Replica of 13th century book features in fair

Sharjah: A replica of a 13th century book valued at Dh39,000 is currently on display at the Sharjah International Book Fair, and publishers assure that there will be a golden Quran on display at next year's fair.

His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, visited the stand of Adeva, an Austrian-based publishing house, and expressed his support in publishing a replica of the 11th century Quran.

"The pages are in gold and written in black calligraphy. The original Quran is in the state library of Munich, but as it is too expensive to use gold we use copper powder instead in order to give the same feeling," said Dr Michael Struzl, president of Adeva.

The International Book Fair runs until Saturday.

"It takes a year to publish but when all 980 copies are completed, we expect to sell them for approximately Dh35,000," he said.

The scale replicas, or facsimiles as they are also referred to, are made as similar as possible to the original manuscript.

"From the first to the last page, the binding should be the same as the original. You need to have the same feeling in the replica as you would when you are holding the original in your hand," said Struzl.

The 13th century book on display is a copy of King Frederick II's manuscript about falconry, which explains how to treat, care and train falcons.

King Frederick II was the Roman emperor who ruled in the Middle Ages from 1220 until his death in 1250.