Country’s Rare Manuscript Quran Copies in Museums Abroad
Many of Iran’s rare and invaluable manuscript copies of the Quran have been taken out of the country and sold to foreign collectors.
The related officials know it and the law bans it. Nevertheless, many museums abroad are full of rare Quran copies coming from Iran and the question is why.
Given their love and devotion to the Word of God, Iranians have used their highest artistic talents to calligraph the Quran and embellish the copies of the Holy Book.
Since Islam entered the country, thousands of manuscript Quran copies have been produced in Iran many of them priceless and exceptional in terms of calligraphy, page design, Taz’hib, etc.
The copies were handed down from generation to generation or donated to mosques and religious centers.
But then there came a time when foreign collectors who knew of the value of these copies started to buy them and take them abroad.
To prevent the exit of these precious works, the country’s Cultural Heritage Organization started purchasing them from their owners but has not been much successful because the organization’s rivals are wealthy foreign collectors and museums that are ready to pay more.
Head of the organization Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh tells IQNA in order to confront this problem, permission has been issued for establishment of private museums to keep these works in the country.
Hojat-ol-Islam Fakhreddin Saberi, director of the Quran Museum, says that in order to stop the sale of rare manuscript Quran copies to foreigners, the Cultural Heritage Organization ought to pay more to buy these works from their owners.
He says many collectors in different countries including Arab states of the Persian Gulf are eager to pay great amounts of money to possess these valuable works.
Hence, given the inestimable spiritual and material value of the old Quran manuscripts, the related organizations ought to do more to keep these works in the country and introduce them to people.
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Given their love and devotion to the Word of God, Iranians have used their highest artistic talents to calligraph the Quran and embellish the copies of the Holy Book.
Since Islam entered the country, thousands of manuscript Quran copies have been produced in Iran many of them priceless and exceptional in terms of calligraphy, page design, Taz’hib, etc.
The copies were handed down from generation to generation or donated to mosques and religious centers.
But then there came a time when foreign collectors who knew of the value of these copies started to buy them and take them abroad.
To prevent the exit of these precious works, the country’s Cultural Heritage Organization started purchasing them from their owners but has not been much successful because the organization’s rivals are wealthy foreign collectors and museums that are ready to pay more.
Head of the organization Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh tells IQNA in order to confront this problem, permission has been issued for establishment of private museums to keep these works in the country.
Hojat-ol-Islam Fakhreddin Saberi, director of the Quran Museum, says that in order to stop the sale of rare manuscript Quran copies to foreigners, the Cultural Heritage Organization ought to pay more to buy these works from their owners.
He says many collectors in different countries including Arab states of the Persian Gulf are eager to pay great amounts of money to possess these valuable works.
Hence, given the inestimable spiritual and material value of the old Quran manuscripts, the related organizations ought to do more to keep these works in the country and introduce them to people.
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