Exhibition showcases different kinds of Quran

A two-day exhibition showcasing different kinds of Quran, the Islamic holy book, is being held in Uttarakhand's Dehradun city to mark the Islamic month of Ramadan. The exhibition that began on Monday displayed hundreds of copies of the Quran, written on various media and in many sizes. Dr Farukh, the organiser of the exhibition said that the exhibition opens the doors of immense information regarding the holy book, both to visitors of other faiths, as well as to followers of Islam.

"The exhibition particularly delighted those, who understood and appreciated calligraphy. People saw that I have kept the Qurans safely, so my friends started giving me Qurans and the number kept on increasing," said Dr Farooq. "In 2005, I thought of organising an exhibition for the first time, as I wanted people to see the different types of Qurans, which were given to me by my friends. So I have been organising this two-day exhibition from the last five years," he added.

A 337-year-old set of Quranic verses, written by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on a roll of paper not more than three inches large, was also on display. The first coloured Quran to have been printed in India in 1908 was also on display in the exhibition. This copy was printed with the assent of the then King of Afghanistan, Ameer Saheb Bahadur. A scheme of seven colours was used for its printing. Qurans translated in different translations including Russian, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, German and several Indian languages, including a copy in Braille, were also showcased. The visitors appreciated the exhibition.

"I won't relate this exhibition to religion because the things that are displayed here are a wonder for us. You won’t see such a collection under one roof anywhere," said Sanjay, a visitor.

There was a separate section for Qurans that could be contained in lockets as well as pocket-sized editions, which are miniature forms of the holy book.

There was also a 63-year-old Quran that radiated fragrance when its pages were turned.

On display were also copies of the Quran weighing from two grams to 1,200 kilograms. Copies on display ranged from ancient and medieval manuscripts to texts in the digital format.