Doha: Qatar National Library (QNL) hosted a symposium focusing on the history and ongoing traditions of book and manuscript production in Morocco. This two-day event, titled “Moroccan Book-making and Manuscript Production: Approaches to Materials, Traditions, and Functions,” forms part of the Qatar-Morocco Year of Culture and celebrates Arabic Manuscript Day 2025. It gathered experts and researchers to explore how these traditions have influenced the dissemination of knowledge across the Islamic world.
According to Qatar News Agency, symposium organizer Dr. Mahmoud Zaki, Manuscript Librarian and Curator at QNL, emphasized the event’s role in preserving and reinterpreting the manuscript heritage of the Arab and Islamic worlds. He highlighted the symposium’s importance in marking both Arabic Manuscript Day and the Qatar-Morocco Year of Culture. The event underscored the historical significance of Moroccan book-making and the potential of emerging tools such as artificial intelligence and digital scholarship. Attendees engaged in discussions and workshops on the role of Moroccan bookmakers in preserving and disseminating scholarly works and how these traditions shaped the Islamic world.
The second day of the symposium will address the intersection of modern technologies and manuscript study. It will examine how artificial intelligence can aid in the analysis and preservation of manuscripts while ensuring their historical integrity. Dr. Zaki noted that digital tools like AI offer valuable insights into manuscript reading, analysis, and understanding. The aim is to enrich traditional scholarship through interdisciplinary collaboration. Participants will have the opportunity to examine rare Moroccan manuscripts from QNL’s collection and discuss the application of artificial intelligence in manuscript analysis through hands-on workshops.