lorenzo Ornaghi said: “This agreement embodies the fundamental purpose for which the Ambrosiana Library was established, which is to achieve communication and cooperation between cultures and peoples, and the exchange of science, knowledge and friendships as well. Therefore, we are happy with this new cooperation, and we hope to develop it in a way that serves researchers and intellectuals not only in our country, but also around the world.”

"The Rimini meeting"

As part of its tour to enhance cooperation with Italian cultural institutions, the delegation of the Sharjah Book Authority, headed by Al-Amiri, held a meeting with Emanuel Forlani, President of the "Rimini Meeting", one of the most important cultural, literary and dialogue events held in the Italian city of Rimini, with the aim of discussing areas of joint work, as For 40 years, the Rimini meeting has hosted a group of presidents, leaders, writers and thinkers from around the world, attended by about 2.5 million people annually and is held on an area of ​​120,000 square meters, with the participation of more than 8000 volunteers.

The meeting witnessed a discussion of opportunities to organize joint activities between the Sharjah International Book Fair and the "Rimini Meeting", and what this convergence between a global meeting of this size and an exhibition that is one of the three largest book fairs in the world could offer to the international cultural scene and the movement of human knowledge exchange.

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