Manama, Bahrain
Library
Beit Al Quran, the House of the Quran, is a complex dedicated to the Quran and Islamic arts in the Hoora district of Manama, opened in March 1990; its museum is counted among the best-known Islamic museums in the world. It was the idea of Dr Abdul Latif Jassim Kanoo, who began building it in 1984. An avid collector of Quran manuscripts and Islamic art, he felt responsible for the rare pieces he had gathered and donated them to found an institution unique in the Gulf, dedicated to serving the Quran and preserving its heritage, built with donations from the community and several Arab countries. The building is in Islamic style, its façade carved with Kufic script, and it houses a mosque, a library, a lecture hall, a Quran school and the museum. The galleries show Qurans and manuscripts from many periods and regions of the Islamic world, from early Kufic pages on parchment to gilded Mamluk, Ottoman, Persian and Mughal copies and miniature Qurans, alongside ceramics, metalwork, glass and calligraphers' tools, telling the story of the Holy Book and the art of calligraphy across the centuries.
It is a quiet place; modest dress is expected and shoes come off in the mosque. Allow an hour to an hour and a half for the galleries. Check opening times before going, as they change in Ramadan and on holidays, and it is usually closed on Fridays. It is close to the Bahrain National Museum, so combine them in one day.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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MuseumManama, Bahrain
