Manuscripts

In September 2015, the library was generously given an exciting collection of manuscripts.  A huge thanks goes to Leila Ingrams who bequeathed her parents’ – Harold and Doreen – library to the MEC library including 18 magnificent manuscripts. 

The collection comprises: 2 West African Qurans; 1 Quran in the Hindustani language; 1 Quran dating to Qajar period containing Persian commentary/exegesis; 2 surahs from the Quran: Yusuf (12) & Al Isra (17); a Quran with Persian commentary; the popular book of prayers, Dala’il al-Khayrat. The collection also includes prose and verses by such authors as Firdousi, Nizami, and Sa’adi. 

The library is in the process of cataloguing this collection on a specialist database, Fihrist. 

The collection is in a rather fragile condition, in view of this none of the manuscripts can be made available for consultation at the present time.  However, the long term plan is to digitise this amazing collection, to make it available globally.   

Here are some illuminations from some of the manuscripts: