Photos: ‘Tales from the East’ exhibition in Sharjah

Visitors at the ‘Tales from the East’ exhibition of rare books and artefacts worth over Dh60 million organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) at its headquarters.

The exhibition showcases early written material, including books, manuscripts and a collection of rare artefacts. Above, an old Arabic manuscript containing the Arabic translation of Qanunsh.

A copy of the Quran written by calligrapher Sherifa Zulaikha Khatami Al Saadi.

The exhibition is divided into five sections.

Visitors at the "Tales from the East" exhibition.

Rare rotating celestial globe, bordered by four pivotable concentric rings on display.

The exhibition is divided into five sections. The first contains manuscripts of the Quran dating back hundreds of years and reveals the art of transcribing that spanned across centuries.

Ottoman Holy Quran written in the handwriing of the calligrapher Musa Al-Nakai.

The ‘Tales from the East’ exhibition also enables visitors to explore what historians describe as the Timurid period through the work of calligrapher Joanmurd bin Akhi Muhammad bin Bayazid Al Surouri, dating back to 15th century AD.

An old photograph of Kabaa.

Among the exhibits is a chapter from a Quran manuscript dating back to the Mamluk period, written in the Thuluth script on dark paper and black ink. There is also an extensive collection of centuries-old written material and rare artefacts plus copies of the Holy Quran displayed in a pavilion dedicated exclusively to personal collections of Dr Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad Al Owais, UAE Minister of Health and Prevention.

A map by seventeenth century French cartographer Alexis-Hubert Jaillot on display.

An old book on World War on display.