KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 (NNN-Bernama) — One of the oldest Quran manuscripts in the world — the Quran of Kattalangar — will be on display in an exhibition dedicated to Uzbekistan that will open in Paris later this month.
Two pages of the centuries-old manuscript will be shown in the exhibition, “Treasures of the Oases of Uzbekistan. At the Crossroads of Caravan Routes”, which will be held at the Louvre from November 23 to March 6, 2023.
Another exhibition, “On the Road to Samarkand. Colours and Splendours of Uzbekistan”, will be held at the Arab World Institute from November 23 to June 4, 2023.
According to a statement by the Uzbekistan embassy sent to Bernama, the Quran of Kattalangar of the eighth century stands out as one of the most important manuscripts of the Islamic world.
The Quran of Kattalangar holds an enormous religious significance for Islam and Muslims and espouses those values that make up the cultural and historical heritage of all mankind, the statement explained.
The statement also said that for a long time, the Quran was kept in the Langar-ota mosque in the Kamashi district of Kashkadarya region. In the Islamic world, it is considered to be one of the most ancient manuscripts of the Mushaf.
Rocco Rante, an archaeologist at the Louvre Museum and the exhibition’s curator, was quoted in the statement as saying that it is especially important to include the Quran of Kattalangar in the list of exhibits, two pages of which will be presented at the exhibition.
“The visitors will be able to see the unique calligraphy and miniatures, as well as the Quran displayed in a specially designed exhibition case,” he said.
The exhibition “Treasures of the Oases of Uzbekistan. At the Crossroads of Caravan Routes” will detail the history of the Silk Road, from the southern part of present-day Uzbekistan. It will present objects of monumental and easel art, wall paintings, carved details of palaces and arts and crafts objects.
The exhibition “On the Road to Samarkand. Colours and Splendours of Uzbekistan” will present more than 300 exhibits from nine museums of Uzbekistan. It will include collections of textile, costume, foot and headwear, jewellery of the late 19th – mid-20th centuries, gold-embroidered chapans from the Bukhara Emirate period, as well as paintings of the Turkestan avant-garde from the collections of state museums of Uzbekistan.
“Among the restored items, a charred wooden panel dated between 6-7 centuries from the settlement of Kafir-kala (Samarkand) stands out. The front parts were cleaned and restored, and seven parts were attached to the panel. Another restoration process was carried out to the raw clay “Garland Bearer” Buddha statue (1st century BC and 1st century AD) – the surface was cleaned, and the damaged parts were consolidated,” the statement further said.
“Over the past three years, careful preparatory work for the exhibitions has been carried out. A number of joint Uzbek-French expeditions led to many archaeological discoveries. Furthermore, restorers from the Louvre and specialists from our country conducted large-scale restoration work over several stages, whilst the restoration of some exhibits is still ongoing till today,” said the statement.
