The MBI Al Jaber Foundation was recently given a unique opportunity of visiting the British Library and previewing some of the exhibits that will be part of a new project called ‘Discovering Sacred Texts’. The project aims at digitising some of the British Library’s treasures and making them accessible online. The manuscripts will be contextualised through articles written by academics, faith leaders and practitioners from the six most practised faiths in the UK (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism), as well as several others.
The “sacred texts” that the Foundation team saw consisted of volumes from different periods (14th to 19th century), some related to the Islamic tradition, such as complete or partial editions of the Quran and commentaries, but also a Jewish text – a copy of the Old Testament originally produced in Yemen. The volumes are beautifully decorated and embellished; the different periods during which they were written and their diverse geographical origin is what makes them irreplaceable with regard to the techniques used to illuminate and bind them.
The specimens shown by the British Library will be either fully or partially digitised and made available as an online resource. The vision of this project is to enhance cultural dialogue, enabling secondary school students and life-long learners to engage with the richness and diversity of these ‘sacred texts’.
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