Keeper the Korans
Inside a unique library where sacred ancient texts are collected and preserved
In a peaceful corner of Narathiwat, a giant collection of old Korans makes a normal Islamic school an interesting place. It is a holiday. The school is empty and pretty quiet. However, Samanmit Witthaya school manager Mohd Lutfi Hj Samae knows there will be someone paying a visit to his school. He always hangs around ready to welcome guests.
The big magnets that attract people to this small school in Yi-ngo district of Narathiwat are a collection of 76 Korans. Some of them can be dated back centuries.
“It began with some 10 Korans and old manuscripts in my collection. I just kept them without any information about these precious books — until I came across a Koran display in Malaysia. A handful of Korans were elegantly displayed with impressive information provided. Since then, I know old Korans in my keeping can be useful for Narathiwat province.”
After completing studies in the Middle East, some Muslim men in Narathiwat and Pattani brought the manuscripts they studied back home. Some Korans came with foreign merchants who visited Pattani, the centre of trade in centuries past. These precious manuscripts were handed down through generations. Lutfi always travels in Thailand’s Deep South, Malaysia and Indonesia to find these rare books. Some people donated books to him directly after learning of his attempt to set up a Koran museum.
The Koran collection at the school can be divided into three groups. The first group, less than 300 years old, consists of handwritten books. The second group, 300600 years old, are made of mulberry paper and bark paper. The last group, more than 600 years old, are made from leather.
At first, these rare manuscripts were poorly kept and damaged by moisture. One day, Suleymaniye Library in Turkey, Mohd Lutfi Hj Samae. which preserves one of the world’s largest collections of Koran manuscripts, learned about his collection and offered to repair six old Korans in Lufti’s possession.
“The library is the main supporter of keeping and repairing Muslim heritage. The National Archives of Thailand does not have enough expertise to fix these old Korans,” Lufti says. “The repair cost is quite high, costing around 2 million baht for each book.”
In such professional reparations, the secrets of these rare books are revealed. Lutfi is surprised to learn about the origins of his Korans and how old they are.
He leads me into a room next door. Korans in different sizes are placed in glass boxes that protect them from high humidity. Some come with leather covers and bark paper. Some contain ancient Arabic and Balinese languages. Most of them are wonderfully decorated with delicate drawings in Arabian, Chinese and Malay styles. Some are adorned with gold leaves. Impressive decoration on the manuscripts reflects the great faith of Islamic artists throughout the centuries.
Lufti says these manuscripts come from different countries. The oldest Koran in this room is from Andalusia, in the southern part of Spain. The unbound handwritten manuscript contains 532 pages and a
leather cover. This 1,135-year-old Koran is not in good shape. Its leather cover is too dry, and is likely to be crushed immediately if one holds it too tight.
Al-Andalus was a medieval Muslim territory which ruled Spain and Portugal at various times between AD 711 and 1492. To this day, Muslim influences can be found in the architecture of the region.
This Koran is a heritage of Lufti’s family. His family got it from Mecca around a hundred years ago.
Staff from the Fine Arts Department advises visitors, as well as Lutfi, not to touch the manuscripts directly. When not on display, they must be stored properly to avoid humidity.
All old manuscripts are being kept properly in soft wrap, away from direct sunlight and humidity. Besides the Koran, the museum displays documents related to literature, religion, language, art, law and traditional medicine.
These precious items will be moved into a new building, now under construction in front of the school.