Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Oman’s global reservoir of knowledge

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His Majesty’s Royal grant for the new building of Abu Al Rayhan al Biruni Library has contributed


to preserving a number of rare manuscripts that date back to 8th and 9th century


More than a year ago, the Sultanate marked its international presence with a home-funded Library and Research Centre in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.


Today, several hundreds of students, researchers, people who seek knowledge and simply bibliophiles fly into this hub of reference to make use of the Al Biruni Library for their literary and academic works reaffirming the journey of Oman towards the global knowledge pool.


The Oman-supported Al Biruni Library in Tashkent boasts a large collection of historic volumes from the Golden Age of Islamic science and thought in Arabic, Persian and other languages. The scholars as well as students from across the globe find it an ideal Centre of reference for their needs. Its modern facilities also make works available over the internet, thus preserving the manuscripts and books damaged by time.


“The Al Biruni Library was constructed with the royal grant of His Majesty the Sultan in recognition of the contributions of scholars who played a great role in the service of religion, jurisprudence, history, astronomy, mathematics, algebra and other sciences”, a source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.


The new building of Abu Al Rayhan al Biruni library was opened by His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said in the presence of Abdulla Aripov, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan last year, as a gesture of mutual cooperation and a manifestation of Oman’s vision of spreading knowledge and information.


Named after the scholar Abu al Rayhan al Biruni who mastered philosophy, physics, chemistry, astronomy, history, mathematics and other subjects, the library includes many cultural treasures, old manuscripts and important Islamic and historic documents.


It also houses research labs, rooms for preserving, renovation and protection of archives, offices for documentation, devices for digital transformation.


“This library, a result of the excellent relations between Oman and Uzbekistan, is a source of knowledge and information for students as well as scholars and we are receiving thousands of them every month,” Anvar Abdukhalimov, Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to the Sultanate, told the Observer. The library has an archives hall, reading room, photography and copying room, laboratory and restoration room and possesses invaluable cultural and scientific contents and provides educational and research services for researchers, scholars and visitors from across the globe. The new building of the library includes more than 80,000 manuscripts, stone inscriptions and publications.


His Majesty’s Royal grant for the new building of Abu Al Rayhan al Biruni Library has contributed to preserving a number of rare manuscripts that date back to 8th and 9th century.


And that is one of the reasons, why Unesco has added the library to the World Heritage List in recognition of its important role in Islamic culture and as a valuable source for studying the Islamic culture.


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