Beit Al Qur'an, Bahrain. Photo by Brian McMorrow, courtesy of www.pbase.com/bmcmorrow
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Beit Al-Qur'an
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When:
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Daily; not Fri
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Where:
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Beit Al-Qur'an
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| Costs: |
Free
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| Opening Hours: |
Sat-Wed 9am-12pm & 4pm-6pm; Thur 9am-12.30pm
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Housed in an Arabic-script-engraved building, the Diplomatic Area's Beit Al Qur'an features a mosque, a library and an internationally celebrated collection of Qur'anic manuscripts. Offering insights into Islam, this is also a treat for those interested in calligraphy.
The institution, whose name means "House of the Qur'an", houses historic Koranic manuscripts from various parts of the Islamic world, including China and Spain. They represent a progression of calligraphic traditions from the first century of the Islamic era (7th century) to the present day.
Exhibits include Qur'ans big and small, published in many languages (the aim is one day to have examples of the Qur'an in every living language). Artists have used beautiful calligraphy to write verses on wooden tablets, paper, parchment and even two grains of rice and split peas! There is plenty of space to enjoy the precious manuscripts and the museum has a reverential, solemn air about it.
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