Digital archive of manuscripts now publicly available digitally
The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (TIEM) in Istanbul, a repository of historically valuable manuscripts, has made its extensive collection digitally accessible to the public. The digitization project, overseen by the Turkish Manuscripts Institution (TUYEK), has rendered catalog data and complete digital versions of these manuscripts available on the website "yek.gov.tr".
According to TUYEK President Coskun Yilmaz, the institution's staff structure, conservation units, and digitization work have positioned it among the world's leading entities in manuscript studies. He highlights the importance of cataloging efforts, as it offers scholars critical details identifying each manuscript, including title, identity, pagination, and other essential information.
One of the significant collections housed within TIEM is an array of historically valuable Qurans, some of which date back to the first century of the Hijri calendar. These Qurans encompass works from renowned calligraphers and founders of calligraphic schools in Islamic history. This digitization project offers researchers an opportunity to examine not only Qurans but also some of the most important illustrated manuscripts in Islamic history, including rare works from the Mamluk, Ilkhanid, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods.
While the museum's collection boasts impressive artifacts from various Islamic periods, it is worth noting that it also features the Damascus Documents, consisting of thousands of Quran folios dating between 876 and the 19th century. These documents offer insights into Islamic sciences and the social and cultural history of Damascus, along with the earliest examples of Islamic bookbinding art.
For more information about specific Quranic manuscripts, you may want to consult the museum directly or visit their archives. Other notable Quranic manuscripts can be found at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, home to the Blue Qur'an, and the Minassian Collection at Brown University, which includes over 200 Qur'anic manuscript folios from the 9th to the 16th centuries.
The digitization project at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (TIEM) has opened up opportunities for scholars in various fields, making extensive data on medical-conditions and general-news related to science and space-and-astronomy available in the digital versions of the manuscripts. With this project, the public can also delve into education-and-self-development topics, as numerous Qurans housed within TIEM provide historical insights into lifestyle during Islamic periods. The digitization of Islamic illustrated manuscripts also paves the way for technology advancements, as these resources can be easily accessed and studied online.
