Saturday 3 October 2009

Bait Al Quran

Bait Al Quran translated means House of Quran. It is a museum in Bahrain opened in 1990 that houses ancient manuscripts of the Quran. Apparently, no other country has a temple just built to contain this scripture. The museum also contains a mosque, a library of reference books, an auditorium, and a school. It also contains a display of translations of the Qur'an into several languages. The museum section has ten exhibition halls that display many rare books, manuscripts and other religious motifs to the visitors. Quranic manuscripts from different parts of the Islamic world have been perfectly preserved. You can see manuscripts from countries like Iran, India, China, Spain, North Africa, and many Arabic countries as well. Calligraphy, an important part of Islamic culture, is represented through the works of the master calligraphers. The place shows a great example of the progression of calligraphic traditions from the first century of the Islamic era to the present day. The museum also displays great Islamic artifacts, jewelry and gold-ornamented glass.

As a kid I have visited this place a few times, on class trips and such. This summer I decided to go back and take a look at the museum, hoping to get some information and inspiration for my independent project. I was very impressed with the collection held at the museum. The books were displayed in chronological order, and you could clearly see the developments in calligraphy and the changes in Arabic writing over time. It was also interesting to see the differences between the designs of the books that came from different countries. It seemed each country had its own style and impression into decorating the Quran, but eventually they all shared many similarities. Also there was a modern art installation/display close to the entrance, which i thought was a nice addition. Another part of the place I loved was a huge dome at the center of the museum. It was made from coloured glass and had a really nice affect in daytime.
I was somewhat disappointed with the museum management of the place. Although it is not such an old museum, many elements could of been much more modernized, such as the labeling of things for example.

1 comment:

  1. Amazing, i went there couple of times, but i was a child i cant remember everything, but i will go when i visit Bahrain next time.

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