BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Israel’s National Library Displays Early Islamic Texts

Bible and archaeology news

Starting this week, visitors to Israel’s National Library will be able to view rare Islamic manuscripts from the library’s collection, including two early Qurans from the ninth century C.E., just 200 years after the first Quran was written. The Qurans, together with more than a 1,000 other early Islamic manuscripts, are part of the library’s Shalom Yehuda collection, many of which will be displayed during a special seminar series on the history of Islam. “Most Jewish Israelis, and even the Muslim Israelis, don’t know much about Islam,” said Raquel Ukeles, curator of the library’s Islam and Middle East collection. “For me, [the seminars are] an opportunity to create an encounter between the university and other worlds, where they can get acquainted with each other.”

Starting this week, visitors to Israel’s National Library will be able to view rare Islamic manuscripts from the library’s collection, including two early Qurans from the ninth century C.E., just 200 years after the first Quran was written.