A rare 14th-century manuscript of Canon of Medicine by Ibn Sina, valued at Dh464,550, will be one of the centrepieces at the 34th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), which opens today at the ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi and runs until 5 May.
The manuscript, brought by renowned London antiquarian book dealer Peter Harrington, marks a major milestone: the 1000th anniversary of Ibn Sina’s seminal work, a cornerstone of medieval Islamic and global medical scholarship.
This year’s edition of the fair welcomes 1,400 exhibitors from 96 countries, offering over 2,000 activities across literature, publishing, creative industries, and cultural dialogue. Organised under the theme Knowledge Illuminates Our Community, the event is hosted by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and held under the patronage of President Sheikh Mohamed.
Peter Harrington's carefully curated collection highlights rare works celebrating Middle Eastern history and the early encounters between Islamic and Western traditions. Among the notable items is the first known appearance of Arabic script in an American novel, The Kentuckian in New-York (1834), priced at £7,500 (Dh36,675), and a previously unrecorded 19th-century Arabic-English phrasebook by an Egyptian author, also priced at £7,500.
Adding to the allure is a rare first complete Arabic edition of One Thousand and One Nights printed in the Arab world at Cairo’s Bulaq Press in 1835, complementing the fair’s celebration of the classic as the 'Book of the World'.
Other standout artefacts include a visual archive of Saudi Arabia’s post-war Hejaz Railway project (1948), with over 200 unpublished photographs priced at £18,500 (Dh90,465), and a series of original watercolours by famed illustrator Edmund Dulac for The Arabian Nights, priced between £35,000 and £80,000 (Dh171,000 to Dh391,000).
“These works carry value beyond their rarity — they speak to identity, memory, and belonging,” said Pom Harrington, owner of Peter Harrington. He noted a growing appetite among Middle Eastern collectors, particularly younger ones, for items that reflect personal histories and cultural heritage.
Ben Houston, the dealer’s sales director, added: “We’re seeing strong interest in Arabic calligraphy, Islamic philosophy, early scientific texts, and diasporic heritage materials like trade maps and early language guides.”
The fair’s organisers said this trend mirrors a broader cultural movement across the region, where national identity and heritage preservation are increasingly shaping both institutional and private collections.
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