From the 12th century, Europe witnessed a powerful cultural renewal in philosophical thought, the arts and sciences which eventually led to the Renaissance. This period was characterised by the keen interest European intellectuals showed in the culturally flourishing Arab-Islamic world.
A significant translation movement began, and European intellectuals saw a need to acquire the manuscripts in order to translate them; following the same routes which were used to export other luxury goods.
This great moment of cultural interaction between Europe and the Arab world is precisely the subject of the invaluable exhibition of manuscripts organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) in the magnificent venue of Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi. The exhibition Pearls of Wisdom: Influence of Arab Culture on Europe will run between December 6, 2022, to January 6, 2023, with the support of the Italian and Spanish Embassies who facilitated the loan of priceless works from some libraries of their respective countries.
It is also the subject of a two-day conference due to be held in Manarat Al Saadiyat (7 and 8 December) during which scholars from Europe, the UAE and the Arab world will demonstrate how the sciences and medieval European literatures bear clear signs of contacts with Arab and Islamic culture.
The Italian Embassy, through the Italian Cultural Institute Abu Dhabi (IIC), provided several loans from the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice – among them a marvellous illuminated Holy Qur’an dated 1537 and a manuscript containing some sayings of the Arab Christian fathers dated 1357.
Other library treasures come from the renowned Bologna University Library, such as al-Zamakhshari’s treatise on Arabic grammar or al-Nasafi’s treatise on Islamic law, both copied in the 14th century.
Lorenzo Fanara, Ambassador of Italy to the U.A.E said: “I am delighted to contribute to this great initiative, which confirms the priority given by Italian foreign policy to cultural diplomacy. I come from Sicily, an Italian region with deep roots in the Arab culture and literature. That’s also why I am very proud that we have involved two of the richest Italian libraries in Arabic manuscripts. I hope that this collaboration will be a prelude to other cooperation initiatives in the field of cultural heritage and particularly in the field of book traditions.”
Ida Zilio-Grandi, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute Abu Dhabi, added: “I am grateful to the Abu Dhabi authorities for welcoming our project in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy, and for helping us to represent here one of the most fruitful moments in the history of our culture, namely the interaction with Islamic civilisation in the arts and sciences during the Middle Ages. Italy preserves the memory of the King Roger II (d. 1154) who ruled with tolerance a strongly diverse population. He was educated by Greek, Latin and Arab preceptors in the cosmopolitan environment of Palermo and employed Christians and Muslims indistinctly at court and maintained Arabic among the official languages.”
