The government-owned Sharjah Book Authority or SBA has turned to the Milan-based Italian library Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana or VBA to digitize rare manuscripts, local reports have said.
The two have signed a Memorandum of Understanding or MoU to further cooperation and boost access for researchers and academics to greater sources of knowledge, said the local reports.
Under the newly inked MoU, VBA is expected to help SBA digitize more than 2,500 rare Arabic manuscripts dating back to more than 450 years, and made available for the first time ever globally at the digital repository of SBA’s Sharjah Public Library, or SPL.
VBA’s Arabic manuscripts collection is considered one of the most important in Italy.
Among its collection of Islamic and Arabic manuscripts are treatises on history, language, medicine, astronomy, geographical maps, and manuscripts of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), known as the Hadith.
The MoU and agreement were signed by Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, and Prof Lorenzo Ornaghi, President of the Congregazione dei Conservatori, VBA.
The signing ceremony took place at the La Rosa Hall, which opens its doors only for special occasions and prominent events.
Following the signing ceremony, Al Ameri, said: “In Sharjah, we believe that all peoples and civilizations are bound by the shared human experience and knowledge, and that our role is to nurture it with new literature and arts. To achieve this objective, we are working closely with our partners, world capitals and cities, to facilitate wider access to books and sources of information.”
He added: “The digitization of this historic collection is invaluable not only for Arab academics and researchers, but also for readers around the world. We are certain that it will boost exchange of knowledge, fuel innovative projects across various fields, and play a key role in bringing Arab and Italian cultures together.”