Juma Al Majid centre to restore manuscripts

Dubai The Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage has signed an agreement with the Library of Alexandria to provide special equipment for the restoration of ancient manuscripts and books.

The agreement includes providing a specially built machine, restoring paper and technical assistance and training.

Juma Al Majid, Chairman of the centre, said the Library of Alexandria is a source of pride for all Arabs and Muslims for the wealth it contains. The Egyptian government, in co-operation with Unesco, leaders, governments and private cultural establishments, wants to recreate the library.
"The library has become a landmark of human culture in the world. With the experience it has in restoring books and manuscripts, the Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage has decided to take part in preserving culture at the library by signing a contract with the library to restore ancient books," he said.

The international community has taken the first step towards overcoming the disaster caused by a fire that destroyed the old library more than 1,600 years ago, by supporting the revival of the library. The revival has resulted in building a modern public library that acts as a centre of culture, science and academic research.

The library provides both the national and international communities of scholars and researchers with unique collections and facilities focusing on Alexandrian, Egyptian, ancient and medieval civilisations as well as contemporary disciplines.

Al Majid said the Egyptian people and establishments have donated some of their best and most valuable books to the library. The library has also contacted cultural and scientific establishments from all over the world asking them to take part in the international restoration projects.

"I have full confidence in the aim of the project and its cultural impact on human life. I also trust the management of the library which is doing its best and using its resources in the best way for the restoration of books and human heritage. Based on that, the Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage has decided to take part strongly and contribute its resources and expertise to the library."

He said the library has valuable collections of science and technology resource materials to help socio-economic and cultural development studies on Egypt and the region. "The books and the manuscripts require very special attention and restoration to keep them in good shape."

The equipment, with the brand name of Al Majid for restoration of books and manuscripts, has been developed locally to help the centre to restore human heritage. Similar equipment was donated to the library in addition to paper paste used for restoration of pages and technical assistants to help technicians at the library operate it.

"We have donated Al Majid books and manuscripts restoration equipment to over than 21 countries around the world," he said.

Excluding Japan and Europe, the centre is the only establishment to produce paper paste used in restoration, he emphasised. "I myself feel that I have a share in every book in the world, so I have to help restore them whenever they are endangered.

"Books represent human heritage and they are owned by all humanity. I feel responsible for the books you have at your own library and feel obliged to rescue any book from destruction," Al Majid said.

He said the centre has been very active in the field of restoring of books. "We are the only non-commercial cultural establishment in the Arab world to restore and bind more than 2000 books a month," he said.

Al Majid said the centre restores books and manuscripts to help researchers and students from all over the world.

"The centre is the only establishment in the world to send microfilms and copies of books and manu-scripts free-of-charge. We only charge researchers with mailing expense at a fixed rate of $15. We tend to help researchers, writers and students to get them acquainted with the heritage of the world and will do anything to achieve this aim including utilising our resources and cultural wealth to help them," he said.