Qatar residents and people across the globe can now explore and download a large number of rare books from the Museum of Islamic Art Library, according to Qatar Museums.

The MIA Rare Book Room offers a collection of 2,000 books in English and Arabic languages,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 from here.

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 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), among others.

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. 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.

QM also encourages residents to explore the Wide Open School, Common Sense Media’s new platform, which provides educational tools for teachers and parents. The websites and online learning platforms offer an array of educational content, engaging children to a variety of lessons and activities while staying at home.

Source : Gulf Times

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