"Tashkent Qur'an" will be restored
With the support of the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art and the Office of Muslims, it is planned to conserve and restore the Ottoman cover, known as the "Tashkent Qur'an". Foreign experts and restaurateurs will participate in the project.
According to the order of the President, the preservation and restoration of Osman Mushaf, known all over the world as the "Tashkent Qur'an", is planned, the press service of the Fund for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan reported .
This book is kept in the museum-library of the "Moyi Mubarak" madrasa of the Office of Muslims of Uzbekistan in Tashkent. The manuscript was rewritten in the Hijaz script in the 7th century by the order of the third caliph Usman ibn Affan.
Foreign experts are participating in the project, including Christine Rose from the University of Cambridge, French restorers Axelya Delot and Coralie Barb, as well as Neil Baydar, head of the Istanbul Manuscript Workshop and Archives. They review each page, develop a step-by-step repair plan, and provide recommendations for future protection.
A total of six copies of the Qur'an were copied. It consists of 338 sheets, each measuring 53x68 cm
"Participating in the restoration of one of the oldest manuscripts in the world is an incomparable honor for me and my colleagues. We are grateful to our colleagues at the Office of the Muslims of Uzbekistan, who have studied the Mushaf of Usman and considered it to be in satisfactory condition, and have preserved the general condition of the ancient manuscript. In addition to restoration work, we will make a list of recommendations for further preservation and study of the manuscript," said Christine Rose, Head of the Department of Restoration and Conservation at Cambridge International University.
Osman Mushafi was brought to Samarkand in the 14th century by the general Amir Temur from Iraq. It was kept in the madrasa in Samarkand for many years. After Central Asia was conquered by Tsarist Russia, Kaufman, the Governor-General of Turkestan, moved it to Petersburg in 1869. In 1905, this book was printed in 50 copies.
After the unrest in Russia in 1917, at the request of the scholars of Tashkent and Syrdarya, a special decree was adopted in 1923, according to which the Holy Book was returned to Uzbekistan in 1924.
In 1989, according to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, the Ottoman Mushafi was transferred to the Office of Muslims of Uzbekistan.
In 1997, UNESCO included this Qur'an in the "Memory of the World" list.
The work is being carried out under the support and supervision of the Culture and Art Development Fund of Uzbekistan and the Office of Muslims.
