Page 83 - DILMUN 14
P. 83

translations of the ncning of the Holy Our'an in most languages and my collcction
ranges fron Holy Our'an mauscripts fronn different lslmic periods dclicately
writtcn on parchment (8th Century) to modern-day printcd vcrsions. 'his private
collcction fornns thc uclcus of th١e Beit ٨I Our'an Collcction, a collcction that ١٧i١١
 ٦atch that of any well-known museum throughout the world.

   he project consists of five major clcmcnts, hese are :
              Muscum
              Library
              Mosque
              School
              Auditorium

  he design of the building centres on an open courtyard, a feature of traditional
lslamic architecture important to the circulation and meeting of families in private
houses. Each of the five elements is reached via this central courtyard.

  he mosque will breathe life into the building. One of the pillars of wisdon on
which the Islanmic faith is built requires Moslems to worship God five times a day
and the Beit A١ Our'an's mosque is a public mosque for that purpose.

   However, the Beit A١ Our'an is not an institution solely for Moslems. he
purpose of other four clements is to spread knowledge and cultural understanding
between people of all nationalities and religions.

  he museum, which will consist of eight exhibition halls, will house permanent
exhibition of rare Our'anic Manuscripts which will be rotated regularly in order to
protect the exhibits and hold the interest of frequent visitors.

   Gallery 1 is to be reserved for visiting exhibits and plans are underway with
prominent museums and institutions throughout the world to have reciprocal
arrangements for travelling exhibitions. It is hoped that the Beit A١ Our'an will
become a centre for such exhibitions in the Gulf Region.

   Gallery 2 will be a permanent exhibition displaying samples from Our'anic
manuscripts of different sizes and styles of lslamic Arabic calligraphy ranging from
Eastern Asia to West Africa.

   Gallery 3 is concerned with the history of Masahef (written Our'an) during the
lifetime of the Prophet Mohammed and the orthodox caliphs.

   Gallery 4 will house parchment manuscripts of the early Masahef and rare
examples of early paper manuscripts. hese will display the development of Arabic

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