Under the generous patronage of the President of Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), Dr. Bakri bin Maatouq Assas, the celebration of the Institute of Manuscripts and Revival of Islamic Heritage and the Deanship of Library Affairs with the Arabic Manuscripts Day was launched by Dr. Thamer bin Hamdan al-Harbi, Vice-President for Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research, on Monday, 13th Rajab 1438H. Dr. Al-Harbi was warmly received by Dr. Adel bin Ahmad Ba-Naamah (Dean of Library Affairs), Dr. Abdullah Al-Mihdar (Vice-Dean of Library Affairs), as well as Prof. Dr. Adnan bin Muhammad Al-Harithi Al-Sharif (Dean of the Institute of Manuscripts and Revival of Islamic Heritage).
It is well-known that King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz University Library contains 3000 original manuscripts and 47044 various digital manuscripts from: African countries such as Ethiopia, Mali and Mauritania, European countries such as Spain and Denmark, and Asian countries such as Turkey, India, Pakistan and other countries.
In this context, the Deanship of Library Affairs opened the Original Manuscripts Hall for two days starting on Monday, 13th Rajab 1438H (10th April 2017). The Deanship's program included periodic visits to schools that were selected to attend the Arabic Manuscripts Day. It also involved reviews of manuscript preservation and repair methods by visiting the Department of Sterilization and Restoration at the library. The event was documented by the Saudi TV and some Saudi newspapers.
