Qatar residents and people across the globe can now explore and download a large number of rare books from the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Library, according to
Qatar Museums (QM).
In an email to Culture Pass members, QM said the MIA Rare Book Room offers a collection of 2,000 books in English and Arabic languages, many of which are unavailable elsewhere in the region.
Dating back from as early as 1504 (even older or unknown), QM noted that these books have been digitised and can be viewed and downloaded at http://www.mia.org.qa/docs/rare-books-list.pdf and http://ediscovery.qnl.qa/islandora/object/QNL%3AMIA.
First in the list is The Sacred Books of the East (Vol 9, 1900) by various oriental scholars, edited by F Max Muller, and published by Oxford University Press Warehouse in 1880.
The collection also includes Arab Museum Catalogue of the National Museum of Arab Art (1896) by Max Herz Bey (Hungarian), The Persian Gulf and South Sea Isles (1904) by Collin Edgar Boehm (Vienna), The History of the Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain (Vol 2, 1843) by Amad Ibn-Mohamed al-Maqqari (Algeria), and Descripcion de Espana (1799) by José Antonio Conde (Spain), among others.
QM said MIA library’s rare book collection “contains some of the most archaic books in the history of Islam, which showcases a wide range of sources such as manuscripts, diaries, oversized books, and books with illustrations, among others. “The languages of these texts vary from Arabic, Latin, French, to Persian.”
Giving access to the digitised versions of these rare books further helps MIA in protecting and preserving their natural state and quality, besides various precautions and proper handling procedures to prevent their damage.
MIA takes care of these books, considered as extremely fragile, in a protected environment with proper temperature and humidity, safe and away from pests.
Carole Hillenbrand, a professor of Islamic History and Head of Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Edinburgh, used MIA’s Rare Book Room for her study in January 2014, according to QM.
Part of Hillenbrand’s research, QM noted, includes knowing in detail “early histories of the Crusades written Europe in the 19th century. She found at least nine “possibly relevant works (mostly in French)” from the
library.
QM also encourages residents to explore the Wide Open School, Common Sense Media’s new platform, which provides educational tools for teachers and parents.
QM added that these websites and online learning platforms (https://wideopenschool.org/) offer an array of educational content, engaging children to a variety of lessons and activities while staying at home.
“Ranging from life lessons such as how screen time affects our well-being, to a programme that helps children write their own novel in 30 days, this site is packed with exciting and engaging online learning experiences,” QM added.