Quran Exhibition Tickets Released by University of Birmingham
It announced that tickets are now available for their ancient Quran manuscript exhibition.
The historic document will be displayed at the University’s Bramall Music Building at its Edgbaston campus from October 2 to 25.
Experts say that the manuscript, held at the University’s Cadbury Research Library, has been radiocarbon dated to the period around 645 CE with 95.4 per cent accuracy – placing it among the oldest Quran manuscripts in the world.
There is no charge for tickets. However, a £3.00 booking fee will apply to cover the administration costs associated with the concluded that the manuscript was among the earliest written textual evidence of the Islamic holy book known to survive.
The manuscript is part of the University’s Mingana Collection of Middle Eastern manuscripts.
Susan Worrall, Director of Special Collections at the University of Birmingham, said: “The announcement of our radiocarbon dating result generated huge excitement and an overwhelmingly positive response around the world.
“The manuscript is a global treasure, and we hope people will enjoy being able to view such an important document here at the University of Birmingham.”
Responding to suggestions that the dating of the Birmingham Quran manuscript could have implications for traditional accounts of the early history of Islam, Professor David Thomas, Professor of Christianity and Islam at the University of Birmingham, said: “The result of the radiocarbon dating of the Birmingham Quran manuscript is tremendously exciting and has clearly stimulated wider academic debate. “However, at this stage we cannot draw any conclusions beyond the fact that the manuscript appears to be among the oldest in the world.”
Source: Birmingham Mail
