Int’l Conference Stresses Establishment of Quran Manuscripts Data Bank
A group of scholars and experts in the field of Quranic sciences and Quran manuscripts attended the conference on December 17-18, according to the website of the Astan.
Samih Khaled Ahmed Athamina from Jordan, Ayad Salim Salih al-Samirayi from Iraq, Hamid Reza Mostafid from Iran, Michael Marks from Germany and Ali al-Saffar from Iraq were the main speakers addressing the scholarly event, Mohsin al-Khaqani, head of the Astan’s Quranic studies section said.
He added that the participants issued a statement at the end of the conference, in which they underlined the need for establishing a data bank of Quran manuscripts in the world, especially those dating back to the early centuries after the advent of Islam.
They also called for collecting old Quran manuscripts and preparing digital copies of them to be used in Quranic studies, he noted.
Foundation of a specialized council comprising scholars and experts from different countries to pursue issues related to preserving and studying Quran manuscripts was another point emphasized in the statement, al-Khaqani went on to say.
The international conference was held virtually due to the coronavirus restrictions.
