Exhibition of ancient Quranic manuscripts ends

The week-long exhibition of ancient Quranic manuscripts and works of the era of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), organised by the Punjab Arts Council and the Khaneh Farhang Iran Rawalpindi, concluded on Wednesday at the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) with a large attendance of art lovers.

The exhibition had on display 700-year-old Quranic manuscripts besides masterpieces of artworks by renowned calligraphist Muhammad Azeem Iqbal.

Pakistan Muslim League-Q Senior Vice President Zeba Naz was the chief guest on the last day. She visited the exhibition along with Naheed Manzoor and Director Waqar Ahmad. Addressing the closing ceremony, Naz said that the exhibition was a source of spiritual joy and a manifestation of the common heritage of Muslims. She said that the promotion of mutual harmony and tolerance among Muslims was essential in the current situation and the Punjab Arts Council Rawalpindi had played an important role in this regard.

She said that after seeing more than 50 works of calligraphic art by Muhammad Azeem Iqbal, the memory of the Prophet's era was also refreshed because this calligrapher has tried to fill his works with the same colours and hues.

Naheed Manzoor said the exhibition had refreshed the faith of all Muslims. Looking at such ancient Quranic manuscripts, it is clear that even then, artists were putting their talents to good use, she added.

She appreciated the efforts of Khaneh Farhang Iran for making this marvellous exhibition become a reality.

Director Arts Council Waqar Ahmad remarked the purpose of holding this exhibition was to honour the Holy Quran and to promote and expand Quranic culture, concepts and to create a spiritual atmosphere for the promotion of affection for the Quran.

Forty-one manuscripts were displayed in this exhibition and some of these manuscripts were presented to the public for the first time. Most of the manuscripts were mostly 400 years old and handwritten. The calligraphy on some was extremely beautiful and some of them were decorated with gold water and other colours and some were decorated with flowers. The exhibition was largely attended by art lovers from twin cities throughout its duration.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2021.