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Islamic civilisation is characterised by an all-embracing attitude to knowledge. Indeed, the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, or ‘ilm, was pursued not only for the sake of personal intellectual growth, but was also seen an essential part of the Islamic faith. It is for this reason that the quality, scale, and beauty of manuscript production in the Islamic world was unparalleled during its time, forming one of the great intellectual and artistic patrimonies of mankind. The collection on display here has been deliberately chosen in order to illustrate the high standards of knowledge and art that were achieved during this immense period, comprising works on a diverse range of subjects including Islamic law, mysticism, poetry, history, medicine, and science.

Islamic Manuscripts

Islamic civilisation is characterised by an all-embracing attitude to knowledge. Indeed, the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, or ‘ilm, was pursued not only for the sake of personal intellectual growth, but was also seen an essential part of the Islamic faith. It is for this reason that the quality, scale, and beauty of manuscript production in the Islamic world was unparalleled during its time, forming one of the great intellectual and artistic patrimonies of mankind. The collection on display here has been deliberately chosen in order to illustrate the high standards of knowledge and art that were achieved during this immense period, comprising works on a diverse range of subjects including Islamic law, mysticism, poetry, history, medicine, and science.